Machinery and Chemical Industry (MKE) Inc, which became a joint stock company about a year ago, informed TurDef that it is ready to provide an electrical engine solution for the tank. We met MKE Inc Vice President and General Manager Yasin Akdere at the EFES 2022 exercise and got their opinions on the company’s new vision and products.
Stating that they want MKE Inc to become one of the ten largest defence companies in the world in the next five years, Akdere noted that they aim to generate 80 per cent of the turnover from exports. Stating that E-ZMA (Hybrid M113 Armoured Combat Vehicle) will enter the inventory soon, Akdere noted that tests will be carried out for the electric motors of E-Fırtına (Storm) self-propelled howitzers until the end of June and that engine production for armoured vehicles weighing more than 25 tons is next. TurDef’s “Can you produce an electric engine for the Altay tank?” question was answered as “We produce electric engines for A-Z all vehicles “, Akdere clarified many issues from the company’s export strategy to the Yavuz truck-mounted howitzer, which surfaced recently. Akdere said in sum:
MKE Inc’s capital is wholly owned by the Turkish Treasury, while it is still a Turkish National Defence Ministry subsidiary. As an institution, we were working under certain restrictions. But we had a vision. We aimed to be a company that produces key technologies, completes its technological planning, directs the sector, performs what was not accomplished before, but also meets the needs of the Turkish Armed Forces and security forces, manages its relations with competitive and friendly and allied countries. We aimed for a company structure to make faster decisions and better crisis management.
Whatever the military needs, it should be provided without delay today, not tomorrow. We design our structure together with solution partners. You can no longer perform one R&D and produces it for ten years. We need to speed up. Our main goal, as MKE Inc, is to be among the top ten defence companies in the world within five years, together with our solution partners. We believe we can achieve this. Especially on this platform, in this conjuncture, with the support we have received, there is no obstacle for us not to do this.
Some colleagues left us during the transition from a state institution to a joint stock company. We had the chance to retain all our friends in the critical position as we hoped. Our top priority was to ensure that no project would be interrupted. We can say with great pride and great happiness that we terminated the year 2021 above our expectations regarding both turnover and profitability, despite the pandemic. My dear colleagues showed great dedication. We see this dedication and work in 2022 as well. I can already say that we will spend another year far above our plan in terms of both turnover and profitability. This is an indicator of how motivated and how fast we work.We have many projects that we can highlight and implement to increase exports. We see the need for ammunition in the world. There is a massive demand for ammo. If I had billions of ammunition at IDEF, we would be in a position to market and sell it there. But the capacities are limited. We created a new concept, saying, “I won’t sell ammunition to friendly and allied countries; I’ll give you the production line, so you can produce it yourself, provide employment, let’s win together”.
We have signed this agreement with many countries. We have implemented it and are in a position to sign contracts with many countries in the next few months. It has enormous export potential. Here, we are developing not only MKE inc but also the machinery industry because we have solution partners with whom we design and manufacture our production lines.The targeted rate of exports in turnover within the joint stock company is eighty per cent. You will never be able to get an answer from me to the question of how much profitability I have achieved unless I reach that goal. The only thing that will motivate me is to ensure my profitability from the export of eighty per cent and the domestic market of twenty per cent, and then I will say that we have accomplished a tough job.We started the digital MKE project to move forward with subcontractors. You can’t improve anything you can’t measure. Your data must be accurate, and your data must be solid. We now manage the Machinery Chemistry Industry with targets and numbers. We will also integrate our solution partners into your system. We will grow up with them.
Electric vehicles have the priorityWe received a serial production order for 50 electric ZMA combat vehicle units. We are starting our deliveries on it in the coming months. The twenty-five-millimetre weapon system turret is installed on them. We will deliver it as requested by our soldiers.The next step will be the Fırtına howitzer. Our distinguished companies are doing excellent work in terms of the diesel engines in the Fırtına howitzer. But we wanted to implement an alternative. In that sense, we are completing the assembly of electric Fırtına’s electric motor together with our solution partner these days. This month, we will start our test studies at our military unit in Burdur. But our primary goal is, of course, finally to be able to produce the electric-powered tank engine. In this sense, we started an R&D study. We have projected our engine production work, which we have completed up to twenty-five tons, as twenty-five tons and above. We will quickly implement it in that factory model. We are going to a structure that can meet all the needs of the electric motor from A to Z on all kinds of platforms.
Yavuz Howitzer was exhibited at IDEF 2017. The TAF had some expectations and suggestions for improvement. They are all solved. We no longer have any problems getting into inventory as they are all met. We both started the process. Beyond that, we are now working on what we can do regarding export. We continue our negotiations with various allied countries. Hopefully, we will have an essential export item.
