Gokhan Yildiz
16 June 2022•Update: 28 June 2022
ISTANBUL
Steel producer Miilux OY put its steel armor products, manufactured in western Türkiye, on display at defense industry event EuroSatory in Paris.
According to a statement on Wednesday, the firm is showcasing armor steel solutions made in the province of Manisa to global customers for the first time on the global arena.
The international fair for the land and air defense and security sectors started on Monday and will continue until Friday.
Once Finnish-owned, Miilux OY's majority shares were acquired by Turkish pension fund OYAK in 2019.
The firm meets Türkiye's high-strength requirements for steel products, including armor steel, without the need for external resources.
Among its products being exhibited at the event were Miilux Protection 280T, which is preferred for armored vehicle designs such as battle tanks, as well as the blast-resistant Miilux Protection 440T, which is used on the side walls and floors of armored vehicles.
The firm was also displaying the Miilux Protection 500T, a material for armored vehicles' shaped parts, such as their side walls, roof and turret, and Miilux Protection 600T, which is preferred by armored vehicle manufacturers due to its malleability to be shaped into existing designs for add-on and stand-alone purposes without welding-twisting.
Yavuz Yeldan, the general manager of Miilux OY Türkiye, said the firm would utilize new opportunities for sales, promotion, and research for the global market, as well as cooperation with competent companies, as part of the event.
He said that together with the factories in Finland and Poland, the firm has the opportunity to meet Türkiye's needs for steel armor products with domestic plates.
"With the domestic armor steel production facility established by OYAK in Manisa, we have come to a position to take a share from the European market," he stressed.
With the production of steel armor, which had not been produced in Türkiye before, the firm not only strengthened sectoral development, but also took an important step to reduce foreign dependence in the Turkish defense industry.
At EuroSatory, the firm had the opportunity to exhibit its products on the global market for the first time, noted Yeldan.
"As Miilux OY Türkiye, we continue to work primarily on domestic demand, however, our export-oriented activities aren't slowing down."
Initially, the firm plans to increase the share of its wear-resistant steel product group in the export market, he said, adding that in the coming period, it aims to double the annual production capacity of its Manisa factory in line with market demand.
