Empowering Turkish manufacturers with innovation

The Turkish Employers’ Association of Metal Industries (MESS) has been a cornerstone of the Turkish economy since it was founded in 1959 to help lead the development of the country’s metal industry. MESS encompasses more than 230,000 employees across major industries, including automotive, machinery, durable goods, iron and steel, and cabling, making up 40 percent of Türkiye’s total manufacturing exports. It provides services like technology solutions, labor agreements, and a joint procurement platform to its members. “MESS works with the largest employers in the country, directly and indirectly affecting one million people,” says MESS President Özgür Burak Akkol.

Our members are learning to successfully navigate the fast pace of change and innovation. We aim to accelerate their adoption of digital and sustainability capabilities, from the board level to frontline workers.

Özgür Burak Akkol, MESS President

Today its manufacturers are embracing developments to stay competitive and resilient in a rapidly transforming global landscape. “Our members are learning to successfully navigate the fast pace of change and innovation,” says Özgür. “We aim to accelerate their adoption of digital and sustainability capabilities, from the board level to frontline workers.”

To fulfill this mission, MESS has partnered with McKinsey since 2017 to found and build a comprehensive innovation and learning center called MEXT that offers tools, strategies, trainings, and access to a global technology ecosystem. MEXT enables its members and network companies to achieve both digital and green transformation, having already reached more than 650 companies, recently also adding artificial intelligence as another pillar of its mission. MEXT is also the consortium leader of the AI EDIH in Türkiye (European Digital Innovation Hub).

“MESS proactively took the initiative to set up MEXT because they felt a strong sense of responsibility to prepare companies and workforces to become future-ready,” says McKinsey partner Bengi Korkmaz.

The Solution

A world-class transformation center

MEXT opened in 2020 and spans four key pillars: a digital factory, capability-building programs, a global partner ecosystem, and a technical consulting and advisory arm. Housed in a 10,000-square-meter space, it includes training facilities, office spaces, a co-working area, and a conference center.

“Having something very tangible and actionable definitely helps in the transformation journey,” says MEXT General Manager Efe Erdem. “Those four elements combined ensure we are giving comprehensive support to our industrial ecosystem so they can future-proof the digitization and sustainability of their operations.”

Through MEXT, MESS members have access to capability building, maturity assessments, and a broad partner ecosystem of more than 100 global thought leaders such as the World Economic Forum, Harvard University, and global tech companies including Microsoft and SAP.

The center includes a digital factory to test and demonstrate digital and sustainable use cases, of which there are more than 170. It also offers access to ESG tools to help MESS members, particularly those in heavy emissions industries like automotive, assess their current sustainability standing and begin to chart their decarbonization path.

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