Projects and Politics

Turkey’s determined efforts to forge modernity by building up the iron and steel industry date back over fifty years but Ataturk’s vision has only partially been realized. Turkey has emerged as a major Third World producer but each of its integrated plants, Karabük, ERDEMIR and ISDEMIR, were typical technology transfer projects — they encountered numerous problems which have been only partially resolved. And, though one can discern differences in the levels of mastery achieved, none could operate its technologies at internationally accepted levels of productivity and quality.