Information Unit of the Turkish Railway Industry

Information unit of the Turkish railway industry: Annual board 1500 wagon production capacity of 7500 wagons repair capacity is, and in 2013, 176 million sales revenue and the General Manager of the TÜDEMSAŞ Situated between Turkey's leading industrial organizations Yildiray Koçarsl that with the recent developments in the sector in our country, investments We talked about future expectations and the railway industry.

In order to make the repair of steam locomotives and freight cars used by TCDD, the foundations of the republic were laid in Sivas In the 1939 "Sivas Traction Workshop" founded with the name and the sign under many firsts in the sector in Turkey Railway Machines Industry Inc. (TÜDEMSAŞ), from past to present time Thanks to its know-how and advanced technology, it continues to bear the burden of the sector in the production, maintenance and repair of freight wagons. In an exclusive interview with TÜDEMSAŞ General Manager Yıldıray Koçarslan, Koçarslan evaluated the sector and gave information about TÜDEMSAŞ's contributions to the sector.
When you consider looking at the history of Turkey's transport rail transport and rail systems, how it spent a year in our country special? In your opinion, what was the most important project implemented in 2013?

The railways, which have been neglected or even ignored since the 1950s, have been reconsidered with a different understanding after 2003 and have been identified as a priority sector, and in the last 11 years, serious investments have been made and major projects have been put forward. The most important of these projects is undoubtedly the "Marmaray", which is also described as the project of the century. Marmaray, which has been a dream of 153 years and is shown among the biggest and most prestigious projects in the world, in our opinion; It is a pride for our country due to its technological infrastructure, economic size and the momentum it will bring to railway transportation.

Due to the first tube from Turkey's undersea tunnel project also it has a special importance.

Another important development that should be emphasized in 2013 is the "Law on Liberalization of Railway Transport". This law, which entered into force after being published in the Official Gazette dated May 1, 2013 and numbered 28634, is a very important step in terms of the development and growth of our country's railway transportation. This law allows new players to enter the sector and create a fair and sustainable competitive environment in rail transport. The full implementation of this law will enable our country to get a greater share of the global railway pie in the coming years.

In the “11th Transport, Maritime and Communication Council” held in September, 2013 is a development that should be considered specially. The council, which also includes the railway sector, has an important role in terms of medium and long-term goals. It is an important platform where the current problems and bottlenecks in the highway, maritime, aviation and communication sectors, especially in the railway, are addressed, the goals for 2023 and 2035, the policies to be implemented and the predictions for the future in the sectors are discussed.
If we look specifically at TÜDEMSAŞ, how was 2013? Which projects have been implemented?

Production of freight wagons, maintenance and 2013. Our company is the largest industrial enterprise in Turkey has passed the point of making revisions highly efficient and intensive. While we were trying to increase our production capacity and meet the increasing needs of the sector, we were also trying to complete our physical and technological infrastructure investments in order to prepare our company for the future. If we talk about them briefly; In 2013, we increased our production program by 32,5 percent compared to the previous year in order to use our wagon production and repair capacity more. This goal has been achieved by 100 percent thanks to the devoted efforts of all our personnel, and a serious success has been achieved. An agreement for 60 wagons was signed between REYSAŞ Logistics, one of the leading companies in the transportation sector, and our company, and all of these wagons were produced and delivered to the company in October 2013. In order to meet the decreasing workforce requirement of our company, 1996 artisans were recruited for the first time since 105, and a significant workforce deficit was eliminated. Our Welding Technologies Training Center was completed and put into service as of June 2013. In this center, which is a first for our region, it is aimed to train the welders working within our company and the private sector. In the first place, within the framework of public-private sector cooperation, 200 welders who are newly recruited and currently working in our company were trained and a large qualified staff shortage was eliminated.

Wagon Repair Plant, which is a first in Turkey Robot Blasting completed and continues to experiment and test operations. In this facility; All freight wagons that come to our company for maintenance, repair and revision will be sandblasted with the help of robots without human factor. Our quality control laboratories have been reorganized in accordance with the changing and developing technology, the necessary technological transformation has been achieved and the Mechanical and Chemistry Laboratories and the Calibration Unit have been brought together and a modern structure. Our material stock areas and warehouses have been modernized in line with our needs in parallel with our increasing production, our closed stock areas have been increased by 100 percent, and our warehouses are equipped with modern shelf systems. Our company, which is constantly striving to improve itself with the idea of ​​being better than the previous day, further strengthens its infrastructure with new investments and maintains its feature of being one of the most well-equipped companies in its region.

What kind of activities are on your agenda for 2014? Could you tell us about your recent projects?

Our production target for 2014; We have increased wagon production by 2013% compared to 59, increasing to 1002 wagons, and in wagon repair by 7,5%, to 3205 wagons. These numbers in 2015; We foresee 1500 units in wagon production and 3010 units in wagon repair.

Our company is an industrial enterprise that has international Occupational Health and Safety, Quality, Environment and Energy Management System certificates, and can produce freight wagons in UIC standards, with special railways certificates required by the industry.
However, our country is a member of OTIF (Intergovernmental Organization for International Transport by Rail), which is an international organization. OTIF has become a party to the Convention on International Rail Transport (COTIF) and the obligation to apply the terms of the accepted COTIF in international traffic as of 01.07.2006 has arisen.

In accordance with this technical approach, the "Maintenance Supply Function Certification" study has started in our company within the scope of the "ECM Maintenance Management System" requested from all public and private sector organizations, and this work is planned to be completed by May 2014.

The "Technical Requirements for Interoperability (TSI)" certification studies, which are required for newly produced wagons to work comfortably in European Union countries and to export to Europe, have been started and we are aiming to complete them by August 2014. We plan to complete this process, which we started for the Sgss type Container Transport Wagon, for all different types of wagons.

In the production of railway vehicles and sub-components, we have received the "TS EN 15085-2 Railway Vehicles and Components Welding Standard" certificate, which is the visa of the manufacturer in the international market, for bogie production, and we aim to spread this document in all products we manufacture and repair.

In parallel with the movement in railway transportation in our country, we conduct different studies and research different cooperation in order to meet the needs of the private sector, to produce more in the domestic market and to export abroad by creating alternative markets. In this context, apart from TCDD General Directorate, of which we are the main supplier, our negotiations with private sector companies engaged in railway transportation are continuing at the bidding stage.

As is known, in our country "Turkey 2023 Vision" and each sector has a strategy based on this vision determined its position on him. If we evaluate your main organization through TCDD, what is there about you in the 2023 vision and what steps are you taking to achieve this goal?

Railways, which are regarded as one of the indicators of modernization, have been given great importance in developed countries, and it is aimed to establish a balanced structure by expanding transportation from highways to other modes of transport due to environmental effects and economic reasons. In the studies carried out to establish this balance, especially in freight transportation, railways have been considered as a priority sector. In our country, where this understanding has been brought to the forefront recently, the great projects put forward and the successes achieved in the works carried out lead us towards bigger goals. If we are to list some of these great targets set forth by TCDD for 2023; to develop the railway rolling stock fleet, to increase the share of the private sector in the production and maintenance of towed and towed vehicles, to increase the private sector share in railway operations to 50 percent, to increase the share of railways in transportation to 10 percent in passenger transportation and 15 percent in freight transportation.
These goals impose great responsibilities on us. Realization of these is extremely important for our country's railway industry. As a result of the expansion to be achieved in the sector with the legal regulations and structural changes, many large and small private companies will be drawn into the sector, and our railway industry will grow and grow rapidly.

As TÜDEMSAŞ, if we talk about the work we do within the framework of these goals; While some of the sub-components belonging to the freight wagons we produce are produced in our company, we procure most of them from the domestic market in terms of establishing and developing the railway subsidiary industry. In doing so, we are transferring our knowledge and business experience based on many years to our stakeholders in the private sector, and we are trying to create a sustainable ecosystem by developing mutual relations.

In this way, while contributing to the development of the railway sector, we are trying to attract new investments to our region through these stakeholders and to make our region a center in freight wagon production with the emerging new companies, large and small.

We aim to increase the share of the private sector in the production and maintenance-repair of towed and towed vehicles by increasing our stakeholders in the railway industry and sub-industry, which will grow and develop throughout the country, especially in our region.

Knowing the low standards of freight vehicles operating in our country's railway network, we evaluate the global developments, including our country, and prioritize the production of new and technological wagons in line with the changing and developing needs of the sector in order to respond to the freight wagon shortage that will occur in the sector.

The main goal of all our work and the strategies we have determined, which we believe to contribute to the development and growth of the railway sector, is to develop our country's railway industry and to increase our effectiveness in the world as one of the main actors in the global railway sector over time. In this way, it is our priority to create new employment areas and provide new job opportunities for the people of our country, especially in our region.

What is the domestic rate of freight wagons produced on railways? Are the days when large projects will be signed with local labor and XNUMX% local materials?

The major projects put forward in recent years in terms of rail transport in Turkey (Marmaray Kars-Baku-Tbilisi Railway Line, High Speed ​​Train Line, etc.) and when future targets are evaluated, involving also our country has a large production opportunities for the Turkish railway industry in this region. It is very important to save the growing railway sector in our country from being externally dependent and to increase the domestic contribution rates.

As TÜDEMSAŞ, we use 85 percent local materials in the wagons we produce. We can classify these materials as cast parts, forged parts and steel construction parts. In addition, we supply many parts that are produced by machining and require heat treatment from the domestic market. In order to direct our suppliers, who supply these materials to us, to domestic products, we especially ask for a Domestic Goods Certificate in our tenders. However, we procure other parts that make up 15 percent of the wagon, such as the wheel set, brake system (valves, regulators, etc.) and pipe fittings from abroad. The fact that these products are not produced in our country directs us abroad.

Today, our country has become one of the few economies in the world that can produce big projects with domestic labor and materials, 100 percent domestic capital. We can give examples of this, the national warship MİLGEM, our national tank ALTAY and our national combat helicopter ATAK, which have been created in the field of defense industry.

An example of these studies in terms of the railway sector is the “National Train Project”, which was introduced by our former Minister of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications, Mr. Binali Yıldırım, on December 17, 2013. This project; The high-speed train set includes the new generation diesel train set (DMU), the new generation electric train set (EMU) and the new generation freight cars. With this project, our country will become a country that produces railway technology and exports it to countries in need, in the coming years. In this project, there are distinguished universities of our country, industrial organizations, organizations with experience in R&D such as TUBITAK, ASELSAN and various stakeholders. Another special aspect of this project for us is that our company is the project manager of the "New Generation National Freight Wagon" included in the project. Under the coordination of TCDD, many technical personnel from the R&D and Design Branches of our company are working on the project.

What do you think about the future of the Turkish railway industry? Do you think the work of local companies is sufficient? How is our country in terms of technological infrastructure and R&D studies? What kind of work do you do in this field?

Within the framework of the political and economic developments in the world in recent years, new transportation corridors have been created between Europe and East Asian countries, including our country. While determining these transportation corridors, besides the geographical location of our country, the political and economic stability achieved in the last eleven years and the major transportation projects put forward accordingly have an effect. For example, the Marmaray Tube Crossing Project and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway Project, which is integrated with it, are important pillars of these corridors. When the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway line and Marmaray, also known as the "Iron Silk Road Project", are completely completed, it will be possible to transport uninterrupted freight by rail from Europe to China over this line. Thus, it is planned to shift all of the freight transportation between Europe and Central Asia to the railway. When Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway and other railway projects supporting these projects are put into service, it is aimed to transport 3 million tons of freight annually from Asia to Europe, from Europe to Asia in the medium term, and by 2034, with a load of 16 million 500 thousand tons It is aimed to carry 1 million 500 thousand passengers. When Turkey's long-term thought to be able to obtain these types of projects due to come carrying billions of dollars from the transportation, throughout the world in the coming period of Turkish companies will take part in more active in the transport and will be needed is a very serious freight cars in the market. In addition, there will be a serious market for the maintenance and repair of the railway vehicles used and the production of sub-components of these vehicles.

When the future is evaluated in terms of our country; Considering the target of “increasing the share of rail freight transportation in total transportation to 2023 percent”, which is among the targets of 15, there is a need for more than 40 thousand new freight wagons to reach this point. It does not seem possible for TÜDEMSAŞ and other public institutions to meet these wagons. In order to meet this need, there is a need for a strong railway industry and subsidiary industry, which includes many large and small companies belonging to the private sector.

When Turkey's railway sector will invest up to 2023 years 45 billion dollars and considered to be a trillion-dollar market in the world 2020 to 1 years our country should take place only as a consumer in this market. The knowledge and experience that public institutions such as TCDD, TÜDEMSAŞ, TÜLOMSAŞ and TÜVASAŞ add to the sector in the meaning of the railway industry is very important. However, considering the targets in the 2023 vision, the private sector should be included in the business as soon as possible in order for our country to take an active role in the global rail sector.

Thanks to the more flexible and dynamic structure of the public sector, private sector organizations can take early positions according to future developments. These organizations should be encouraged to develop technical infrastructures, complete their certification shortcomings as soon as possible and to undertake R & D studies aimed at meeting the differentiated needs of the sector.

When we evaluate our company in terms of technological infrastructure and R & D activities;

Our company; In order to reduce labor costs and to meet the increasing demands of the sector, we have passed from labor intensive production to technology based production and our improvement works regarding our physical infrastructure are continuing rapidly. The most beautiful example of this is the Robot Wagon Welding Unit, which we are actively using in our production line, and the Robot Wagon Sand Blasting Plant, which we will start to use in the wagon repair line. In addition, the factories within our company have all kinds of technological equipment required by the sector (modern painting plants, horizontal machining centers, cnc lathes, CNC wheel lathes, etc.) in the field of our country is one of the most equipped and largest companies.

In addition, the European Union and various international organizations (OTIF, UIC, EN, etc.) to meet the technical criteria (TSI, ECM, etc.) continues to work in our studies.

Following the sectoral developments within the framework of our country's 2023 vision, five wagon type [Sggmrss (Container), Zas (Petrol 95 m3), Talns, Habillnss, and Lorry Carriage Wagon were determined in the future. R & D studies have been started.