Alstom Turkey opened its Engineering and Technology Center in Istanbul, which will also serve Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia. The opening of Alstom Engineering and Technology Center located in Istanbul Technopark took place on May 8, 2023 with the participation of Alstom Middle East North Africa Turkey General Manager Mama Sougoufara and Alstom Turkey General Manager Volkan Karakılınç.
Mama Sougoufara, Alstom Middle East North Africa Türkiye General Manager: Speaking at the opening, Mama Sougoufara, Alstom Middle East North Africa Türkiye General Manager, said; “This center will specialize in railway signaling. This was the first investment in the country for engineering design and implementation by a global railway company. The opening of this center is a significant milestone for us, as it represents our continued commitment to develop critical know-how in the country and create a local pool of highly qualified engineers responsible for key signaling technologies such as Interlockings, ATC, ETCSs. The engineering center will primarily serve our local and regional customers and expand into a global center of excellence supporting Alstom customers worldwide.
Turkey has been home to Alstom for over 70 years and we are excited to establish a new Engineering Center as a cornerstone of our efforts to expand mobility innovation in Turkey and beyond, and we are determined to continue investing in the country. We see Turkey as an important partner in becoming a leading country in smart and sustainable mobility.”
Volkan Karakılınç, General Manager of Alstom Türkiye: Alstom Türkiye General Manager Volkan Karakılınç said the following; “As Alstom, we have been operating in Turkey for more than 100 years of our 70-year history of the Republic, and we continue our efforts to contribute to Turkey's railway sector. The opening of our Alstom Turkey Engineering Center is one of the most important steps of our roadmap and one of the most important indicators of the importance we attach to Turkey.
As you know, signaling systems are vital for rail system lines. A world-class modern rail network cannot be separated from advanced signaling systems. Our center, which is the first engineering center of Alstom in Turkey, will carry out specialized design and application activities in the field of signaling. It will produce solutions for a wide geography covering Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia, especially Turkey. Thus, engineer employment and added value exports will be created.
In our journey to Turkey, which started with the delivery of 50 electric trains in the 30s, we have 9 metro signaling projects actively continuing in Istanbul today. In addition to these, we have two ongoing mainline signaling projects. We have a wide range of solutions and services in Turkey, mainly system and infrastructure, signaling, railway vehicles and maintenance/modernization services.
When we look at the history of the Turkish railway sector, the point reached in 100 years is admirable. Serious investment plans for the future are also on the agenda. In line with the objectives in this context, we are always ready to contribute to the development of our country's rail systems, both within the scope of main lines and urban rail systems. We are determined to continue to invest in our country as Turkey's reliable rail transportation partner, which is advancing with big goals and steps in becoming a regional leader in the field of smart and sustainable rail transportation.”
Günay Şimşek, Alstom Africa, Middle East and Central Asia Signaling & Infrastructure Engineering Manager: Alstom Africa, Middle East and Central Asia Signaling & Infrastructure Engineering Manager Günay Şimşek gave information about the newly established Engineering and Technology Center. Şimşek stated that Alstom operates in 4 regions, namely America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Ameca (Africa, Middle East and Central Asia), and has more than 20.000 employees globally, of which nearly 74.000 are engineers.
Şimşek stated that the Ameca region, which includes Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, as well as Turkey, is the most developing region, adding that the Ameca region is the fastest developing region in terms of both vehicle and signaling, where the need is the most in terms of market and new needs. recorded. He stated that major projects were followed in this region in countries such as Turkic Republics, Qatar in the Middle East, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Tanzania in Africa, Uganda Mozambique and Malawi.
Şimşek gave the following information about Alstom activities in the region; “There are over 80 billion Euros of orders received globally. Almost 16 billion Euros of this is realized every year. There are new orders close to 20 billion Euros. It is seen that sales of over 1 billion Euros and orders of 12 billion Euros were received in the Ameca region. There are 5.000 employees and 12 billion Euros of pending orders in the region, we are building teams to realize this. The team established in Istanbul today is actually the team that will solve the engineering solutions of the entire Ameca region on site.”