Can you introduce Fokker’s presence in the Turkish market and its evolution over the years?

Fokker Elmo, which is part of the Dutch Fokker Aircraft entity, has a 65-year history in the industry. Initially, the ELectrical MOunting (Elmo) part was already operating as a separate entity within the mother company. Fokker Elmo established a low-cost production facility in China in the 1990s which grew to a 900+ people operation. Due to the request from the market for a similar approach for defense products, Fokker Elmo decided to explore alternative geographical locations for suitable locations. Given Turkey’s sizeable domestic defense market, offset policies, and a young and highly educated workforce, Fokker Elmo founded its greenfield operations in Turkey in 2007. Today, the company employs approximately 300 employees operating out of its new and custom-built facility in ESBAS, the Free Trade Zone in Izmir.

What applications do Fokker Elmo’s products have and in what ways does the company innovate?

 Fokker Elmo’s products are crucial to the well-functioning of all the complex systems in an aircraft. Fokker Elmo conducts its own training of all personnel due to the precision and capabilities required. Fokker Elmo has developed a proprietary IT system that helps to digitally design wiring harnesses together with its customers. During this process, the software always maintains a perfect configuration, which is crucial in the whole lifetime of an aircraft. The company utilizes this system across its locations in China, Turkey, the Netherlands, and its latest addition in India.

What are some important trends driving the EWIS market?

 New technologies include flat bed wire and fiber optics, structure, and composite integrated wiring, to name a few. The industry is developing various solutions to push more data through less cable, given that the driver in the aerospace sector is weight. Yet, the industry is relatively conservative in its approach due to the need for all solutions to be proven in reliability and safety.

Which sector does Fokker Elmo Turkey primarily work in, defense or commercial? Which is growing in importance?

At present, Fokker Elmo Turkey is predominantly engaged in defense programs. However, the company will begin to work on some commercial programs in 2016, increasing its share of work in this segment. Fokker Elmo Turkey is involved in some current defense programs, such as AgustaWestland AW 159 and AW101 helicopters, Airbus A400M, Boeing P-8A, and Lockheed Martin F35. On the commercial side, the company is starting work on the Bombardier Cseries and Airbus A330neo.

Can you provide a final message about Fokker Elmo’s future plans for the Turkish market?

Fokker Elmo aims to grow further, especially given its recent progress and underutilized existing capacity. The company aims to increase its local Turkish team to 400 and grow its responsibilities. Fokker Elmo is continuously adding more capabilities to its Turkish facility and introducing responsibilities and programs that otherwise would not have the ‘made in Turkey’ stamp. The company will further evolve to be able to serve customers directly without assistance from its parent company. Fokker Elmo is looking forward to many programs, including some potentially exciting Turkish work following its successful synergy with GKN.