Smart machines, artificial intelligence and intelligent systems where everything interacts with each other… What interests us is the mind of the field, the industrial mind, that is, the type of mind on which rationalism and positivism lie. The mind, which naturally develops as a process in the light of science that does not fly or jump. While looking for answers to Turkey’s important industrial problems, what we actually need is the “industrial mind” and its derivatives today. We are currently thinking about Industry 4.0 or the 4th Industrial Revolution and its impact on today’s industrial relations. Let’s say we take this concept, which is still not clearly explained even by its owners, and let’s ask ourselves; what does the industrial mind tell us to do? Is our answer to establish a domestic and national industry? Or “Oh, let’s not miss the train!” Struggling to get more share in the new global division of business to consolidate global integration with its jargon? Now, some may say that these two problems are not mutually exclusive, there is no alternative, and the industrial mind is to do what is necessary for these two problems. It may be true, but the first answer that should be given here is; It is directly related on what ground and with what mentality we seek answers to these questions.
HOW DO WE ACHIEVE THE TARGETS?
Turkey’s development model has been an export-oriented economic model since the 1980s. In the sub-expansions of this, the most important pillar of the model is to export more industrial products. Important steps have been taken in this model and we have come to the point we all know. It is clear that we are not satisfied with the point reached. We have mid-range technology and do mid-range work. Goals are big, but how will we achieve them?
The industrial mind of the new era tells us that we live in a technology-dominated world and that this will determine all production, service and international economic relations. All developed countries and their giant enterprises have determined their new positions through this fiction. As far as I know and I have heard, Turkey’s position is not clear. When I say taking a position, I should also mention that I do not see the reactions developed against anything as taking a position. Although we do not underestimate the work carried out in areas that are lacking in the defense and automotive industry, I think we all know that this does not mean taking a position in terms of targets for the future.
Industrial mind, supported by a critical approach, tells us that we have been lying on the side for a long time and therefore we do not have an ecosystem to produce new technologies. In other words, it is obvious that we do not have a sufficient basis for R&D and innovation in a wide range of areas, from resource use to skilled human-infrastructure arrangements. We do not need to compare ourselves to countries such as South Korea and Taiwan to understand this on a global scale. Such comparisons may have made sense in the second half of the 1980s, but not now. Competition in the world is now determined by R&D and innovation. Recently, we read in a publication of the research company PwC how much resources are allocated to R&D and innovation by businesses on a global basis as of 2016. The total R&D expenditure of the first 1000 large enterprises in the world exceeded 680 billion dollars, breaking a new record. Volkswagen (13.2), Samsung (12.7), Amazon (12.5), Alphabet (i.e. Google, 12.3), Intel (12.1), Microsoft (12), Roche Holding, which are in the top 10 of the list (10), Novartis (9.5), Johnson&Johnson (9), Toyota (8.8) spent a total of $103.3 billion.
Now, of course, the only conclusion to be drawn from here is not “The one who pays the whistle”. Both these enterprises and the ecosystem in the central countries where these enterprises carry out such activities show that this resource use has a counterpart. If we still maintain the claim of being an industrial country and the aim of increasing the export of industrial products, the industrial mind tells us that it is imperative to implement a program that will enable a more radical transformation beyond the existing ones. Otherwise, we will continue our industrial life with a technology that consumes only technology and cannot exceed the “medium” level in production.
It should also be noted that sector representative institutions and businesses operating in these sectors themselves have important duties in order to realize the radical transformation. We will try to examine what these tasks are in future issues of Moment Expo.
