Turkish-Dutch joint pre-processing plant

 

Today the Turkish Association of Ship Industrialists, GESAD, has signed in witness of the Minister for Foreign Trade of The Netherlands, Mr. Frank Heemskerk, a Letter of Intent with the Dutch company IHC Metalix.

Both parties start a feasibility study for a Turkish pre-processing plant for steel and aluminum parts needed in Shipbuilding, Offshore and Construction Industry. The ceremony took place at Palais d’Hollande, the Dutch consulate General in Istanbul, Turkey.

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PHOTO 1	:	Mr. Ziya Gökalp of GESAD (left) and Mr. Roel de Graaf of IHC Metalix sign the Letter of Intent
PHOTO 2	:	Mr. Ziya Gökalp of GESAD (right) and Mr. Roel de Graaf of IHC Metalix shake hands

The purpose of GESAD is to enhance the cooperation of ship industrialists and shipyards, to introduce and promote new technologies and innovations with safe and environmentally solutions, to facilitate active relations between ship industrialists and education-training-research institutions as well as international entities, to represent Turkish ship industry in national and international scale, respecting occupational health, safety and environmental friendly issues.

Mr. Ziya Gökalp of GESAD sees the steel pre-processing in shipbuilding as a critical process that correlates both the overall production time and the quality of the whole ship from the beginning. It is a great honor for GESAD to collaborate with IHC Metalix, a technology and service company of the IHC Merwede group. The joint-venture initiative of IHC Metalix and GESAD will perfectly combine the high-tech background of IHC Metalix with the dynamic Turkish ship industry; the young and skillful local technical experts will support the success.

IHC Metalix is the specialist in supplying construction building kits in Europe. The main production site is near Rotterdam, producing building kits for all types of vessels for almost 25 years. Since 2005 there is also a production facility in Belgrade to serve the Balkan area. During the last few years IHC Metalix changed from a classic project controlled company into an innovative process controlled organization. Together with their hard- and software suppliers dedicated and high innovative equipment was developed. With these tools IHC Metalix is capable, of serving its clients with detailed sorted and ‘just-in-time’ deliveries.

Mr. Roel de Graaf of IHC Metalix expects that the local facility in Turkey can be of great value in the professionalisation of Turkish shipyards’ production process and help them acquire an upper hand against the international competition in the long run.

Turkey has already a mature relationship with the Netherlands since 1612. In 2012 400 years of diplomatic relations will be celebrated. In 1924, the Netherlands was the first country which established friendship with the Republic of Turkey during the Atatürk period. Turkey is one of the most prominent commercial partners of the Netherlands and it has an intensive relation with the Dutch maritime and shipbuilding industries and shipowners.

Profile IHC Merwede
IHC Merwede focuses on the continuous development of its design and construction activities for the specialised shipbuilding sector, in particular dredging and offshore industries.
IHC Merwede is the world market leader in the construction of specialist dredging equipment. IHC Merwede is also recognised as an outstanding builder of complex, custom-built vessels for offshore construction. The clients of IHC Merwede include major dredging companies, oil and gas exploration groups, offshore contractors and government authorities.
IHC Merwede employs approximately 2,800 staff in the Netherlands. The company also has branches in China, India, the Middle East, Nigeria, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

Note for the editor, not for publication
For more information on IHC Merwede please contact:

IHC Merwede B.V.
Mrs. Renée van Krimpen-Baudesson
T +31 184 411555
M +31 62 229 13 29
pr@ihcmerwede.com

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