In the fourth year of the partnership between Turkey’s venerable automotive supplier İnci Holding and the global battery giant Japanese GS Yuasa, İnci GS Yuasa launches its third factory in Manisa with an investment totalling TL120 million.

 

In the fourth year of the partnership between Turkey’s venerable automotive supplier İnci Holding and the global battery giant Japanese GS Yuasa, İnci GS Yuasa launches its third factory in Manisa with an investment totalling TL120 million. Having reached its investment target of TL250 million in its fourth year, one year ahead of schedule, İnci GS Yuasa increases its covered manufacturing area to 47,000 sq m and its battery manufacturing capacity to seven million units per annum.

 

İnci GS Yuasa, an İnci Holding – GS Yuasa partnership, has officially commissioned its latest battery factory. The ceremony held by the Turkish and Japanese partners was attended by the Minister of Industry and Technology Mustafa Varank, Manisa Governor Ahmet Deniz, Izmir Metropolitan Mayor Tunç Soyer, Japanese Ambassador to Turkey Akio Miyajima, and Istanbul Consul General of Japan Hisao Nishimaki.

 

The foundations of the giant factory covering 18,000 sq m were laid in September 2017 in the Manisa Industrial Park; constructed on land measuring 98,000 sq m, it is the result of an investment totalling TL120 million. This latest facility brings the total covered manufacturing area to 47,000 sq m, representing an increase of 63%, and total capacity to seven million batteries per annum, up from five million. With a past record of 50 million batteries unloaded from the belt in 34 years, İnci GS Yuasa exports 60% of the batteries produced in Turkey to more than 80 countries in six continents. The new factory produces advanced technology start/stop vehicle batteries as well as new generation batteries at the highest quality standards for key automotive industry suppliers.

 

Full capacity commissioning of its latest factory will raise İnci GS Yuasa’s contribution to regional employment statistics by 25%. The TL250 million target originally set for the fifth year of the partnership was achieved in the fourth year.

 

In his speech at the ceremony, Minister of Industry and Technology Mustafa Varank referred to İnci GS Yuasa’s third battery factory as an outstanding example of Turco-Japanese cooperation. Varank said, ‘Our friendship with Japan goes back many years, a friendship we consolidate through manufacturing, investment and trade.’ Remarking on the importance of the newly launched factory through this Turco-Japanese partnership, he said, ‘Advanced technology vehicle batteries and new generation and top quality batteries will be manufactured here for key automotive industry suppliers. Sixty per cent of output is intended for export. It is our wish to see this, and similar investments, grow both in technological intensity and the foreign trade volume it produces. We therefore continue to actively support both investors and manufacturers. İnci GS Yuasa is one such company, benefiting from those opportunities. It has been hosting the first R&D centre in the battery industry for ten years. Through collaboration with universities and NGOs, it turns ideas into high added value and competitive products. We expect our industrialist friends to utilise these incentives and to focus on manufacturing and employment. Whoever manufactures in our country – local or international – is important for us, and they benefit from all opportunities equally. Because everyone manufacturing in Turkey is deemed to be local for us. Our direction in Turkey is value added manufacturing and qualified employment. We will continue to take steps and creating policies towards this objective.’

 

Neşe Gök: ‘We are on the way to becoming a global brand.’

 

Speaking at the opening, President of İnci Holding Neşe Gök reminded those present that this was the fourth year in the partnership of two well established Turkish and Japanese businesses and said, ‘We stand before you, representatives of two big companies whose roots go back to the past and branches reach out to the future. I believe that the most important factor that brought us here today side by side is our experiences and values.’

 

Adding that the new factory is proof of the lasting cooperation between two countries, Gök continued, ‘We love manufacturing and appreciate the value of creating something out of nothing in the Aegean region and in Turkey. It is our mission to earn and invest in these lands. Today, we are proud of exporting our batteries and wheels manufactured in Manisa to more than 100 countries in six continents around the world.’

 

Osamu Murao: ‘We are at the service of the world.’

 

For his part, GS Yuasa President Osamu Murao expressed his company’s pride in offering a brand new investment in Turkey to the service of the world. Murao said, ‘We have been working closely with our Turkish partner İnci Holding and in joint synergy for four years,’ adding the message, ‘I am sure that we will attain even greater successes combining the skills of İnci GS Yuasa employees with GS Yuasa philosophy of innovation and growth.’

 

Cihan Elbirlik: ‘We are determining the future of energy storage industry.’

 

Playing host to his Turkish and Japanese guests, İnci GS Yuasa’s Managing Director Cihan Elbirlik said, ‘The new investment by this partnership between Turkey’s venerable institution İnci Holding and the Japanese battery giant with a hundred years of experience GS Yuasa means a lot. Most importantly, we are determining the future of energy storage industry through this, the most technologically advanced factory in our industry that we have opened today. As the technology leader of this industry, our company will closely follow the trends today as we did yesterday, and will represent our country in the world league.’

 

Elbirlik continued, ‘We endeavour to be deserving of our title the World’s Energy Expert; we improve our culture each day thanks to our partnership, by learning new things, raising our values and growing together. Today, we export 60% of the İnci GS Yuasa output to more than 80 countries in the world. We have increased our battery manufacturing capacity to seven million from five million per annum with this new factory launched with an investment of TL120 million. Once it operates at full capacity, our contribution to regional employment will increase by 25%. In our new factory, we will manufacture advanced technology start/stop device batteries and new generation batteries with highest quality standards for automotive key industry suppliers, and we light the way for the future of the industry.’

 

After the speeches, and accompanied by wishes for profitability, Minister Varank cut the ribbon together with the Turkish and Japanese partners. President of İnci Holding Neşe Gök and President of GS Yuasa Osamu Murao planted olive and cherry trees in the garden as symbols of friendship and peace.