Turkey’s first-ever Capability and Digital Transformation Center-Model Factory is established in Ankara within the scope of works conducted by the Ministry of Industry and Technology, Ankara Chamber of Industry (ASO), ASO 1st Organized Industrial Zone and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Capability and Digital Transformation Center-Model Factory in Ankara aims to accelerate the improvement of productivity and digital transformation of manufacturing enterprises, particularly SMEs in Ankara and nearby cities.

Capability and Digital Transformation Center - Model Factory is a training and consultancy center that provides the principles of operational excellence by using experimental learning techniques in a real production environment with the freedom to make mistakes. The center provides trainings and consultancy services, which enable mind shift in enterprises on issues such as continuous improvement, lean production, digital transformation and ensure efficient use of energy resources, time, machine and equipment, raw materials, human resources, thus increase competitiveness of the enterprises in a short time.

Today, these centers are recognized as important tools, particularly in industrialized countries, for spreading the principles of excellence in production processes by means of practice-based learning and thus ensuring structural changes such as lean transformation and digital transformation in in enterprises.

Decision to build the first Model Factory in Ankara

A three-phases filtering approach was applied to identify the province where the first Model Factory would be built in Turkey. Presence of a strong industrial base, hinterland capacity, industry structure and academic performance in the province were considered. Consequently, Ankara was selected as the first example of this innovative practice for its industrialization density and production capacity as well as for its transport facilities and strong university infrastructure.

Training of trainers and trailer trainings were carried out at Model Factory in Ankara

The center was established in Ankara, ASO 1st Organized Industrial Zone (Sincan). The first training programs were started with the completion of the renovation and equipment activities. Approximately 50 companies were trained in trailer training. In addition, practical and theoretical training program for the training of the trainers was conducted in order to develop the training curriculum and improve the capacity of the center in four different stages. In the center; a training program based on experimental learning was applied and the program consisted of 65% applied, 35% theoretical learning.