The Turkish defense industry sector has reached a globally competitive level with its high-quality production and compliance with international standards, and its domestic and national production capacity has increased. This rise has also made the defense sector a magnet for companies wishing to produce and invest within the country.

In this context, increasing the added value of shotgun and parts production in the Huğlu and Üzümlü neighborhoods for both domestic and international markets, The project, which aims to increase production efficiency, expand export potential, and integrate the existing shotgun and parts production structure with the defense industry and other related sectors in line with Turkey's 2023 vision, consists of two phases. In this context, the first phase of the project was tendered in October 2017, and the contract for the work was signed with STM Defense Technologies Engineering Inc. in November 2017 for a price of TL 184,080 including VAT and was completed in February 2018. In this phase, a roadmap was created to achieve the above-mentioned objectives in the region. In line with the roadmap prepared within the scope of the project, the implementation of the “Training and Analysis Project for Increasing Added Value in the Huğlu and Üzümlü Arms Industry” was planned for the second phase, and in October 2018, the contract for the second part of the work was signed with STM Defense Technologies Engineering Inc. for a price of 802,400 TL including VAT . The project in question was completed in 2019.

The KOP Administration supported the project under various works projects in its 2017-2018 investment program and under the Project to Increase Added Value in the Arms Industry in 2019, spending a total of TL 986,480 on the project.

Within the scope of the Huğlu and Üzümlü Education and Analysis Project for Increasing Added Value in the Arms Industry, education and analysis studies were carried out over a 9-month period.

The project aimed to determine the capability/product portfolio that would increase market diversity, identify consulting needs for establishing a professional management approach in companies, identify consulting needs for life cycle management processes, conduct a needs analysis for developing a demand management system that considers life cycle management processes on a regional scale, and increase production efficiency.

In the analysis phase of the project, STM Inc. utilized systems thinking and complex systems analysis approaches, economic complexity, system dynamics, benchmarking, technical tours, and fieldwork methods. Training sessions were delivered interactively in a classroom setting and included case studies.

Within this scope, basic (Life Cycle Management), intermediate (Project Management and Contract Management), and advanced level (Defense Management, Production and Process Optimization, and Enterprise Resource Planning) training was provided to producers in the region at the Huğlu Vocational School of Konya Selçuk University, according to their categories.

Within this scope, producers in the region have been provided with basic (Life Cycle Management), intermediate (Project Management and Contract Management), and advanced level (Defense Management, Production and Process Optimization, and Enterprise Resource Planning) training at Konya Selçuklu University Huğlu Vocational School, tailored to their respective categories.

•    Life Cycle Management Training was provided to companies in Categories 3 and 4.

•    Project and Contract Management Training was provided to companies in Categories 2 and 3.

•   Defense Management, Production and Process Optimization, and Enterprise Resource Planning Training was provided to companies in Categories 1 and 2.

Company representatives stated that the Life Cycle Management Training contributed to increasing production efficiency, expanding export potential, and defense industry integration, which are among the project's objectives.

At the end of the project management and contract management training, it was observed that the participating companies' awareness levels had increased regarding project performance measurement in line with time, budget, and quality criteria, as well as minimizing risk and cost factors in contracts for the purchase of goods, services, etc. Furthermore, it was determined that companies gained a more realistic perspective on the competencies they will need for integration into the defense industry.

Defense Management Training contributed to the project's objective of “ensuring the integration of the existing shotgun and parts production structure in the region with the defense industry and other related sectors” by presenting concepts of procurement, supply, and performance-based logistics. Production and process optimization and ERP training contributed to the project's objective function of “increasing the added value of shotgun and parts production in the region for the domestic and foreign markets” by raising awareness of process management, business process mapping, process analysis, process optimization, ERP, supply chain, product tree, integration, and software support concepts, and a roadmap was presented using case studies for the application of these concepts.

In the analysis studies, it was stated that the skills and products listed below by the companies would also create added value for the Region.

•    Production of hunting sports clothing,

•    Production of mechanical measuring and hand tools,

•    Production of measuring devices for use in the personal design of hunting rifles,

•    Production of agricultural and forestry machinery,

•    Wood painting and coating capability,

•    Metal coating capability,

•    Zamak casting capability,

•    MIM (Metal Injection Molding) casting capability,

•    Production of optical materials for the hunting rifle sector,

•   CIP (Commission Internationale Permanente) infrastructure and capability, which is the European quality control standard (infrastructure located in the Region and mobile infrastructure if possible),

•    Rifled barrel production capability.

Within the scope of the results produced by the project, it is considered beneficial to take project and/or company-based steps, and the action plan for the consulting needs determined as a result of the analyses is presented in the table below.