UKUB (the National Association of Mould Manufacturers) held its 15th National Mould Making Summit on 17 September 2026 at the Workinn Hotel in TOSB, the automotive supplier industry zone in Gebze, under the theme “Industry’s Silent Power: Mould Making.”
Chairman Şahan Eçin opened the event by presenting findings from the Turkey Mould Sector Report — foreign trade volumes alongside the economic indicators bearing directly on the industry: labour costs in Turkey and worldwide, growth rates and interest rates. Framing moulds as the starting point of all production, he argued that “without moulds, it is not possible to speak of mass production.”
His headline announcement: UKUB will host the ISTMA World Meeting in Istanbul in April 2027, expected to draw 22 countries across four continents, a significant step for the international visibility of Turkish mould making.
Speakers included Yakup Birinci (TAYSAD Chairman), Hasan Büyükdede (former Deputy Minister of Industry and Technology), Cengiz Kazani (Kazani Group), Prof. Dr. Fahrettin Öztürk (TUSAŞ / İTÜ), Melih Han Bilgin (CNK Havacılık), Dr. Mohamad Amin (Egypt’s EMDA mould and tooling chamber) and Prof. Dr. Ahmet Özdemir (Gazi University). They covered the sector’s current position and future outlook, global market standing, the knock-on effects of industrial transformation, and vocational training and employment.
Following the conference, B2B meetings were arranged between UKUB members and leading Egyptian manufacturers, opening new commercial links. Over 300 senior representatives attended, including major OEM and Tier 1 firms.
The recurring conclusion across sessions: for Turkish mould makers to compete globally, firms must become more competitive organisations in technology, efficiency, human resources, financial structure, and R&D and innovation.
