The twentieth of the seminar series, started by THBB in 2017, was held in Ahmet Derekli Conference Hall of TOBB Chamber of Mechanical Engineers, Edirne Branch on May 15, 2019 in cooperation with the Edirne Representative Office of Istanbul Chamber of Civil Engineers. Within the scope of the seminar, THBB Quality Assurance System Director Selcuk Ucar made a presentation titled “Quality Audits in Concrete”; THBB Technical and Sustainability Director Koray Sacliture, “Recent Developments in Ready Concrete Sector in Turkey and in the World”; Former Dean of ITU Civil Engineering Faculty Prof. Dr. Mehmet Ali Tasdemir, “Recent Developments in Concrete Technology”. Civil engineers, contractors, architects and concrete manufacturers paid a great deal of interest in the seminar.
Evaluating the economic developments in the construction industry at the seminar, THBB Quality Assurance System Director Selcuk Ucar said: “Construction Industry, which contracted significantly like 8.7% in the last quarter of the previous year, displayed its worst performance since the 2009 global crisis. The first indicators of this year show that the construction sector did not start well in 2019. The Ready-Mixed Concrete index, which we prepare on a monthly basis with the participation of our members, indicates that the activity and expectations in the first 4 months of the year are very weak. The decline in both expectations and confidence indices compared to the same period of the previous year draws down the possibility of recovery in the sector in the coming period.”
Offering suggestions for the revitalization of the construction industry, Selcuk Ucar added: “As THBB, we believe that the solution can be achieved with the introduction of a comprehensive, longterm, all-purpose road map. At this point, we demand that a similar strategy document prepared for many sectors such as machinery, overseas contracting, iron and steel, textile and apparel, tourism be prepared also for the construction industry with a comprehensive and wide participation.”