Turkish manufacturing embraces AI to speed up digital shift

MESS, the Turkish Employers Association of Metal Industries, is transforming manufacturing in Türkiye through its comprehensive innovation center MEXT. Launched in 2020 with McKinsey’s partnership, MEXT provides digital transformation, sustainability capabilities, and AI integration for Turkish manufacturers that represent 40% of the country’s total manufacturing exports. This ambitious initiative is strategically positioning Türkiye’s industrial base to remain competitive in an increasingly digitalized global manufacturing landscape.

The big picture: MESS serves as a vital industrial association representing over 230,000 employees across Türkiye’s key manufacturing sectors, including automotive, machinery, durable goods, iron and steel, and cabling.

• The organization has a significant economic footprint, with member companies accounting for 40 percent of Türkiye’s total manufacturing exports.
• According to MESS President Özgür Burak Akkol, the association “works with the largest employers in the country, directly and indirectly affecting one million people.”

Key initiative: MEXT, founded through a partnership between MESS and McKinsey, serves as a comprehensive innovation and learning center designed to accelerate digital and green transformation among Turkish manufacturers.

• The center has already reached more than 650 companies and recently expanded its mission to include artificial intelligence as a central pillar.
• MEXT operates a 10,000-square-meter facility equipped with training spaces, offices, co-working areas, and a conference center.

Core framework: MEXT’s operations are structured around four strategic pillars that collectively address the technological and sustainability challenges facing modern manufacturing.

• The center features a digital factory that likely showcases advanced manufacturing technologies and processes.
• Capability-building programs form another pillar, having already upskilled over 31,000 people across the center’s member companies.
• Additional components include a global partner ecosystem and a technical consulting and advisory arm to provide specialized support.

Why this matters: As global manufacturing undergoes rapid technological transformation, initiatives like MEXT help ensure that emerging economies can maintain competitive industrial sectors while transitioning to more sustainable practices.

• The center’s combination of physical facilities, training programs, and partnerships creates a comprehensive ecosystem for industrial innovation and knowledge transfer.
• By focusing on both digital capabilities and sustainability, MEXT addresses the dual challenges facing modern manufacturers worldwide.