On this page: Opportunity | Solution | Impact
The Opportunity
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.
The 10,000-square-meter tech center includes training facilities, office spaces, a co-working area, and a conference center.
MEXT, a tech center that equips manufacturers with digital transformation tools
“This hub is inclusive of SMEs and multinational corporations. It’s open to all technology players and startups as a place to implement their technology,” says Efe. “Companies are able to witness the tangible value these use cases bring and they keep the technology center fresh with new content.”
MESS worked with McKinsey to establish a capability-building program that targets all levels from CEOs to frontline workers, ensuring all are upskilled in new technologies. These learning opportunities have so far trained more than 31,000 participants and include initiatives to diversify the industry, such as a woman empowerment project focused on upskilling and employing 300 women in manufacturing jobs. “Our capability-building programs address all different organizational levels starting from the C-suite to mid-level management to engineers and shop floor operators,” says Efe.
This hub is inclusive of SMEs and multinational corporations. It’s open to all technology players and startups as a place to implement their technology. Companies are able to witness the tangible value these use cases bring and they keep the technology center fresh with new content.
Efe Erdem, MEXT General Manager
MEXT also provides regular maturity assessments to help member plants and SMEs identify strengths and areas for improvement. The partner ecosystem supports collaboration and innovation, extending best practices to other sectors across the EU. For example, one program in partnership with a bank supports 100 SMEs with digital transformation maturity assessments, training them in ROI calculation and preparing them for future financing opportunities.
The Impact
Better customer outcomes and greater employee satisfaction
The impact of MEXT has been significant, with more than 650 companies across 15 industries already benefiting from services like upskilling, assessments, and consultancy and more than 31,000 people trained in digital and green transformation. Identified outcomes include a 15 percent improvement in productivity and deployment of over 170 digital solutions.
This work has also broadened the conversation around sustainability efforts, with more than 1,000 manufacturing executives across the country coming together at MEXT in 2022 to discuss Türkiye’s goal of a pathway to net zero by 2050.
Today MEXT offers its services in six countries: Türkiye, Germany, Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates, Romania, and Saudi Arabia. As a strategic partner, McKinsey is supporting MEXT in developing a roadmap for the digital transformation of companies and supply chains and further expanding services to new geographies and areas including AI, sustainability, finance, and HR.
We are not only touching the C-suite and mid-level managers, but 70 percent of the total number of people we reached out to are shop floor operators. We have demonstrated to the workforce that when they upskill themselves, they are better equipped for their future going forward.
Efe Erdem, MEXT General Manager
The ecosystem of partners and collaborators will continue to grow. MEXT has an official partnership with the European Innovation Council and was recently designated as a European Digital Innovation Hub for AI, positioning Türkiye to drive AI adoption at scale in collaboration with EU countries.
“Many centers fail to catch up with new developments and lose their edge, but MEXT is a living and evolving center,” says McKinsey partner Cengiz Ulubas. “Through its strong member-focused leadership team, MEXT is continuously learning and evolving, already having expanded beyond digital to new areas like sustainability and AI.”
MEXT Technology Center has united industry, academia, and government in digital transformation efforts, creating a functioning ecosystem that fosters public-private collaboration and uses digitalization, sustainability, and artificial intelligence to help future-proof operations.
And it is helping upskill a new generation of workers. “We are not only touching the C-suite and mid-level managers, but 70 percent of the total number of people we reached out to are shop floor operators,” says Efe. “We have demonstrated to the workforce that when they upskill themselves, they are better equipped for their future going forward.”
“Our firm is designed to operate as one—a single global partnership united by a strong set of values. We are equally committed to both sides of our mission: attracting and developing a talented and diverse group of colleagues and helping our clients create meaningful and lasting change.
From the C-suite to the front line, we partner with clients to help them innovate more sustainably, achieve lasting gains in performance, and build workforces that will thrive for this generation and the next.”
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