One of the leading Turkish conglomerates Koç Holding's home appliance maker Arçelik has launched a new smart TV factory in Çerkezköy, an industrial district in Tekirdağ, with an investment of TL 500 million ($87 million).
At the Arçelik Çerkezköy Electronic Factory, which was established on an area of 182,000 square meters, future TVs will be produced with digital and robotic technologies. Around 1,600 people are employed in the new factory, whose whole automation and robot software was made by the Turkish engineers.
Addressing the opening ceremony, Koç Holding CEO Levent Çakıroğlu said the conglomerate has invested around TL 35 billion in the last five years, emphasizing that the figure was a concrete indicator of the company's confidence in the country.
"Our company, which is exporting to 145 countries with 20 production plants and 12 brands in eight countries, is the third-largest player in the European white goods market. With an investment of TL 4.5 billion in the last five years, Arçelik focuses on technology development and enhancing its competencies without being externally dependent," Çakıroğlu noted.
In his speech at the ceremony, Arçelik CEO Hakan Bulgurlu said the Çerkezköy Electronic Factory was one of the most modern production facilities in the sector. "We will export 65 percent of the products we develop at the factory to 48 different countries," he added.
In the new facility, where the production speed will be doubled, video wall and cash register production will be realized. The daily TV production capacity of the plant is 12,000 with an annual production capacity set to reach 3.2 million units. The annual production capacity of the cash register segment will be 650,000 units.