History
With its history dating more than a century back, our building is known to be built
in 1880s by an architect named Kambanakis. The building, used as a hotel, a workshop
and as the İstanbul City Conservatory, was bought by our Chamber in 1958. Thanks
to the restoration and innovation works started in 1960, the building was made suitable
to the requirements of İstanbul Chamber of Industry.
Our chamber, together with its Professional Committees, Chamber Council, Board of
Directors, General Secretariat and employees, contributes to the improvement of
the competitiveness of its members and the Turkish industry and to the economy of
the country. The number of the Chamber members, 700 on the date of foundation, increased
to 2,000 within ten years and exceeded 12,500 in 2006. ICI, 98 percent of whose
members are small and medium-sized enterprises, is the most dynamic and powerful
representative of the Turkish industry.
ICI, by continuously following the political, economic and technological developments
in the world and in Turkey and by monitoring the effects of those developments on
the Turkish industry, strives, with the help of its members, to elaborate solution
recommendations for the problems faced by the Turkish industrialist. It aims at
a constructive and solution-based cooperation with the public bodies in order for
the Turkish industry to achieve a sustainable competitiveness and to eliminate the
barriers in front of its development.
Mission
The main objective of İstanbul Chamber of Industry (ICI), founded in 1952, is to
fulfill the existing and future needs of the Turkish industry through information,
training and consulting services, to improve the international competitiveness of
our industry and country and to contribute to the development of the country as
a whole. ICI, incorporating a dynamism and development with this understanding,
is a non-governmental organization endeavoring to renew and enhance its services
every day.
The Duties and Responsibilities of ICI
ICI considers itself obliged to fulfill the following responsibilities;
- Making efforts to help industry develop to the benefit of the country
- Providing all kinds of professional information required by industry
- Conducting all kinds research, study, and survey work related to industry
- Monitor and publish the market prices of basic materials
- Making professional decisions with which compliance is mandatory, offering opinions
to the relevant units on professional activities
- Conducting training and awareness-raising activities by means of courses, seminars,
conferences, and working groups
- Organizing local and regional events such as trade fairs and exhibitions
- Opening or partnering in laboratories determining the qualities of commercial goods
- Ensuring the establishment and management of organized industrial zones
The services that the İstanbul Chamber of Industry provides to its members may be
gathered in two main groups. The first group comprises the services provided on
the basis of the reporting responsibility originating from the legislation in effect.
The second comprises services performed for the purpose of enhancing the competitive
power of the members.
Contribution to Quality and Technological Development
The Quality and Technology Specialization Committee (ICI-QTSC) of İstanbul Chamber
of Industry, founded by the voluntary participation of representatives from the
industry, the universities and the public within the body of ICI in 1999, endeavors
to contribute to the improvement of the competitiveness of the Turkish industry,
and that of our members in the first place, by enhancing its abilities to develop
quality and technology and to the formulation of quality and technology policies
of İstanbul Chamber of Industry.
ICI places great importance on the cooperation between universities and industry,
and, in this context, conducts the "Industrial Design Project for SMEs" in collaboration
with the Department of Industrial Products Design of ITU (İstanbul Technical University).
Under the scope of this project, senior class students at ITU's Department of Industrial
Products Design carry out their dissertation thesis at SMEs whose industrial design
infrastructure is limited and thereby contribute to the researches of the firms
to develop new products and to the development of their competitiveness.
Environmental Awareness and Sensitivity
In order to conduct studies regarding the "environment" for implementing the concept
of "sustainable development" based on utilizing the resources effectively, decreasing
waste, protecting human health and environmental quality, perceiving the concepts
of economic development and environment protection as inseparable, to support the
studies of its members in this context and to improve the environmental awareness,
ICI started its activities in 1986 and established the Environment Department, Environment
Specialization Committee and Environment Consultation Committee within its body
in 1990. In 2004, Environment Technical Study Group was formed under the Environment
Specialization Committee in order to carry out studies regarding the environmental
legislation. ICI has intensified its activities for the environment with trainings,
information and consultation services, studies regarding the development of environmental
legislation, institutional cooperation and joint studies, creating views, reward
ing the members for their environmental studies, environmental projects, establishing
a waste recycling stock exchange and publications on environmental issues.
Social Responsibility Concept
In today's fast-changing world, non-governmental organizations have achieved an
influential position through the added value they provided for social life. On the
basis of this concept, ICI pioneered the establishment of many associations and
foundations some of which are the Foundation of İstanbul Chamber of Industry (FICI),
Turkish Technological Development Foundation (TTDF), Economic Development Foundation
(EDF) and İstanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IFCA).
Support for Vocational Training
İstanbul Chamber of Industry continues to contribute to vocational and technical
training through its foundation FICI. Training activities have a priority within
the activities of the foundation. In order to contribute to the education of qualified
intermediary technical staff required by the Turkish industry, "FICI Industry Vocational
High School and Vocational Technical Education Centre" will be established in Akatlar,
İstanbul . In this modern school, which will constitute a well-qualified example
for Industry Vocational Schools, students will take lessons on foreign language,
computer and communication as well as an education composed of the latest technologies
used in the industry, starting from the 2006-2007 educational year.
Our foundation develops and expands its contribution to the education through the
Vocational High Schools, School-Industry Cooperation Protocol concluded with the
Turkish Higher Education Council.
FICI Anatolian Technical High School for Construction, Sisli [in İstanbul ] Industry
Vocational High School and Zeytinburnu [in İstanbul ] Textile Vocational School
have been chosen as the pilot schools at the end of an examination of all the secondary
education vocational technical schools in İstanbul , the dynamo of the industry
and production. The studies concerning the equipment of these pilot schools in accordance
with the daily technologies and rehabilitation of them through the establishment
of consultation committees are underway.