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Manisa, known as ‘The City of Princes’, has a history that stretches back
over 5000 years. The city has been an important agricultural, industrial and
commercial centre for many centuries, with a rich history, an impressive
cultural heritage and a wealth of natural assets. Manisa has always been a
Shining Star of success in Western Anatolia.
In 1964 the first organised industrial zone within the county of Manisa was
established; until that time the economy of the area had been almost wholly
agrarian. The establishment of the Manisa Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Organised Industrial Zone (Manisa CCI OIZ) was – over the ensuing years – to
create one of the most important industrial bases in the Aegean Region. The
Manisa CCI OIZ is responsible for uniting our strong cultural heritage with the
technologies of today.
The Zone has played a major part in the development of the regional economy. We
have seen an increase in the creation of employment, higher production levels
and added value. The establishment of a manufacturing base and distribution
centre made our Zone attractive to both local and foreign investors keen to
access the domestic Turkish market as well as those of neighbouring countries:
the Near East, the Balkan States, North Africa and the Turkic States.
Our Zone has immaculate super and infra-structural facilities, an airport,
excellent transportation links to the ocean port of Izmir, first-class social
facilities and has a finely tuned industrial service mentality. Our objective is
that the Zone should integrate local with national, and national with universal.
This will be achieved through our own sense of self-confidence together with the
support of our committed entrepreneurs.
The site of the Zone occupies an area of 960 hectares; at the end of 2007 there
were 26,500 employees and a foreign trade volume
of
US$6.3 billion from 163
manufacturing facilities. We are one of the 248 OIZs of Turkey and we now serve
as a role-model for many OIZs presently under construction.
At a time when Turkey wishes to become a full member of the European Union it is
imperative that we integrate fully with world industry. It is essential
therefore that we continue to keep pace with technological developments. We must
also be on course to fulfil the three targets set by our Government’s new
industrial policy in accordance with the requirements of EU accession:
To be innovative
To increase exports
To increase investments
With these targets in mind this Zone will continue to promote the productive
power of Manisa with an eye first to the industrial requirements in Europe and
beyond that to the wider world.
In fact Manisa has already collected consecutive awards in 2005 and 2006 from
the British press (The Financial Times – fDi Magazine – Foreign Direct
Investor). The first of these being ‘The City with the Best Economic Potential
in Europe’; and the second, ‘The Most Cost-Effective City in Europe’.
The Peoples’ Republic of China and the United Nations jointly selected our Zone
as one of the top ten ‘Best Zones in the World for Chinese Investors’. This is a
clear indication of the fact that we are becoming fully integrated within the
global economy.
Thanks to our dynamic yet stable administration this Zone will continually
update itself, embracing the necessary decisions to decrease the input costs of
our industrial facilities and will continue to improve existing conditions.
Furthermore this Zone is committed to supporting the continually improving
competitiveness of our industrialists. |
