NAT'L INST. OF STAND & TECH NI8T

PUBLICATIONS REFERENCE

AlllDb 7El'lb3

NBSIR 73-172

Standardization and liHeasurement

Services in Turkey

A Report of a National Bureau of Standards/Agency for International Development Survey

Conducted October 14-28, 1972

A Report of a Survey Conducted jointly by the National Bureau of Standards

and the Agency for International Development.

October 14-28, 1972

QC

/oO U. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

NBSIR 73-172

STANDARDIZATION AND MEASUREMENT

SERVICES IN TURKEY

(A Report of an National Bureau of Standards/Agency for International Development Survey

Conducted October 14-28, 1972)

Survey Team Director: Professor Dr. Tarik G. Somer, President, Turkish

Standards Institution

Survey Team Members: William E. Andrus, National Bureau of Standards, USA

Robert J. Corruccini, National Bureau of Standards, USA

Raul Estrada, Ecuadorean Institute of Standards, Ecuador

Velid Isfendiyar, Turkish Standards Institution, Turkey

Jeong, Byong Sik, Bureau of Standards, Korea

Sanford B. Newman, National Bureau of Standards, USA

H. Steffen Peiser, National Bureau of Standards, USA

Charoen Vashrangsi, Department of Science, Thailand

(as observer)

H. Thomas Yolken, National Bureau of Standards, USA

M. Fuat Yucesoy, Turkish Standards Institution, Turkey

This survey was conducted as a part of the program under the US/NBS/Agency

for International Development, PASA TA(CE)5-71.

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, Frederick B. Dent. Secretary

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS, Richard W. Roberts, Director

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The encouragement, planning assistance and generous financial support

from the U.S. Agency of International Development, U.S. Department of

State are gratefully acknowledged. In addition the Team sincerely

thanks the numerous unnamed government, industry and university

colleagues in Turkey who gave freely of their time and advice to assist

the Survey, Dr. E. L. Brady and Dr. G, Nichols read the typescript with

great care and made numerous suggestions. Mrs. M. L. Keeney gave

editorial assistance.

i
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

I, Purpose of the Survey 1

II. Conclusions and Recommendations 1

III. The Survey Team 7

IV. Background and Preparation for the Survey 8

A. Background 8

B. Preparation for the Survey 9

V. Brief Notes on the Economy of Turkey 11

VI. Notes on Science and Technology in Turkey 12

VII. The Turkish Standards Institution (TSE) . 16

VIII, The Technical Service Functions Needed in Industrializing , 22

A. Standardization and Measurement 22

1. Standards Development 22

2. Facilities for Development of Test Methodology

for Standardization and Quality Control 23

3. Certification Mark of Excellence for Manufactured

Products .....o 23

4. Internationally Recognized Certification of

Products ...... 26

5. Product Testing 26

6. Calibration of Instrui^nts and Physical Standards . 29

7. Standard Reference TIaterials (SRMs) 32

8. Weights and Measures for Commerce 34

9. Standards for Safety and Environmental Quality . . 35

10. Building Material Standards and Construction

Codes ......00... 36

B. Other Relevant Services ... 36

1. Import and Export Controls » 36

2. Consumer Protection 37

3. Production Control and Industrial Extension

Services 38

11
A. Trainlnr in Quality Control, Inspection ant

^leasurenent Technology 30

5. Statistics and Corputer Services AO

6. Applied Research AO

7. Operations Research A2

8. Technology Assessment, Forecasting and Transfer . . A3

9. International and Regional Contacts A5

10, Information Services and Diffusion (Includinn

Standard Reference Data) A6

11, Professional Societies A7

12, Publications and Publicity A7

Appendix 1 — Itinerary of Survey Team ...... A9

Appendix 2 — The Role of Standards in International Trade . , . , 71

Appendix 3 — The Importance of Measurement Science and Technology

to Standardization and Their Contribution to

Industrial Development , . . . 79

iii

I. Purpose of the Survey

The purpose of the NBS-AID Survey was to study and assess standardization in Turkey, with special attention to its role in

supporting Turkish goals of industrialization*

The NBS/AID Survey team was specifically invited by the President

of the Turkish Standards Institution (TSE) , Prof. Dr. Tarik G, Soner, to

carry out this study. Accordingly the team concentrated its attention

on (a) technical functions for which TSE is responsible, (b) those in

which TSE is presently Involved, and (c) those which are presently not

adequately available as services in Turkey. With regard to (c) , the

team considered whether and how TSE might be involved for national

benefit and as an institutional opportunity.

Thus some of the aspects relevant to the Survey were:

(i) National goals related to the scope of the Survey;

(ii) Applied research capability; ,

(ill) Industrial, governmental, and university cooperation and

support

(iv) Standardization capabilities;

(v) Testing facilities;

(vl) Calibration services;

(vii) Industrial extension services;

(viii) Product quality control;

(ix) Training In use of standards;

(x) Consumer protection.

II. Conclusions and Recommendations

A. Conclusions

1. The Turkish Standards Institution (TSE) is an extremely

valuable tool in the continued industrialization of modern Turkey.

Since Turkey advantageously obtains much of its technology from joint

ventures with industrial firms of othe* nations, many of its needs for

standards and quality control procedures are satisfied by the parent
2

firms. However, for more than a decade, critical needs for original

standards and for standards adjusted to suit local conditions and in

support of self-reliant Turkish ventures have been identified and

provided by the dedicated and competent staff of TSE.

2, The Survey Team foresees that demands made upon TSE for

standards and other services, already taxing TSE's present resources,

will continue to increase. If TSE is to meet its challenges adequately

and to seize the opportunities to aid Turkey's burgeoning industry that

abound in many areas, its capabilities must be increased. This will

undoubtedly require major changes in funding, staffing, and

organizational productivity. The Can Committee,* appointed to study

these matters, is preparing recommendations for operating improvements;

from what it has learned of these recommendations, the survey team

believes that implementation of the recommendations will aid TSE

considerably in accomplishing its mission.

3. TSE's central facilities are well-designed and maintained,

but seem capable of greater utilization.

A. TSE was conceived as a centralized national standardizing

body. The single facility in Ankara derives both advantages and

disadvantages from its location. Its proximity to other government

establishments and to quality educational institutions and its central

geographic location relative to Turkish industries are undeniable

assets, but its distance from major centers of Turkish industrial

activity is a source of operational difficulties and of obstacles to

communication with many of its potential users.

5. Needs for increased availability of TSE laboratory services

and for the preparation of standards for additional materials and

products were frequently reported to the team in its visits. However,

the team found that quantitative data to support such demands are sparse. This remark is not intended to imply that the needs do not

exist, but merely to indicate that the basis for decisions on allocation

of resources needs strengthening by means of surveys in depth, economic

and technological predictions, and the like.

6. TSE appears to have excellent close relationships with

colleges and universities in Turkey. Cooperation between faculties of

universities and TSE management seemed excellent, and university faculty

members serve on many TSE committees of experts. Similarly,

industrialists and their professional employees are frequent

* A Turkish committee established to advise on the administrative structure and technical procedures of TSE. The Committee was chaired by

Prof. Fahrettin Can of the Middle East Technical University,
3

participants in TSE activities. Collaborative relationships that seemed

most in need of strengthening were those with government agencies and

their technical branches,

7. TSE has developed effective liaison with international

standards organizations; it is an important participant in ISO and lEC

activities, and TSE officials have held major positions in these

organizations.

8. The legislation that established TSE provides a stable base

for the institution but perhaps does not allow sufficient operating

flexibility. The unambiguous delegation of standards responsibility

given to TSE by the legislation provides essential authorities.

Unfortunately, the specific organizational structure and methods of

raising income specified by the legislation reduce the options available

to the TSE management for exercising initiative and innovative

administrative improvements. Ultimately serious consideration might be

given to possible ways of removing some of these managerial inhibitions.

9. The contributions of TSE to the Turkish economy are not

widely recognized by the general population. Thus the incentive to

manufacturers to use TSE standards and quality marks is not strong since

the manufacturers tend to believe that other quality designations (e.g.

their own brand names or trade marks) may be more highly regarded as indications of quality than the TSE designation.

10, The survey team endorses the concept of the TSE mark of

excellence. Supervision in the use of the mark at the factory level may

need strengthening, and the criteria and priorities for the use of the

mark throughout industry should be reexamined.

11, In its review of the basic metrology services that are now

or might in the future be provided by TSE, the survey team concluded

that the economy of Turkey has a limited need at present for a comprehensive and sophisticated basic metrology resource. Calibration

services provided from abroad together with judicious expansion of TSE's

calibration services may be adequate to meet present requirements.

However, as the level of sophistication of Turkish manufacturers

continues to rise, precision metrological services of many types will

become more necessary, justifying the establishment of a centralized

comprehensive instrument calibration facility,

12, TSE hopes to assume major responsibility in regulation and

control of commercial weights and measures. Limited indications given

to the survey team of the current state of weights and measures

practices in Turkey point to a need for supporting services, including

calibration, instrument maintenance, information dissemination, and
4

staff training. Hcjwever, the team concludes that TSE should reconsider

its plans to assume a major portion of the burden.

The reasons which lead the team to this conclusion are the

following; (a) the basic legislative responsibility is lodged elsex^rhere;

(b) the quality and extent of coverage of present controls are not well

known; and (c) the interaction between the federal government and local

governments in this field seems to need clarification. Further, the

decision on which agency is to provide technical support for the vreights

and measures program should probably be made at the same time as the

decision on the agency responsible for basic metrology because of the

close relationship between these activities. When the appropriate

authorities make these decisions the role of TSE will be clarified.

13. The team believes that TSE should be expected to play an important role in consumer protection. As quality and variety in

consumer products increase in the market place, performance standards

emphasizing safety and durability will undoubtedly be demanded in large

numbers

14. As manufacturing processes become more elaborate and more sophisticated, quality control becomes more important, especially for

goods exported to foreign markets. It results in savings of resources,

increased productivity, and enhanced competitiveness in international

trade. Systems for surveillance and control of quality at appropriate

steps in the manufacturing process have been found to be necessary in

all industrialized nations. The responsibility for quality control of

exported goods does not appear to rest principally with TSE, However,

TSE, through application of its expertise in specifications, standards,

and test methods, must be an essential element in the Turkish Industrial

quality control system,

15. Industrialization is accompanied by problems of ecological

and environmental impact. The appropriate role for TSE in keeping these

problems under control requires careful consideration. At the very

least, the team believes that TSE can, in the course of its standardsmaking activities, identify potential sources of trouble and stimulate

government concern.

16. In countries at an early stage of industrial development,

technical resources in facilities and manpower are usually rather sparse

and must be carefully husbanded and deployed. This often results in

large numbers of diverse responsibilities being assigned to single

organizations, as is evident in the structure of numerous standardizing

bodies in developing economies, Turkey, however, has the resources to

avoid this difficulty; considerable scientific and technological

capability can be found throughout its industrial, academic, and Federal
5

establishments. Hence, many alternative patterns for the assignment of

supporting responsibilities for the technological infrastructure can be

devised, permitting highly specialized centers of competence in various

fields to be developed. The survey team believes that TSE should be a highly developed center of competence in standards development and

related activities (such as test development, certification schemes,

quality control, etc.)» and should resist temptation to dissipate its

energies and resources by undertaking too wide a range of res pons ib il it ies •

B. Recommendat ions

The NBS/AID Survey Team makes the following recommendations for

consideration by the Turkish Standards Institute and appropriate

governmental and nongovernmental bodies

1, That the contribution of the Turkish Standards Institution

(TSE) to the industrialization and economic health of the Nation should

be expanded by:

a. Implementation of the recommendations of the Can

Committee providing increased support for the Council of Experts, in

order to facilitate the production of standards and to foster the

participation of the highest level of technical competence in the work

of the Council;

b. Conducting a comprehensive program of public and

professional education in the principles and benefits of standardization

(This should include activities designed for public schools, use of mass media, and presentations to engineering and other professional

societies. Familiarizing the Turkish population with the work of TSE

id.ll facilitate acceptance of the quality mark and use of TSE

standards) ;

c. Detailed evaluation of the present enabling

legislation, especially those sections dealing with financial support

(Despite possible complications associated with amendment of the law,

future expansion of TSE may be inhibited by its fiscal provisions unless

some changes are made. Experience of other nations shows that it is

extremely difficult to support an adequate standards infrastructure

mainly or solely with reimbursements. Since many of the services

offered or projected by TSE have broad public benefits as well as private industrial ones, they might appropriately be funded, wholly or in part, by public funds. The possibility should be considered that TSE

might seek general grants from governmental or non-governmental sources,

or that a government appropriation should be made for partial support)
6

d. Assigning to TSE, at least on an interim basis,

responsibility for assessing national needs for standard reference

materials and for establishing a distribution program,

e. Undertaking studies in collaboration with other

organizations (such as TBTAK, the Chambers of Industry and Commerce, and

the universities) of the needs for laboratory and analytical services in

the principal industrial sectors of Turkey. (Studies of this nature

seem to be essential in order to plan the effective deployment of TSE

resources for laboratory support. The possibilities of marshalling

existing facilities in the private sector, in government, and in

academia to attack common problems should be explored before further

investment in new laboratories is undertaken, A system of accreditation

of laboratories for specific activities might be considered as part of a solution.)

f. Strengthening the capabilities of the central

laboratories of TSE in accordance with the recommendations of the Can

Committee, (Strengthening in some areas is probably needed in order to

assure that the quality certifications and test reports obtained by TSE

will be fully accepted internationally.)

2. That the roles and relationship of TSE and TBTAK should be

clarified. Both organizations apparently have major roles to play in

coordinating and supporting Turkish science and technology. Effective

collaboration between the two is necessary to avoid duplication of

effort and to maximize the efficient use of national capabilities.

3. That the status and responsibilities of TSE for standards

and quality control on exported goods of all types, both manufactured

and agricultural, should be clarified.

4. That a survey of product testing facilities and expertise

in industrial and academic laboratories and other organizations should

be conducted. This probably should be undertaken by TSE to help it fill

demands for local services throughout the nation. The inventory should

Include an evaluation of the competence and facilities of the various

laboratories, as well as their availability to undertake v/ork for other

individuals and institutions.

5. That additional opportunities for TSE staff to be trained

at NBS and similar organizations should be provided. Short-term

assignments of foreign consultants (from U.S. and other countries)

should also be sought. The possibility of support from AID, UNDP,

UNIDO, or other sources should be further explored.
7

III. The Survey Team

The Survey Director was Prof. Dr. Tarik G. Somer, President of the

Turkish Standards Institution (TSE) and Professor of Chemical

Engineering of the Middle East Technical University (METU)

Mr. Velid Isfendiyar, Secretary General of the Turkish Standards

Institution (TSE) and Mr. Fuat Yucesoy, Consulting Engineer, ViceChairman of TSE, Mechanical Standards Preparatory Group, were the other

Turkish members of the team.

The Turkish team members withdrew from participation in the v/riting

of this report with the intention of optimizing the objectivity of

opinions, conclusions or recommendations to be presented. However, they

generously agreed to assist \d.th the editorial tasks.

The remaining members of the Survey Tean were as follows:

Mr. Raul Estrada

Technical Director of the Instituto Ecuatorlano de Normalizacion

Ecuador

Mr. Jeon, Byong Slk

Chief of Specification Division

Bureau of Standards

Republic of Korea

Dr. Charoen Vashrangsi (Observer)

Head of Division of Physics and Engineering

Department of Science

Ministry of Industry

Thailand

lie, William E. Andrus

Program Manager for Engineering and Information

Processing Standards

National Bureau of Standards

U.S.A.

Dr. Robert J. Corruccini

Senior Scientist

Institute for Basic Standards

National Bureau of Standards

U.S.A.

Dr. San ford B. Newman

Senior Program Analyst

National Bureau of Standards

U.S.A.
8

Mr. H. Steffen Peiser (Team Leader)

Chief, Office of International Relations

National Bureau of Standards

U.S.A.

Dr. H. Thomas Yolken

Deputy Chief, Office of Standard Reference Materials

National Bureau of Standards

U.S.A.

Mr. Andrus was unable to stay in Turkey for the second of the two

weeks of the survey, Mr. John Fry of the AID's Office of Science and

Technology in Washington visited the Survey in Ankara for one day. He

is the Director of the Program under which the Survey was partially

financed.

IV. Background and Preparation for the Survey

A. Background

Leaders of every country strive to achieve a higher standard

for their people, better education, sounder health and an improved

quality of life. These goals are tjnattainable by simple exploitation of

natural resources. Agricultural and manufactured products are also

needed which in turn require the support of standards, calibration, and

measurement and testing services. These services have been important

features of all developed countries and have accompanied the

industrialization process of a number of recently developed countries.

Such activities may be critical elements in developing economies for

control of manufacturing processes, quality control of products,

encouragement of exports, and the transfer of technology from abroad.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (AID) at a very early

stage recognized the importance of the Turkish Standards Institution to

the economic health and growth of the country. Resources were made

available for the equipping of a laboratory and the U.S. National Bureau

of Standards (NBS) was approached some years ago for advice and

consultation.

For this and other reasons, Turkey was a natural choice for

inclusion in Phase II of an NBS /AID program of assistance to developing

countries. The program was planned as a modest effort to test on a worldv/ide basis ways in which NBS could most effectively collaborate in

the industrialization efforts of these countries. It was decided that

for best results, the test programs initiated during this phase should

be confined to a few carefully selected areas of the world in i/hich

effectiveness could be evaluated on the basis of essentially
9

experimental activities. The basic criteria used in selecting target

countries were the following:

a. A developing nation currently on the AID list.

b. Willingness by the target country to invest some of its own resources, financial and other, in the effort.

c. Reasonable expectation of internal stability in the target

country.

Other developing countries chosen to participate in Phase II were

Korea, Ecuador and Thailand.

B , Preparation for the Survey

Although less developed countries may differ significantly from

each other in their individual aspirations with respect to industrial

development, many of the problems they face in establishing an effective

infrastructure of measurement technology and standardization for

production and quality control are similar. As a result,

standardization experts in most of these countries are eager to share

their experiences and to learn from each other. Phase II was planned

with the intention of maximizing the potential benefits to be derived

from such exchange.

Accordingly, three developing countries participating from the

outset in the program (Ecuador, Turkey and Korea) were invited to send

representatives to a week long standardization workshop held at the NBS

site in Gaithersburg, Maryland, U.S.A.* The Workshop was designed not

only to acquaint the participants with the services provided by NBS to

the technical and scientific community but to allow for discussions and

presentations of different institutional and organizational approaches

to providing comparable services in other countries. The aspects

stressed in the Workshop included:

a. Maintenance of national standards of measurement compatible

with the International System of Units (SI),

b. Field surveillance of weights and measures,

c. Procedures for the development of standards (including

safety, building codes and consumer protect ion")

,

* NBS Report 10901, H, Steffen Peiser, ed, "Report to AID on the NBS/AID

Workshop for the Survey Team of National Capabilities for Standardization

and Measurement Services in Industrializing Economies," April 23-28, 1972.
10

d. Inspection and quality control of production (sampling,

tolerances, control charts).

The Workshop was held from April 21 to April 30, 1972. Included

among the attendees were the following representatives of the three

countries

Ing. Raul Estrada

Technical Director, Ecuadorean Institute of Standards (INEN)

Quito, Ecuador

Mr. Hong, Young Pyo

Senior Mechanical Engineer

Central Bureau of Weights and Measures

Ministry of Commerce and Industry

Seoul, Korea

Mr. Velid Isfendiyar

Secretary General

Turkish Standards Institution

Ankara, Turkey

Mr. Jeon, Byong Sik

Chief of Specification Division

Bureau of Standards

Ministry of Commerce and Industry

Seoul, Korea

Mr. Luis Urest

Engineer, Ecuadorean Institute of Standards

Quito, Ecuador

Mr, M. Fuat Yucesoy

Senior Mechanical Engineer

Turkish Standards Institution

Ankara, Turkey

Members of the NBS staff made presentations describing NBS

activities and facilities to the Workshop, directing their discussions

to those aspects most relevant to the surveys.

The NBS/AID Survey of Ecuador followed immediately after the

Workshop. With the exception of Mr, Isfendiyar, all of the visitors at

the Workshop joined the Ecuadorean Survey Team. The U.S. NBS

representatives were;
11

Mr. H. Steffen Peiser

Chief, Office of International Relations

Dr. San ford B. Newman

Senior Program Analyst

Nr. Thomas M. Stabler

Chief, Office of Weights and Measures

The Team spent ten working days in Ecuador. It visited

universities, industrial organizations, and government offices in Quito,

Guayaquil, Cuenca and several other cities. The Survey of Ecuador is

described in NBS Report 10881.

In the second half of June, 1972, the NBS/AID Survey of Korea was

held. Somewhat more ambitious alms reflecting the greater extent of

industrialization in that country were adopted. The report of that

survey is also to be distributed as an NBS report.

V. Brief Notes on the Economy of Turkey

Turkey has a population of about 37 million growing at more than

two and one-half percent per year. It occupies a territory of about

300,000 square miles (780,580 sq. km). The literacy rate is about 50

percent but progress has been rapid. The largest but not the most

populous region, is the central plateau of Anatolia in Asia Minor.

Istanbul, by far the largest city with approximately three million

inhabitants, is located in Thrace, the European portion of Turkey. The

capital, Ankara, is in Central Anatolia and at present has little

industry, but industrial expansion is evident. The principal Aegean

port of Izmir and the Mediterranean port of Mersin-Adana have

considerable industrial activity but are greatly overshadowed by the

heavy concentration in the Istanbul area.

Turkey's annual GNP now probably exceeds U.S. $1A billion (at

current market prices); the real growth rate approximates the seven

percent forecast in the second Five Year Plan, the period for which is

now ending. The third Five Year Plan starting in 1973 was accepted in

the parliament on October 26, 1972, There is no doubt that industrial

manufacturing is expected to be the main source of future economic

growth. Turkey is almost certainly rich in natural resources, although

many of them lie as yet unexplored under volcanic lavas. So far only

chrome ore and ferrochrome, copper and borax are significant exports.

Textiles and metals manufacture have begun to add to the export volume.

The principal agricultural products are wheat, sugar beets, grapes and

barley; the chief agricultural exports are cotton, various nuts and

tobacco. Turkey, presently an associate member of the European Common
12

Market, liopes to become a full member. Agriculture alone cannot expand

at a rate adequate to help Turkey attain its social and economic poals

(Tlie good record of recent years must be attributed, at least partly, to

unusually favorable weather.) Despite recent gains, Turkey has the

lowest per capita income of all NATO and OECD countries—less than U.S.

$400 per year.

The "Consortium for Aid to Turkey," composed of a number of OECD

countries including the U.S., provides development assistance, but such

aid has decreased in recent years. USAID has an active mission in

Ankara. Repatriated earnings of Turkish workers abroad and the growing

tourist trade are favorable influences on the balance of payments. In

recent years inflation has posed a considerable problem, with the rate

in 1972 amounting to about 18 percent.

Whatever political changes may be in store for Turkey, it seems likely that the basic philosophies going back to Kemal Ataturk and the

revolution of 1923 will remain influential. These emphasize

modernization, economic growth, industrial development, and a European

rather than an Asiatic orientation, pursued within a frame\-7ork of

rational self-reliance. These goals would appear to necessitate an increasing use of modem technology.

VI. Notes on Science and Technology in Turkey

As in other countries, the pursuit of education has been a feature

of Turkish culture. In accordance with the reorientation of Turkey's

goals by Kemal Ataturk and more recently the promulgation of new and

ambitious industrialization goals based on technology, Turkish

universities have increasingly emphasized the teaching of science and

engineering.

The Middle East Technical University (described in more detail in

the Appendix) is rapidly expanding its engineering and applied science

teaching and research capability and with high standards of academic

excellence. The much smaller Bosporus University (formerly Robert

College) is assuming a similar role (see Appendix) . Teaching at both of

these universities is in English, which benefits students both in

expanded accessibility to the technical literature and in their later

professional lives. Universities such as Istanbul Technical University,

Hacettepe University in Ankara and some others also appear to be making

important progress.

The Government of Turkey is said to control and largely finances

all universities, which it regards primarily as teaching establishments

for the preprofessional training of full time students. The universities

do not yet appear as cultural and educational centers in which all
13

citizens are able to share. Consultation to industry is given by

individual professors, but such activity is often criticized as interfering with a professor's primary responsibility to his students.

Generally, teaching loads are demanding, and some professors are apprehensive of further increases in the student to faculty ratio and of

the highly structured and protracted chain of promotion to the very few

available professorships. Students rarely work part-time in industry.

They believe that it is often difficult to gain the acceptance and

understanding of industrial managers. Thtis, a casual visitor to Turkey

receives the impression that, although student training at its best is

excellent, goveironental, industrial and community relationships with

universities are not as strong as they should be.

Government officials in Turkey appear to be aware of the economic

importance of science and technology. The State Planning Organization

sets basic policy on the development of science and technology. The

chief operational institution is "The Scientific and Technical Research

Council of Turkey" (TBTAK) , It is an independent institution

established by law in 1963 and financed by the government. Its broad

mission and authorities correspond to many of those delegated in the

U.S. to the National Science Foundation (NSF) , National Academy of

Sciences (NAS) , National Research Council (NRC) , National Institutes of

Health (NIH) , and National Bureau of Standards (NBS) . Close contacts

with these organizations should prove profitable. TBTAK is responsible

for funding fundamental and applied research both in-house and by

contract. It is charged also VTith (1) formulating national science

policies, including those related to technology, research, teaching and

international relations, (11) training scientists and technologists, and

(iii) publishing information and holding conferences on research, both

pure and applied.

At first sight the TBTAK mission in science and technology seems so all encompassing that one wonders if any technical role remains for

other agencies in Turkey. However, the existence of such organizations

as the Defense Laboratory, the Mineral Research Institute (see Appendix

1) and the Turkish Standards Institution (TSE) itself are proof that one should interpret the mission of TBTAK as permissive rather than

exclusive.

Recently TBTAK has taken very important initiatives within its

charter. The Documentation Center (TURDOC) , the Building Research

Institute and the Institute of Life Sciences may be mentioned. The

first of the above has already been studied by Peter Judge of OECD. The

survey team did not include a specialist in building technology, so the

Building Research Institute received but little of the team's attention.

Maintenance of contacts between it and the NBS Center for Building
14

Technology would seem to be indicated. The Institute of Life Sciences,

of course, falls largely outside the NBS mission area.

The new development within TBTAK that is of greatest relevance to

the present survey is the Marmara Scientific and Industrial Research

Institute (MSIRI) which has recently begun operations with ambitious

goals and a great deal of drive. Among many other tasks MSIRI has

undertaken to carry out industrial research and extension services

including problem-solving consultation for small enterprises. MSIRI is

authorized to accept contracts but does not expect to be totally

reimbursed for its services.

It is too early to predict how effectively industry will utilize

assistance from MSIRIo Probably different attitudes by the State

Economic Enterprises (SEE's) must be expected. There are SEE's in the

following fields, among others;

(i) Iron and steel (There are some private interests involved in

this industry.)

(ii) Fertilizer

(iii) Sugar

( iv) Paper

(v) Mechanical and chemical industries

(vi) Cement

(vii) Textiles (only 28 percent is government operated and the

percentage is falling)

Much of power production and natural resource exploitation is also

in government hands. Most of these operations and enterprises report

either to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources and/or to the

Minister of Industry and Technology, The SEE's seem to be generally

regarded as less efficient and more bureaucratic than similar private

enterprises. Although this view is apparently shared and accepted at

the highest levels in the Ministry, there is some parliamentary pressure

to nationalize other industries, for example, the borax industry. Boron

ore is an important export with opportunities for expansion. The

nationalized industries are also said to do less research and to hire

fewer Turkish consultants than private industry.

There are many professional and promotional organizations which

exercise technical functions and provide active services. These are grouped into two big Unions as follows;

1. Union of Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Commodity Exchange

2, Union of Turkish Engineers and Architects
15

The Union of Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Commodity Exchange

comprises quite a large number of societies as indicated below.

a. Six Chambers of Industry at Istanbul, Izmir, Ankara, Eskisehir

and Kayseri

b. One hundred to one hundred and fifty Chambers of Commerce at

various cities and towns; some in the smaller towns (e.g., Mersin) are combined with the corresponding Chamber of Industry

c. Eighty to one hundred Commodity Exchanges at various cities and

towns. Istanbul, Izmir and Adana have the largest and best known

Exchanges

The role of this Union includes close relationship with the Turkish

Standards Institution (TSE) to participate in development and

implementation of standards. The members comment on draft standards,

send representatives to TSE meetings, and advise members of the Union on the TSE certification mark. (See Section VII.)

The Union of Turkish Engineers and Architects comprises 13

chambers, as follows:

a. Chamber of Mechanical Engineers

b. Chamber of Agricultural Engineers

c. Chamber of Forestry Engineers

d. Chamber of Architects

e. Chamber of Civil Engineers

f. Chamber of Geodesy Engineers

S* Chamber of Shipbuilding Engineers

h. Chamber of Chemical Engineers

i. Chamber of Metallurgical Engineers

j. Chamber of Ship Machinery Engineers

k. Chamber of Mning Engineers

1. Chamber of Electrical Engineers

m. Chamber of Meteorological Engineers

The role of this Union is to provide a focus for the common

concerns of the engineering professions and to inform related ministries

of the views of its constituents on new legislation. In addition, it

publishes technical periodicals, cooperates with TSE in the preparation

of standards, provides rapporteurs for draft standards, comments on drafts, proposes preparation of new standards, requests revision of

existing standards, and provides quality certificates for goods which do

not have Turkish standards.
16

VII. The Turkish Standards Institution (TSE)

The Turkish Standards Institution was established by Statute No.

132, a private bill, which was published in the Official Gazette on November 22, 1960. TSE's structure, duties, revenues, general operating

regulations and even the location of its headquarters are given in some detail in this organic legislation. It describes the Institution

generally as a public organization having a juridical personality. In

the field of Turkish Standards, TSE is given unique responsibilities;

only standards adopted by the Institution may be called Turkish

Standards. Although TSE standards are optional they may be made

mandatory by decree of the Coiancil of Ministers, Only Turkish Standards

may be made mandatory.

To implement this responsibility, authorization is provided for the

following:

. Scientific and technical research in standards problems

. Cooperation with international standards organizations

. Cooperation with universities and other scientific and

technical organizations

, Publication of standards

. Creation of standards archives

. Establishment of laboratories for standards research and

impl enentat ion

. Reporting on technical activities carried out in response to

the needs of the public or private sector

. Training personnel for standards work; conducting courses,

etc.

Statutory organization of TSE consists of five bodies; the General

Assembly, Technical Council, Board of Governors, Auditors, and the

Standards Preparatory Groups.

a. General Assembly - Either directly or indirectly the

General Assembly controls the Institution's activities. It consists of

both appointive members and representatives named in the Statute,

Appointed members are recruited from University chairs and Institutes

concerned with standards, other affected scientific organizations, and

the Union of Turkish Chambers of Engineers and Architects. Other

members are chosen from the Ministries of Commerce, of Industry and of

Reconstruction and Housingj, and from other Ministries concerned with

standards and from institutions that are subject to or supervised by

these Ministries. Finally, contributors to the revenues of TSE are represented by members of the Union of Chambers of Commerce, Chambers of

Industry and Commodity Exchanges, banks and private organizations. No

specific limitation is imposed on the number of appointive members save
17

that the number will be established by the General Assembly and the

number from any sector shall not exceed the number from the remaining

groups.

Members named in the statutes, (i.e., natural members) include the

departmental directors of Ministries with organic acts which require

standardization activities, the chairmen of preparatory groups active at

the time of the Assembly meeting, and former chairmen of the TSE Board

of Governors. Provision is made for honorary membership based on significant contributions and achievements in standards work.

b. Technical Council - This body is assigned the authority for

the adoption of draft standards and the determination of which ones should be recommended for mandatory status. The Council consists of the

natural Ministry members of the General Assembly, members of the Board

of Goveimors, Chairmen of the Standards Preparatory Groups and

individuals elected by the General Assembly from among University,

professional and commercial delegates in the appointive membership of

the General Assembly. At least 15 members constitute a quorum and a two-thirds vote is required for adoption of standards. There is no appeal from Council decisions.

c. Board of Governors - This is the executive body of TSE and

is composed of six members chosen by the General Assembly from among its

members. One third of the members are replaced or reelected each year

and alternates are chosen at the same time as the members themselves.

The chairman chosen each year by the Board represents the Turkish

Standards Institution. Although the position carries the designation

Chairman, the incumbent appears to be given the title of President.

Finally, the Board of Governors appoints the Secretary General who

has responsibility for implementing the operations of the Institute.

The Secretary General is chosen from qualified persons and becomes a natural member of the General Assembly and of the Board of Governors.

The incumbent has served for nine years.

d. Auditors - Accounts and transactions are audited by this

group which consists of the representatives of the Ministries of

Commerce, of Industry and of Reconstruction and Housing in the General

Assembly.

e. Standards Preparatory Groups - These are committees

established to produce draft standards by the General Assembly, which

appoints the chairmen. A chairman may appoint any number of Technical

Groups (i.e. subcommittees) as are needed to work on specific aspects of

the problem area. The present policy is to maintain Councils of Experts

in the following areas:
18

Electrical

Electronic

Civil Engineering

Chemical Engineering

Laboratory Procedures

Mining

Metallurgical Engineering

Mechanical Engineering

Legal Procedures

Engineering Services (units, measurements, definitions,

calculations, etc.)

Textiles

Agriculture

Petroleum Products (refining of petroleum)

Petrochemicals

Forest Products and Forestry

More than 300 persons are estimated to participate in the working groups

v^ich comprise the technical council. In addition, TSE provides a support staff of about 50 full-time people to assist in the work.

Sources of revenue are also identified in the statute. These fall

into the f olloi^ing areas

a. Dues from the Union of Chambers of Commerce, Chambers of

Industry and Commodity Exchanges; Chambers of Commerce and Industry,

Chambers of Commerce, Chambers of Industry and Chambers of Commodity

Exchanges with yearly revenues of more than 200,000 lira. This is the

largest single item of income and consists of a membership fee of three

percent of the annual revenues of these organizations.

b. Contributions from state enterprises. This is the second

largest item and results from a charge of 5,000 TL against each state

corporate enterprise plus a small percentage of the profits.

c. Fees collected for services provided by TSE either to the

government or the private sector.

d. Revenues from publications and from use of the TSE

certification mark.

e. Grants,' contributions and similar support.

In the last year (1971) the accounts receivable from various sources were approximately the following:
19

Turkish U.S. Dollars

Source Llras (approx.)

State Enterprise (5000TL/per) 250,000 18,000

State Enterprise (percent of profit) 835,000 60,000

Commercial and Industrial Organizations

(3 percent revenue) 3,200,000 230,000

Laboratory Services (fees) 860,000 61,000

TSE Certification Marks 561,000 40,000

Ministry of Finance Allotment for Purchase

and Maintenance of Laboratory Equipment 600,000 43,000

Miscellaneous (interest, rents, etc.) 306,000 22,000

Publications 844.000 60.000

Total 7.456.000 530.000

It should be emphasized, however, that these are accounts

receivable and not revenue in hand. The amount actually paid to TSE was

5,772,000 TL. Some Chambers are in arrears, and this constitutes the

largest amount of uncollected obligations. TSE seems reluctant to move strongly to reduce these arrears and is relying on persuasion and

indirect pressure to remedy the situation.

Based on an expected income of 6,000,000 TL the present fiscal plan

for TSE would result in a deficit of 24 percent. However, the Secretary

General pointed out that the fiscal plan is a target budget and may be

judiciously altered as circumstances and revenues warrant. He indicated

that income and expenditures were currently in good balance because a number of positions in the operating staff were unfilled.

The laboratory operations are divided into three sections:

Electrical and Electronic - A newly appointed director has not

yet joined the staff. He is reported to be a well qualified engineer

about to finish his military duty.

Mechanical and Construction Materials - Mr, Isfendiyar, the

Secretary General, is acting as director of this laboratory.
20

Chemical and Materials - Dr. Argun Dagcioglu, who was a former

guest worker at NBS , is director of this laboratory.

The table of organization for the laboratories also lists the

following positions:

Graduate engineers 6

Graduates of technical schools (Jr. Engineers) 1

Graduates of technical institutes (Trade Schools) 5

Secondary school graduates 1

Service personnel 3

In addition to the laboratory staff a separate group lends support

to the preparatory groups. This includes;

Engineers (Chemical, Civil, etc.) 5

College graduates (BA*s non-scientific) 13

High school graduates 17

Secondary school graduates 9

Primary school graduates 6

Finally, there is a large service staff:

Guards, doorkeepers, cooks, etc. 31

Total listed positions 97

At the time of the Team's conversations with the Secretary General

(October 1972) the staff numbered approximately 85, the vacancies

reflecting the need to keep in balance with the anticipated revenues.

Not all of the support staff listed above are full time employees. Many

of the individuals assigned to the preparatory groups are x^Jorking while

continuing their education.

TSE appears to be a well run and well regarded asset of the Turkish

economy. Like all healthy organizations, however, it accepts the need

for critical introspection. As a result it has appointed a committee to

evaluate its present operations and offer recommendations for their

improvement and further development. Professor Can, the head of this

committee, provided an invaluable service by giving the Survey Team

generous portions of his busy days and frank discussions of the

committee's considerations. The Can Committee has not yet reported to

the President of the Board of Governors so it would be inappropriate to

preempt the formal presentation of its findings. However, a few general

statements may be helpful to indicate the Committee's thrust and

orientation.
21

Either in its charter or in the acceptance of its task (the origin

is not clear) , the Can Committee has limited itself to an analysis of

staff operations and structure. It was explained that the remainder of

the organization was defined by law and therefore impossible to alter

without requesting legislative changes* Thus, in effect, the basic

structure of TSE was excluded from the Committee's review.

Despite this limitation, the Can Committee is confronting some of

the serious and recognized problems in the Institute's operations.

Probably the most important of these is the level of support for the

experts involved in the preparatory groups. Both professional and

support services require strengthening if the experts~many of whom are prominent academicians, engineers, technologists and industrialists—are

to continue or increase their efforts in standardization. Since only

nominal remuneration is now provided, continued participation of many

capable TSE associates is dependent on freeing them of burdens v/hich

" ought to be the functions of the supporting staff. The Committee v/ill

probably recommend a considerable expansion in this area.

Professor Can and his colleagues have also addressed the question

of adequacy and utilization of facilities. In May of 1964 TSE moved

into its present quarters in Ankara, conveniently located near many

government activities. They include a large auditorium, administrative

building, laboratories and meeting rooms. The buildings and their

surroundings are attractive, well maintained and a tribute to the vision

of the designer who anticipated the important role of standardization in

the development of Turkish industry. An unfortunate and, one hopes,

temporary aspect of this success in providing for the long-range

physical needs of TSE is that both the buildings and the laboratory

equipment are underutilized. Thus, for example, a fairly comprehensive

array of physical testing equipment was displayed in the organic

materials laboratory, but was apparently little used. One of the

laboratory buildings was designed as a packaging laboratory and has

never been equipped, though a comprehensive plan and design are in

existence, TSE could function as a training center for the Middle

Eastern region provided its professional staffing and laboratory

activities reach a more flourishing level.

The Can Committee apparently intends to recommend increased

staffing and specialization in the laboratories but some facets of the

question go beyond such palliatives. Several members of the Survey Team

questioned the ability of the TSE laboratories, stationed as they are in

Ankara, to service national industry, more than 50 percent of which is

located hundreds of miles away in the Istanbul area. This question

apparently was of equal concern to the Committee, but pressures and

arguments, pro and con, make it difficult to reach an objective

recommendation. Representatives of some Chambers were emphatic on the
22

need for regional laboratory services, others were not. This

disagreement underlines the main defect of current planning in TSE,

namely, the lack of objective studies to determine the present needs and

assess the future needs for TSE services. This defect is certainly

recognized by some members of the TSE clientele. Mr. Sakip Sabanci, the

President of the Adana Chamber of Industry, x^as quick to indicate the

need for study before the laboratory requirements for the Adana region

could be established.

Intimately linked to the problems of laboratory services is the

future role of TSE in metrology or the maintenance of primary standards.

Turkey has enacted a detailed and ambitious statute (No. 1782) which

places responsibility for measurement regulation and control in the

Ministry of Economy and Commerce. All evidence presented to the Team

indicates that there is little implementation by the Ministry. A group

of field inspectors of unspecified nximber is in existence, but lacks any

laboratory facility or sophisticated equipment, ffetering of gas and

liquids by public and private utilities is generally controlled through

internal mechanisms coordinated in some cases with government agencies.

The general level of control of weights and measures seems to be

unknown.

Dr. Brombacher's 1957 Report on "Proposed Laboratory Facilities for

the Turkish Standards Institution" concluded that administrative control

of the primary standards laboratory should be vested in TSE. He

recoirmended that the laboratory have custody of the standard meter bar,

the standard kilogram and the standard liter, then deposited in the Is

Bankasi (a bank) at Ankara, The Standards are still in the custody of

Is Bankasi, and the Team is not inclined to support Dr, Brombacher on

this point.

VIII, The Technical Service Functions Needed in Industrializing

Economies'—Their Availability in Turkey and the TSE Contribution

A. Standardization and Measurement

1. Standards Development

Because of individual national characteristics, each

industrializing country requires its own standards writing activity. In

Turkey, the need for increased capability for standards writing,

particularly for technical staff support, has been recognized. By

Turkish law, standards writing is clearly the responsibility of TSE. In

the opinion of the survey team, this function is fulfilled in exemplary

fashion, as discussed in Section VII.
23

2. Facilities for Development of Test Methodology for

Standardization and Qiiallty Control

Host modern test equipment and expertise appear to exist in

Turkey, but a central facility with most of the needed equipment Is not

available in one place, not even at TSE. Thus, it is the responsibility

of TSE to equip Itself for the development of all kinds of test

methodologies. Standards writing committees must know the choices in

test provisions to be incorporated in written standards and their

potential effect on production and quality control. Even when an international or foreign national standard is adopted, the test

procedures involved should be validated by practical experience in the

local environment.

TSE should adopt one of the following basic plans for providing

test methodologies:

(1) Use of test equipment and expertise wherever available in

Turkey,

(11) Expansion of types of test equipment and technical staff

capability at TSE.

(ill) Contracting for the services of major outside facilities to

provide TSE with test methodology experimentation services for support

of standards writing.

The Team regards the second alternative as the most desirable,

because it would strengthen TSE for the long run. It is recognized that

it might prevent TSE from moving ahead rapidly on other services in the

immediate future.

3, Certification Mark of Excellence for Manufactured Products

The subject of a national certification mark deserves the following

general remarks which are contributed by Mr. Raul Estrada.

"Standardization has now come to be realized as a powerful tool for

economic development in most parts of the world. This realization has

led in the past few years to the establishment of a large number of

National Standards Bodies or centres for development of national

standards in developing countries. This certainly is one of the

important steps all developing countries have to take to streamline the

development plans and lay a soimd basis for industrialization.

"One of the common phenomena noticed in all the developing

countries is lack of quality consciousness in most industries. There

are many reasons for this state of affairs. One of them is the lack of
24

qualified, experienced technical personnel. Another Is that In most of

these countries the demand for materials and products usually exceeds

the supply, resulting In a seller's market. Under such conditions the

producer Is tempted to make a quick profit without any regard for tlie

quality of the product he manufactures. Additionally, because of the

low purchasing power of the average consumer, the bu^rer usually seeks

the cheapest product In the market. The cumulative effect of all these

factors Is that there Is scarcely any Incentive to manufacture quality

products, and this. In turn, encourages the production units to Ignore

quality control procedures in their enterprises. Thus, there is usually

a preference for Imported goods by the more affluent segments of society

In these countries.

"In the developed countries, the picture is entirely different.

Most of the industries are highly conscious of quality. They have

qualified technical personnel and usually a separate quality control

department not only to keep vigilance over the quality of their products

but also to educate the production personnel. Keen competition in the

internal market, the need to establish a reputation in the external

market, and the export incentives given by the Government provide a further fillip to produce quality goods. Also, in most developed

countries, rigid government regulations with regard to health and safety

of personnel make it obligatory for many industries to adhere to certain

minimum levels of quality. Further in these countries consumers are not

only, themselves, alert to standardization and quality but also form

powerful and effective consumer associations to look after their

interests. These associations carry out comparative tests and

evaluation of industrial products and publish the results in their

journals for the guidance of their members,

"It is therefore Important that several steps be taken in

developing countries to promote standardization and quality control

activities.

"Firstly, they should formulate standards for materials and

products which have Impact on the national development, the health and

safety of personnel, and on exports. Secondly, quality control

procedures should be initiated in the manufacturing xmits to realize the

standards which have been promulgated.

"In order to achieve these objectives, many of the national

standards bodies have been entrusted with the work of implementing the

national certification mark of quality. The procedures for operating

the national certification mark of quality differ from country to

country. The basic principle is that under this scheme a detailed

procedure for quality control is prescribed for use in the production

unit and then in the control of the manufacturer by the national
25

standards body. It could also be termed the "Technical Audit" of the

quality control operations of a manufacturer by the national standards

body,

"Occasionally producers in developing countries submit samples of

their products to certain test houses. The test certificates issued are utilized to sell their entire production. This is a dangerous practice

as the certificate pertains only to one or more samples submitted for

testing and not for the entire production, and there is no assurance

that the whole production is of the same quality. It is necessary to

operate the national certification mark of quality in developing

countries through a National Standards Body which v/ill take the

responsibility to see that proper sampling procedures are used.

"One of the questions usually asked is why a national standards

body should undertake such a service. The answer could be briefly

summarized as follows:

a. In a developing country there is likely to be a serious

shortage of trained technical personnel as well as financial resources. Therefore both have to be conserved and utilized to the best advantage.

Overspecialization of institutions in developing countries is therefore

unwise and uneconomical.

b. It is the national standards body which prescribes the most

suitable standards of quality. It is the one which by objectivity,

knowledge of requirements in other cotuitries, etc. should be best

equipped with all the background knowledge related to standards. Hence,

it is most suited to prescribe the required quality control procedures

and to certify conformity of a product to the relevant standard.

c. The field data collected as a result of certification of

products can be fed back to the technical committee responsible for the

preparation of the standard and for its review as necessary.

"Taking all these factors into consideration the ISO has

recommended that each national standards body may institute a certification mark of quality to assist the consumer. In fact,

discussions are underway in the ISO to work out a procedure under v;hich

the national certification mark of quality of one country could be

recognized by another country.

"It is therefore an Important consideration for a developing

country to foster the introduction of quality control procedures in

industry, establish the national certification mark of quality for

domestic use and also assist in quality control, preshipment inspection

and certification for export. These steps would assist in producing
26

quality goods in the country, optimally utilizing scarce national

resources, building a better image of the country abroad, increasing

exports and earning foreign exchange so badly needed for the development

of the country."

Turkey through TSE has an exemplary system for quality

assurance and guaranteeing of manufactured products, though there has

not yet been time for it to be exhaustively applied. The system is

based on compliance with Turkish Standards (written and disseminated by

TSE) and will become even more effective as public and governmental

acceptance grows, and as more standards become available. TSE should

continuously review whether a more searching evaluation is needed of

manufacturers asking to receive the quality mark. The certification

mark can be a strong contribution to the Turkish economy through the

development of confidence by the public and customers outside the

country. The system could be further strengthened by improving the

controls at plant level and introducing a good training program in

Quality Control conducted by TSE.

4. Internationally Recognized Certification of Products

In international trade the practice of acceptance by

importers of tests performed in the country of manufacture may become

more commonplace, although there are few regions of the world where such

a practice is followed presently. Turkey should participate in any such

developments. The good international reputation of TSE in the

international standards community makes it well suited to play a strong

role in this. However, TSE needs financial resources for conducting

negotiations for certification recognition. The international financial

rewards to Turkey may be large, especially as regards trade in the

European Common Market.

5. Product Testing

The testing of products for conformance to Turkish

standards is a prerequisite for the initial or continued granting of the

right to use the TSE mark on products. Hence it is one of the two

central concerns of TSE (the other being the preparation of product

standards)

The study team toured the TSE laboratories. Dr. Argun Dagcioglu,

Director of the TSE Chemical Laboratories, and his assistants conducted

the tour and participated in extremely useful discussions. The TSE

facilities have already been sketched earlier in the report. The team

found the facility to be excellently equipped and housed but seriously

understaffed and underutilized. However, as the number of Turkish

standards in use increases, the workload of the testing laboratory will
27

likewise increase, which will permit the recruitment of more young

professionals. This is already clearly established as a goal of the TSE

management, and one which the study team strongly endorses.

A further problem at the present level of staffing is that the four

professional members of the testing laboratories staff must operate a wide variety of tests, so that a deep familiarity v/ith the techniques is

difficult to attain. Further growth of the staff should permit

individual members to specialize in certain techniques for long enough

periods of time to become thoroughly familiar and expert. The

enhancCTient of expertise so realized should be of great benefit to the

reputation of the TSE and to the quality of its laboratory vjork. In

addition, this new reservoir of local expertise should be most valuable

to the work of the standards writing groups.

As in all industrializing countries, TSE as a central

standardization laboratory is not expected to be the only testing

laboratory. In Turkey the following test facilities have been

identified:

1. TSE Laboratories

2. ARGE Laboratories (a military lab mainly for development of

items related to arny goods)

3. TBTAK (Turkish Scientific and Technical Research Organization

laboratories are under construction near Istanbul—-headquarters are in

Ankara.)

4. Istanbul Technical University (Mechanical Laboratory;

Agricultural Machinery and Tools Laboratory; Electrical and Electronics

Laboratory; Hydraulic Laboratory; Chemical Laboratory, etc.)

5. Istanbul University, Faculty of Forest Research Laboratory

6. Hide Chemists Association, Istanbul

7. Sumerbank Beykoz (hide and shoe factory)

8. SEKA (paper and carton factory laboratory)

9. Ankara Sugar Research Institute

10. Tekel, Tobacco and Liquor Research Institute, Istanbul

11. Ankara University, Faculty of Science Applied Chemistry

Laboratory
28

12. Ankara, Lalahatun Veterinarian Research Institute (meat, milk,

wool, etc.)

13. Ankara University, Veterinarian Faculty, Biological Research

Laboratory

14. Ankara University, Agricultural Faculty, Agricultural Industry

Research Laboratory

15. Ankara Forestry Research Institute

16. Mineral Research and Exploration Institute

17. Middle East Technical University Laboratories

18. Turkish Cement Producers Association's Research Laboratory

19. State Water Works Laboratory (building construction materials)

20. State Highway General Directorate's Laboratories

21. Izmir Olive Research Institute

22. Izmir University Laboratories (agricultural products)

23. Ankara Health Preservation Institute's Laboratories

(foodstuffs)

24. Adana Cotton Research Laboratory

25. Antalya Citrus Fruit Research Laboratory

26. Aydin Fig Research Institute

27. Yalova, Vegetable and Fruit Research Institute

28. Tekirdag Grape Growing and Wine Research Institute

29. Erzurum, Ataturk University, Animal Breeding Institute

30. Samsxan Tea and Field Produce Laboratory

31. Seed Improvement and Production Organizations in numerous

cities

Turkish authorities must decide whether TSE is to take the primary

leadership role in test laboratory operation, and whether within its cmti

I
29

facilities or perhaps through adoption of the Australian system of

accredited test laboratories. Such a system can be run on a partly

reimbursable basis by certifying competence, staffing and equipment for

particular types of tests. Under it, laboratories may earn certificates

of reliability somewhat analogous to the TSE product certificate

marking. The laboratory so accredited for a given test will guard its

reputation but could conduct tests for profit. To operate such a system

of accredited laboratories would be an important and demanding function

for TSE.

As an alternative the TSE leadership has been considering the

establishment of provincial test laboratories. Supporters of TSE in

Chambers of Industry look to TSE for such services. The NBS/AID survey

visitors have doubts about the advisability of attempting such district

services. It is not clear without a more searching study that this

should take precedence over strengthening the TSE laboratories in

Ankara. Test laboratories should be designed to include routine and

repetitive work for process or product quality control. This kind of

testing requires generally different facilities and staff from those

required for TSE's other functions. The establishment, equipping and

staffing of provincial laboratories is liable to drain much needed

resources from the central laboratories. Naturally these reservations

should be overruled if this provincial test laboratory function is

really expected from TSE. However, no laboratory should be started

without careful analysis of actual need in specific subjects in specific

geographic locations. From TSE*s viewpoint a chemical analytical test

laboratory would probably be easiest to provide, would have the most

varied applicability in most industrial centers, and would be easiest to run on a reimbursable basis once the equipment has been purchased. These

laboratories could perhaps be modeled after the British Public Analysts

operations

6. Calibration of Instruments and Physical Standards

The TSE is not a laboratory of basic metrology. That is,

it does not realize the SI units by absolute methods or by

intercomparison of physical standards with the Bureau Internationale des

Poids et Mesures (BIPM) or other national metrological laboratories. Of

course, metrology is inherent in the many instruments used in the TSE

laboratories for the testing of products. Hov/ever, in general, the

accuracies of these instruments are known only through whatever claims

their manufacturers may have originally made, coupled with some assumptions about stabilities. TSE does not presently exercise

procedures for periodic recalibration, as it might do by, e.g., selfcalibration performed on the premises, return of instruments to their

manufacturers, or sending the instruments to other national laboratories

or to high-quality commercial calibration laboratories abroad.
30

Thus the TSE is not presently oriented towards precision

instrumentation. To illustrate this point further, one may note that of

the twelve hundred Turkish product standards listed in the TSE catalog

for 1972 only three refer to instruments regarded as products to be

tested. These are for watt-hour meters. However, the TSE does not

possess a precision watt-hour Instrument, and whatever physical

standards of this kind may exist are maintained by the electric power

utilities of Turkey without reference to TSE. The most precise

instrument available at TSE is probably its set of gage blocks.

Furthermore, TSE is not at present a central focus for the

maintenance of working physical standards. These are somewhat scattered

in Turkey. Besides those in TSE, the Ministry of Commerce presumably

has working standards appropriate for weights and measures surveillance,

and standards for electric power and the metering of water and gas are said to have an independent existence in the hands of power and water

utilities.* There is apparently little or no coordination or intercomparis on of any of these physical standards.

The foregoing remarks are offered, not as a criticism of TSE, but

rather to orient the reader, since the phrase "standards institution"

has various connotations.

Indeed, no institution in Turkey is devoted to basic physical

standards as such. The weights and measures program of the Ministry of

Commerce does not include such an activity. Only a small instrument

calibration and repair unit is planned for the Marmara Scientific and

Industrial Research Institute of the Scientific and Technical Research

Council of Turkey (TBTAK) at Gebze near Istanbul.

The TSE hopes to offer calibration services by comparisons with its

reference instruments, but as yet it has performed only a few ad hoc

calibrations. (It has calibrated mechanical testing machines in plants

by transporting its proving rings to the machines, and also has

calibrated some ac voltmeters and ammeters.) This deficiency does not

appear to be troublesome at present. Turkish industry today requires,

at most, an intermediate level of accuracy in machine shop operations,

dies and forms, and process controls. Such a level of accuracy is

generally obtainable at modest cost via foreign instrument makers, most

of whom are anchored to the basic standards maintained in the major

national metrological laboratories of their own countries, and

indirectly, to BIPM. Also this level of accuracy may be increasingly

* After our visit we were informed by Professor Dr. Mithat Coruh,

Director of the Institute of Technology of Hacettepe University

(Ankara) , that it is planned to create a Calibration and Quality

Control Division within the Electrochemical Department of his

institute which will adjiist and calibrate biomedical instruments

for Turkey and other CENTO Countries.
31

available from TSE if that organization expands its calibration services

and takes steps to assure the traceability of its o\m reference

standards to reliable sources.

The NBS-AID team saw no evidence to suggest that it would be a v/ise

expenditure of resources for Turkey to enter the sphere of basic

metrology at present, as the economy does not seem to require it, and it

would be costly to do so. Basic metrology finds application most

directly to high-technology pursuits, such as electronics, aircraft,

navigation and geodesy. Our tours, in which we were shown many examples

of foreign technology recently domesticated and adapted in Turkish

manufacturing, convinced us that the level of sophistication of Turkish

manufacturing will continue to advance. Hence, although the team

concluded that basic metrology is not needed now, it will not be amiss

to inquire how precision metrological services are to be supplied in

Turkey at some time in the future when they may be needed.

Of course, calibration services can continue to be obtained via

foreign instrument makers. However, a domestic instrument industry

based on conventional instruments (e.g. watt-hour and other electrical

meters, precision gages for machining, etc.) is foreseeable, and it

would provide a stimulus for native provision of standards of physical

measurement. Ultimately, it should become cost effective for Turkey to

have a central instrument calibration facility at about the level of,

say, the best commercial calibration laboratories, industrial standards

laboratories, or military standards laboratories of the U.S. Such a facility would maintain secondary physical standards. It should have an official or at least quasi-official status for two purposes: (1) To

give it access to BIPM or the national metrological laboratories of

friendly countries for calibration of the Turkish physical standards,

and (2) To give visibility to its existence and functioning so that

small but not unsophisticated enterprises with limited access to

technical information will know where to turn for help and advice on measurement problems.

Various loci may be imagined for such a laboratory, including the

technical universities, the Ministry of Commerce, TSE, and TBTAK.

Experience elsewhere has shown that universities are not best-suited to

perform this function because of their different emphasis and the

transience of their labor force. The suitability of the Ministry of

Commerce also is dubious on the basis of its present performance and

because basic metrology supports a wider spectrum of concerns than just

commercial ones, e.g., national defense, environment, etc. TSE may

possibly qualify, but its emphasis on product testing and on considerations of the marketplace, its modest resources, and its private

status v/ould appear to be disadvantages, A further factor is the common experience in other countries that calibration services must be
32

supported by considerable development work on methods. This is

expensive and cannot be supported from calibration fees without many

customers feeling that the costs are prohibitive. Thus it would be

difficult for TSE, with its avowed policy of being as fully selfsupporting as possible, to provide the necessary supporting R&D. TBTAK

with its emphasis on a broad spectrum of applied research, its

substantial resources, and its official status may be an attractive

possibility. Finally, a completely independent, though official, status

for such a laboratory might also be envisioned, but would seem to be

much less healthy than for the measurements laboratory to be immersed in

the main stream of Turkish applied research. It appeared to the team

that this main stream would probably lie in TBTAK, although this

conclusion is extremely tentative, due to our very brief and incomplete

acquaintance with that organization and the fact that it has not yet

reached its planned operating level or completed its laboratory

facilities.

It is obviously too soon to make recommendations on this future

concern. For now, TSE should be encouraged to extend and improve its

calibration services to meet known needs. At a later time, when the

need for precision measurement services is more clearly seen and \<!i\en

the nature and qualities of TBTAK have been made clear by operating

experience, the question of where the national capability for advanced

metrology should be focused may be reexamined.

7. Standard Reference Materials (SRMs)

SRM's are well-characterized materials, produced in

quantity, to calibrate measurement systems. Because SRM*s are easily

transported to the site of the user, the user may perform an on-site

calibration of his measuring process to assure accurate and compatible

measurements

Tlie industrialization of Turkey is proceeding rapidly and many

industries and companies are presently benefiting from or could be

benefiting from the use of Standard Reference Materials. SRM's can be

especially helpful in development of new industries due to the speed

they offer in checking quality control processes in place.

Organizations in Turkey effectively using NBS-SRM*s and/or other

SRM's that were visited by the study team include the Etimesgut Sugar

Refinery and Sugar Institute, the Mineral Research Institute, the >Setas

Steel Company, and the Rabak Copper Mills.

A focus is needed for the availability, quality, and effective

utilization of SRM's in Turkey. Since many different SRM's are available from sources outside Turkey, the need to produce them
33

domestically can for the present be limited to special cases. In

addition, the organization taking a leadership role in SRM*s needs to

actively promote the utilization of SRM's in cooperation with the

organization concerned with the growing problem of environmental

pollution. As the needs grow, secondary working standards production in

Turkey should be undertaken both by industry and the institution

providing the primary service.

Several organizations in Turkey are possible candidates for the

long range leadership role needed to foster the effective use of SRM's.

These organizations include TSE, TBTAK, and the Mineral Research

Institute. To properly assxime this role, the organization needs to have

in-house competence in the field of SRM's and also in-depth laboratory

work on materials to support the effort. In addition, close ties should

be maintained with similar institutions abroad and with industries, the

government, and universities in Turkey to promote the effective use of

SRM's. It is also necessary to assess the future needs for SRM's and to

draw upon the competences for the production of SRM's, wherever they may

be available.

The financial support for the program can be partially obtained

from the users. However, since the public derives benefits from an effective SRM program, government support is justified and probably is

needed to provide a program of sufficient scope. This is especially

true for SRM's in the fields of environmental quality, health, and

defense, and also, though perhaps to a lesser degree, for industrial

SRM's for economic growth.

NBS has in the past provided NBS-SRM's to TSE \<rith AID support.

These SRM's were shipped to TSE early in 1972 after discussion vrith

Peiser of NBS during a brief visit to Turkey in February 1972. In

general, the SRM's received by TSE match the needs. Additional requests

for NBS-SRM's are expected to be forthcoming from TSE and other

organizations in Turkey.

How TSE has already utilized these NBS-SRM's can be illustrated by

the resolution of a dispute that arose between the Turk Tractor Company

and a foreign steel supplier. The tractor company's analysis of a large

batch of steel led them to believe the steel did not meet

specifications, and they were prepared to return the steel. The

supplier threatened legal action since his analysis showed the steel met

the applicable standards. TSE's analysis, in which NBS-SRM's were used

for calibration, confirmed that the steel met the specifications and

that the Turk Tractor Company's analysis was in error. Rather

surprisingly, the tractor company feels that SRM's are not needed in its

plant for quality control I
3A

As an interim solution, the team suggests that TSE should serve for

the present as the focal point for the SRM needs of Turkey. As the

laboratory facilities of the various organizations develop and expand

and the need for internal production of v/orking standard reference

materials becomes necessary, a permanent focal point for SRM's in Turkey

should be chosen. If TSE were to acquire this long-term responsibility,

it would be necessary to expand its in-hoiise materials staff and

equipment and determine the SRMs needed for important measurement

controls throughout Turkey.

8, Weights and Measures for Commerce

The measurement statute for Turkey (No, 1782) requires

approval and regulation of a great variety of instruments used in

commerce and trade. This specifically includes instruments for

measuring length, weight, volume, area, water, fuel oil, electricity,

gas, and railway freight and tank cars. Even taximeters require

approval. With few exceptions, the n«tric system is mandatory for all

measurements in offical and unofficial documents and transactions,

contracts, labels, advertisements, etc. Importation or manufacture of

non-metric instruments is with few exceptions, banned by the statute.

Primary responsibility for implementation is placed in the Ministry of

Economy and Commerce, The latter works in cooperation with municipal

adjxistment officers

Dr, William Brombacher, who was an NBS advisor to TSE in 1957,

recommended laboratory facilities based on the assumption of a supporting role for TSE in commercial weights and measures. Means for

calibrating the weights and working standards for volume used by local

weights and measures control agencies as well as the basic requirements

for length, temperature and electrical measurement were included in his

proposal. Few, if any, of these recommendations have been enacted.

Although the Survey Team had no opportunity to observe the

regulation of weights and measures, it received considerable assurance

that implementation of the statute was incomplete and uncertain.

Weights and measures officials were said to be operating in the field,

but their number and the mode of interaction between the Ministry and

municipal employees were never made clear. The Team was assured that

the officials had no laboratory facility and maintained their field

standards as best they could. The major public utilities essentially

provide their own in-house calibrations which are usually accepted by

their customers.

This testimony on the fragmented and incomplete regulation of

weights and measures dissuaded the Team from attempting a comprehensive

study of the problem. Time and resources could not be spared for the
35

required effort. However, the Team agreed that measurement interests of

consumers in the purchasing of water, electricity and gas should command

a higher level of attention from regulatory bodies. No strong evidence was presented of the erosion of general marketplace credibility because

of the lack of stricter inspection or enforcement but, obviously, such a state of commercial weights and measures control would be considered

inadequate in a highly developed country.

A calibration sejn^ice for weights and measures operations is

essential for optimizing the present effort. In the Team discussions

there v/as some doubt about the advisability of establishing a comprehensive calibration service at TSE, SR^!s were suggested as a wedge by which TSE could offer specialized calibration services, but

available SR>!s are largely irrelevant to the bulk of ordinary commercial

measurements. The siting of calibration services will also be

influenced by the evolution of metrological responsibilities. There was little inclination on the part of the Team to suggest TSE as a metrology

center.

At this stage in Turkey *s development there is a definite lack of

in-depth information on needs and deficiencies in control of commercial

weights and measures. Before any decisions on allocation of

responsibilities and resources are made a comprehensive study and

assessment shovild be completed. By that time, the implementation of

TBTAK's plans as well as those of some of the universities, will permit

an objective and realistic forecast for facilities, manpox/er, other

resources and types of cooperation and assignments in the calibration

services field.

9. Standards for Safety and Environmental Quality

As a nation becomes industrialized, the need for standards

related to safety and environmental quality increases, and public

demands to meet these needs grow. A start should be made in Turkey to

provide the firm foundation needed to solve these problems before they

grow to unbearable proportions. That pollution is a growing problem in

Turkey was stated time and again by managers during the Study Team's

tour of industrial firms in Turkey. In both safety and environmental

quality, several items are needed to provide this firm foundation; these

are:

1. measurement methods

2. instrument calibration services

3. calibration materials

4. assignment of acceptable level of risk or exposure

5. realistic assessment of benefits as well as costs

6. technology to reduce risk or pollution to an acceptable level
36

7. enforcement

8. written standards incorporating all or part of the above.

It should be TSE's responsibility to stimulate the interest of

concerned governmental organizations and to help them meet the need for

adequate standardization and measurement methods in these areas. Obviously, TSE will not have the central role in the solution to these

problems, but should provide effective advice and consultation.

10, Building Material Standards and Construction Codes

Turkey is undergoing a rapid expansion of its construction

industry coupled with the incorporation of many innovative materials and

building systems. TSE has started to meet this need by developing

standards for building materials. As mentioned earlier, performance

standards, though more difficult to develop, are to be preferred over

specification type standards, since the former tend to stimulate

innovation, whereas specification standards tend to freeze designs.

TSE needs to work closely with the government agency concerned with

construction codes to set priorities for standards to be developed.

However, TSE should play no role in promoting the voluntary standards to a mandatory status. This is the responsibility of the regulatory

government agencies,

B, Other Relevant Services

1, Import and Export Controls

Turkey, like most rapidly industrializing countries, needs

to conserve its fiscal resources according to a careful plan and

establish priorities in accord with national needs and goals. If largescale plant and expensive machinery are to be purchased abroad,

consideration must be given to delivery schedules, availability of

parts, ease of maintenance, and compatibility with existing and related

equipment. TSE should expect to be involved in all those factors

affecting standardization. For example, it should provide a service

function to purchasing engineers in the writing of specifications to ensure that the products of new plant and machinery meet any minimum

standards laid down by TSE or by other organizations abroad which govern

the quality demanded by prospective foreign buyers. The mechanism by

which TSE is to be integrated into these processes is a critical

governmental problem to which the team did not address itself.

The economic development of Turkey depends largely on the export of

its industrial and agricultural products. During the visits to various

factories, the team has learned that the majority of products exported
37

are textiles, iron and steel products, electrical utility parts, cement,

fruit and food products

As Turkey is entering the Common Market, its success in trade will

depend on its reputation for product quality. This consideration and

price are the most important factors for promotion of exports. Many of

the export goods producers, for example Kula Textile, Dyo Paint and

Bossa Textile companies, have been aware of the importance of quality

and have established their own reputations in the world market for many

years. These companies are, in general, equipped with laboratories for

quality control and product inspection. However, some basic calibration

of laboratory instriments seems to be desirable and there is a possibility for TSE to play a role in this respect by fostering an awareness of such needs and helping to bring the concerned laboratories

into contact with sources for validation of their measurements. This

could take varied forms such as acquisition and use of SRMs, comparison

of instruments with those of other quality control laboratories in

Turkey, utilizing the field services of instrument makers, sending

instruments to calibration laboratories elsewhere, etc.

It has been noted that the government of Turkey places a great deal

of emphasis on exportation. All goods to be exported are to be

inspected and certified by designated government authorities. Product

sampling and testing are carried out by inspection officials. In some intensively exporting areas of Turkey, such as Izmir and Istanbul,

problems have been encoxantered because of time consuming delays during

testing and certification procedures. Increase in expenses and damages

to exportable goods can thus result. It is in this connection that the

need for regional laboratories and a possible TSE leadership role has

been debated. The President of the Qiamber of Indxistry of Adana has

emphasized that the decision for the establishment of such a regional

laboratory should be subject to a careful study of needs.

2, Consumer Protection

As a society becomes industrialized, both industrial and

household consumers utilize an increasing variety and number of complex

manufactured products. It then becomes ever more difficult for the

consumer to judge the quality of products in respect to their

performance, safety, and durability. The consumer may then rely on compliance with standards (either mandatory or voluntary) as an important gage in selecting products for purchase.

To meet this need TSE should continue its noteworthy efforts in

this area. As the Turkish economy and industrial base expand, and

consumers become more aware of the importance of standards, the demands

placed on TSE should be expected to increase dramatically in this area.
38

Performance-based standards tend to be more effective than

specification based standards, both for consumer protection and

stimulating industrial innovation. Unfortunately, development of

performance standards usually requires a substantially greater effort.

3. Production Control and Industrial Extension Services

An industrializing economy may choose to rely entirely on multinational or foreign companies for technology transfer. Companies

providing such services have developed mutually advantageous mechanisms

for repayment. Through tax advantages and access to a highly motivated

and easily trained labor force and to the market in the country involved

they can partially or wholly manufacture and assemble products within

that country. Turkey welcomes such arrangements by non-Turkish

industrial groups, but is also anxious to foster native enterprises that

rely on their own innovative capabilities, capital, and entrepreneurial

skill.

Initially, such undertakings are necessarily small when compared

with their international counterparts. These smaller Turkish industrial

concerns cannot economically maintain a permanent staff of experts in

all of the technological specialties relevant to their operations, nor

can they always afford all of the instrumentation that may be required

for control of their manufacturing processes. Independent consultants

are available in most fields of engineering both within and outside of

Turkey and appear to offer high quality services. What is lacking in

Turkey and other industrializing countries, are readily available

consultants and information sources for utilization of the supporting

infrastructure of physical and chemical sciences and for the provision

of nonroutine testing services. (Routine testing is usually found to

pay for itself even within small factories.)

Basic planning in industrializing economies should be concerned

with provision of all of these essential services. To insure their

availability and quality they are often made a governmental or quasigovernmental responsibility. TBTAK is to assume the main task in

Turkey, but at least part of the activity requires close cooperation

with TSE.

For competitiveness in world trade, product standards nust be met

so that overseas buyers can rely on the quality and uniformity of

products. Smaller manufacturing enterprises typically experience major

problems in applying inspection techniques and rigorous controls. They

typically suffer too large a rejection rate for their products, because

the unreliable steps in production are either not identified at all or not soon enough to prevent losses. Great savings can be achieved by

surveillance of quality, from the raw material through every
39

manufacturing step to the finished product. Such controls often involve

specifications, standards, and test methods on v/hich TSE is expert and

could, in many instances, provide reimbursable services, A cooperative

plan therefore could be established between TBTAK and TSE whereby the

latter would provide problem solving extension services to industry,

TBTAK should welcome such cooperation because its services are oriented

toT-jard longer term applied research and seem less suited to respond

quickly to the problem solving emergencies that are typical of quality

control operations.

4, Training in Quality Control. Inspection and Measurement

Technology

One of the most important parts of any quality control,

inspection or measurement system is the human factor. Adequately

trained personnel are required for all of these endeavors v/hether they

employ sophisticated equipment such as automated spectrometers or merely

simple dimensional checking equipment such as micrometers. An expanding

industrial economy needs to ensure the availability of an adequate

number of trained experts by developing training system. This training

should consist of both formal technical training (i.e., at a university

or vocational high school) and an apprenticeship mder an expert to gain

actual work experience.

The formal educational system in Turkey is apparently fulfilling

its responsibility in providing adequate technical training. Regarding

mechanisms for gaining actual experience, TSE has a practice of sending

well-qualified staff members to national measurement laboratories in

other countries for on-the-job training, TSE is also trying to recruit

foreign experts to come to TSE for a period of a year or two to further

develop TSE's capabilities and train its staff. These are both

excellent practices. Turkish industry also makes use of training

assignments to provide experience in utilizing new measurement

techniques (e.g., the Rabak Copper Company), but a formal mechanism

needs to be established that will allow industrial people to get actual

experience in measurement methodology by training assignments to TSE and

government laboratories. Salaries could be paid by the industry v;ith

the possibility of a government grant to TSE or the government

laboratories to provide assistance. TSE could also undertake to provide

summer training seminars for industrial staff concerned with

standardization activities.

In summary, both formal education and on-the-job experience are necessary ingredients in training measurement and standards experts. At

present Turkey has an adequate educational program but needs to provide

opportunities for actual job experience and exposure to experts.
40

5, Statistics and Computer Services

The Team had little opportunity to explore the statistical

and mathematical services available to the Turkish econoniy. Although it

planned to visit the State Institute of Statistics, which is almost

adjacent to the TSE facility, the Team found it impossible to include it

in the Survey agenda. However, Mr. Ralph A. Simmons of the NBS

Institute for Computer Sciences and Technology was in Turkey for a considerable part of July 1972 to survey the use of computer technology.

His report gives special emphasis to the role of computers in several

areas of interest to the Survey.

He found that computer technology has been expanded and used in

Turkey without planning and that applications are limited principally to

business and statistical functions. A severe shortage of systems

analysts and programmers is a major obstacle to effective computer

utilization. Education and training is the principal need although some other factors such as the poor quality of local communication lines and

the prohibitive leasing cost of long lines may also be limiting factors.

A government reorganization committee recently recommended that

government conputer services be centralized. This report has not been

implemented, but the State Planning Organization has taken over the

responsibility for central acquisition. Not having sufficient expertise

in-house, it has used the staff of the Middle East Technical University

for evaluating acquisition proposals.

A future role for TSE can be identified in the standardization of

computer software and hardware. However, in view of the present

distribution of experts and responsibilities it would appear desirable

to arrange for the processing of such standards with extensive

cooperation of universities and gpvemment agencies.

The proximity of the State Institute of Statistics provides a potential resource for TSE. The Director of this institute is anxious

to offer its computer services to other organizations, and TSE might

consider such an arrangement for its future planning, internal

management, and data storage and retrieval.

6. Applied Research

The industrialization of a country starting from the basis

of agriculture, handicrafts, and cottage industries may be visualized

for purposes of discussion as occurring in three main stages: (1) The

literal copying of foreign manufacturing techniques by indigenous

industry and/or the provision of labor to work in factories capitalized

and managed from abroad. (2) Without dropping the basis of agriculture.
41

mineral and other natural products and native arts and handicrafts, to

introduce industries based on practice in more advanced countries but

operating under native management and usinf^ special adaptations suited

to the local scene, e.g., the special characteristics of native rav; materials or of the local labor supply or of local consumer tastes, etc.

(3) Building on the base developed during the second stage, to achieve

operation at the state of the art for as many manufactures and

technologies as is economically and socially desirable, i.e., developing

and using the most advanced techniques.

In our postulated stage (1) the ideas come from abroad, and the

research and development, if any, are performed there. In stage (2)

engineering development and applied research are performed domestically;

however, these typically are narrowly specialized and of short-range

outlook, i.e., looking to the solution of specific, immediate problems.

Stage (3) operates from a firm and rather diversified base of type (2)

industrialization, A cadre of highly trained scientists must be

available, and basic research in appropriate areas is indispensable.

In economic terms, stage (1) is one of economic subordination,

stage (2) can satisfy basic domestic needs, reduce dependence on importation of manufactured goods, and capture certain export markets

where pricing is favorable, while stage (3) permits penetration of ^^orld

markets by virtue of quality and uniqueness for those products in which

the country sees fit to specialize.

The NBS-AID team visualizes Turkey as being well launched into

stage (2) and that an extended and fruitful period of further

development and diversification at this level will ensue. Stage (3) is

thought to be attainable in certain selected technologies, in vie^-7 of

intrinsic qualities and trainability of Turkish labor and the high

quality of its best technologists, but this seems too distant to engage

major attention in this survey.

The above impression is based on the team's short tours and visits.

Applied research of the stage (2) type was observed, e.g. at the Sugar

Research Institute (industry supported) , the Mineral Research

Institution (government supported) in Ankara, and the laboratories of

the engineering departments of Middle East Technical University. These

laboratories clearly are active and enthusiastic, and we would guess

that they are effective in supplying this type of applied research. It

appeared from our impromptu discussion with officials of the Scientific

and Technical Research Co;jtncil of Turkey (TBTAK) that this government

organization would also focus strongly on applied research at its as yet

unfinished research center near Istanbul.
42

It would be premature for the team to comment on the applied

research performance of TBTAK, since that organization has not yet

reached its planned operating status and the team had only a brief

exposure to its program. Nevertheless, one can say that it appears to

be well conceived and structured for conducting the applied research

needed by Turkey to complement the special-mission research centers

supported by certain industries and other agencies of the government.

Specific projects that were mentioned in the visit to TBTAK were of tlie

type that can be immediately useful, e.g., amelioration of air and vrater

pollution, development of smokeless fuels, avoidance of mine explosions,

and development of voltage regulation devices.

The team needs only to address the following question: Given the

framev;ork of Turkish applied research activities that has been portrayed

at some length above, what kind of applied research, if any, should be

included in the TSE program? In answer to this question, the team

recommends that TSE should indeed make plans to eventually undertake

limited applied research. Consistent with the high degree of

specialization and organization already existing or planned for Turkish

applied research, it is the opinion of the team that applied research in

TSE should be specialized towards the improvement of laboratory

procedures for product testing and the development of product test

procedures as they may be needed,

7. Operations Research

Operations research is a field of science concerned v/ith

developing ideas and methods to improve decision making. Decision

making involves the identification of values, objectives, priorities,

means, resources and constraints vinder conditions of certainty or mcertainty for short- or long-range local or global purposes. Since

organizational structure is an important aspect of the decision process,

it is also necessary to consider information flow, level and type of

participation and tlie socio-economic framework.

Operations research relies heavily on certain branches of applied

mathematics including linear and nonlinear programming, stochastic

programming, queing theory, search theory, inventory theory, scheduling,

decision and value theories, game theory, network flows, optimization in

integers, etc. However, evolving semantics have blurred any real

differences between the use of terms such as operations research,

systems analysis, technical analysis, and multidisciplinary problem

solving and, in general practice, most of these are lumped into v/hat is

usually recognized as the "systems approach." The latter is a poorly

defined hybrid of operations research, statistical and modeling

techniques, computer programming, human factors, engineering and other

applicable tools. These are used to obtain understanding of problems
43

involving multiple phenomena, i.e., understanding not only of the

individual phenomena but also of their significant interactions.

The systems approach has had its most heralded successes in the

handling of complex technical tasks (telephone communications and ICBM

weapons) but is being increasingly applied to such problems as hospital

operation, integrated information systems, factory design, etc. The

field is currently being subjected to considerable reassessment, and

some of the principal systems approach contractors in the U.S. have come under criticism.

Turkey is certainly aware of operations research methodology,

although the Team noted no programmed effort in industrial plants for

sophisticated application. In the Middle East Technical University both

the Department of ^Tathematics and the Department of Industrial

Engineering offer courses in operations research. The latter department

also has courses in systems analysis, human factors engineering and

simulation. Our visit to the Scientific and Technical Research Council

of Turkey (TBTAK) revealed its intention to promote operations research

as a major staff activity,

TBTAK's OR Unit at present is limited to about a dozen specialists

but has worked on plans for some major engineering projects including

the Keban Hydroelectric Facility. It has also produced studies for

state enterprises such as the Stimerbank Purchase-Sale Institution and

for the State Planning Organization, Since 1967 the Unit has been

lodged in the Middle East Technical University where it has received

support and close cooperation from the University faculty.

The Team concluded that the operations research field was receiving

adequate recognition and pranotion in Turkey at the present time.

8. Technology Assessment, Forecasting and Transfer

Technology assessment (TA) may be defined as the systematic

study of the effects on society that may occur when a technology is

introduced, extended or modified, with special emphasis on the impacts

that are unintended, indirect and delayed. In other words, technology

assessment aims to look beyond the short-range cost-effectiveness of new

technology, in an attempt to assess the significant potential side

effects. It should be differentiated from other new methodologies used

to optimize the socio-economic benefits of technology, namely technology

forecasting and technology transfer.

Technology forecasting (TF) is the prediction of the time of

appearance and character of new devices, materials, and processes. It

should be stressed that the output of TF is data about technology—not a
44

decision about management alternatives (for this see the preceding

Section, Operations Research) . In addition, no TF methodology has been

presented with claims of predicting "breakthroughs." TF may, however,

point to the need for a "breakthrough" or the likelihood of technology

reaching a threshold of great technical significance.

The term Technology Transfer covers the process of matching

solutions in the form of existing science and engineering knowledge to

industrial or commercial problems.

Many evidences of the "dark side" of technology were observed by

the Team during its stay in Turkey. Pollution of the air by Industrial

processes was common, the Bosporus was being used routinely as a dumping

area even close to shore, and solid waste of all types was scattered in

the industrial areas of the large cities. Turkey industrializes for the

most part by the introduction or extension of existing technologies

rather than by modifying technologies or developing basically new

industries. As a result she has available the mass of data and

experience that has accumulated in the developed countries for assessing

technology. In any country that has the well-being of its citizens as a major goal technology assessment is almost Inevitable and Turkey v;lll be

no exception. However, the problems are so broad and pervasive that no single organization can be expected to provide all of the necessary

expertise, specialists and disciplines. Probably the main thrust in TA

must evolve as a function of the Federal Government or receive

programmatic direction from that source. TBTAK might be considered an obvious coordinating body. Universities, government departments,

private research organizations, the industrial establishment and TSE

would contribute and function within this coordination.

As a methodology. Technology Forecasting is just past its infancy.

James R. Bright in "A Brief Introduction to Technology Forecasting"

(Pergamon Press, 1972) warns that:

" Broad and scholarly development of rigorous techniques for

forecasting technology is just beginning.

" Hypotheses behind many approaches are largely unproven.

" With rare exceptions, comprehensive and consistently based time

studies of technological parameters have not been compiled. The

data base for- technology has not been accumulated or organized

as it has been in economics or census statistics.

As a result technology forecasting must be used with caution. The

distinction between predictions of experimental technological

accomplishments and predictions of technology that will reach wide
45

social adoption Is especially critical to sound forecasting. Failure to

make this distinction is the major source of confusion and error in

forecasting.

As a result of all these caveats it would appear that TSE would be

ill advised to invest its limited resources in this relatively unproven

field. For the present it should be sufficient for Turkey to be

cognizant of the relevant literature and perhaps use consultants to

provide forecasts in a few fields of particular and urgent interest.

In addressing the final element in this section, technology

transfer, it would appear that many of Turkey's heavy and high

technology industries, at least initially, purchase technology through

joint ventures or license arrangements. This technology transfer

appears reasonably effective within existing constraints. Hov/ever, the

pressures for increasing industrialization in Turkey may require more

than the present ad hoc operation. Although METU's technical library is a significant resource, other information reserves would undoubtedly be

useful. The National Technical Information Service of the U.S. and

other technical documentation centers should be made available for

referral. For the present, lists of documents, abstracts and

procurement information should be compiled with a view to developing a core for a National Library of Science and Technology. Alternatively,

specialized technological information could be accumulated and

distributed by agencies having specialization in different areas. Obviously, TSE would be a candidate for establishing such a specialized

information bank in the standards field.

9. International and Regional Contacts

Given the character and mission of TSE, its principal

foreign contacts must be in international standardization bodies such as ISO (International Organization for Standardization) and lEC

(International Electrotechnlcal Commission) and with national

standardizing bodies of other countries, especially those in the Common

Market countries, the U.S.A. (ANSI, ASTM, ...), and the Eastern bloc.

These contacts are Important in order to draw upon the body of product

standards already in existence or being developed elsewhere and in order

to promote consistency of Turkish standards with those of countries with

which import-export relationships exist or are desired. TSE must also

be cognizant of related activities, such as those of 1,0. L.M.

(International Organization for Legal Metrology), (Apparently the

certification of export products for conformity to foreign standards

falls outside the responsibilities of TSE and is performed by

laboratories of the Ministry of Commerce. The itinerary prepared for

the study team was such that the team was \inable to form a trustworthy

opinion about the adequacy with which this function is performed.)
46

At the international level TSE is in close contact with external

standardizing bodies that we have identified above. TSE is highly

regarded, which vrill facilitate future arrangements for mutual

recognition of product certifications.

On the regional scene, TSE should work with the standardizing

bodies of other Middle Easteim countries to assure that artificial

barriers to trade do not arise due to differences in product standards.

There did not appear to be any serious problems at the regional level at

this time. The team was informed that the TSE mark is accepted in Iran,

Pakistan, Iraq, Bahrein, Lebanon, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and some of the

North African countries,

10. Information Services and Diffusion (including Standard

Reference Data)

TSE distributes all Turkish standards and maintains a collection of standards of international standardization bodies (ISO and

lEC) and has close collaborative links with other national

standardization bodies such as ANSI and NBS in the USA. TSE is able to

draw freely on the information storage systems of these organizations.

Thus there can be no doubt that TSE is the most logical and effective

focal point for standards information activities. If the staff were

strengthened somevrhat, especially for comprehension and abstracting from

foreign language standards, TSE could fulfill the standards information

function entirely satisfactorily. Then, it ^^;ould only remain for

industry and government agencies to make fuller use of this valuable

resource.

Technical information in general is a very wide field and TSE is

careful not to expend funds for a comprehensive general scientific and

technological library or to furnish information on all kinds of

industrial processes. Naturally the TSE staff will often need specific

information in all kinds of scientific and industrial fields that are not adequately covered in the handful of journals and textbooks they

might individually keep near to their desks. TSE staff is therefore

dependent on the use of good technical libraries such as the one at

METU, reasonably close to TSE.

There is one class of specialized technical information which is

closely related to maintenance of material and instrumental standards.

This is the class known as Standard Reference Data. Engineers,

technicians and designers often need the most reliable property values

of the ever increasing number and variety of materials and chemicals

used throughout trade, industry, medicine, agriculture, architecture,

etc. Turkey, as its technological and manufacturing base expands, will

need to liave a central point of contact for this type of information.
47

The optiinun organizational site for the dissemination of such kno'jledge

as a service to Turkish industry, government and the technical public

needs to be considered by those responsible for central planning of

science and technology,

11 . Professional Societies

In Turkey xjhere some of the universities have necessarily

sraall departments of science and engineering, where industrial

enterprises typically employ just one specialist in any one field

deserving of a full time staff nenber and vhere even research

Institutions employ only two or three specialists in any one discipline,

the professional societies (referred to there as "chambers") mentioned

in Section VI play a very special role. As is made clear in tliat

section, the range of organizations described as professional societies

in Turkey is somewhat wider than is customary in the USA. They provide

meetings, discussions and cross-fertilization of ideas between

professionals of similar background who other?-7ise would be in such

isolation as might affect their competence and ability to keep up with

new developments in their field.

In fact, Turkish professional societies appear to be effective in

providing the necessary forums of contact. For TSE, professional

meetings provide an excellent opportunity for dissemination of the

principles of standardization. TSE should consider inviting society

meetings to its Ankara laboratories and providing illustrated

presentations at meetings in other districts. Company representatives

might be invited to discuss production and quality control problems and successes directly related to the Interests of the given society.

Other important contacts with professional societies have been

utilized by TSE. Thus it obtains information on potential technical

members of standards vrriting committees and professional critics of

draft standards by cultivating collaborative relations with such

societies. It is note\-7orthy that such societies provide some of the

funding for TSE.

12, Publications and Publicity

Besides the TSE standards, the Institution has published a number of informative brochures including a description of the

certification mark scheme, the history of TSE and the role of standards

in the industrial economy. It also distributes a newsletter to its

members and other interested members of the standards community. ?tost

of the brochures and other publications, including the Standards

themselves, appeared to be in an attractive and readable forr-at. The

desirability of a more technical periodical relating to standards and
48

testing was briefly discussed on two occasions by the Team, but little

enthusiasm vTas generated. Since both English and other-language

publications of this class are available in Turkey, there seems to be

little justification for TSE to expend resources for this purpose.

In spite of the above activities the Team was told on numerous

occasions that TSE is unfamiliar to a large portion of the Turkish

populace and is in serious need of a campaign for educating the public

on the importance and impact of standards and the operations of TSE.

Several of the plant managers and owners indicated that their reluctance

to adopt the TSE mark was due to the conviction that the latter vras less

well known than their own names or trade marks.

TSE is aware of the necessity of public awareness of its work and

is preparing to provide course materials to the schools. Other media

for disseminating the standards message should also be examined. For

example, the Indian Standards Institute (ISI) uses newspaper releases,

general interest magazines, radio, television and even billboards to

familiarize the country with its work and its certification mark. TSE

should study the Indian experience with a view to adopting some of these

tactics
Appendix 1

Itinerary of Survey Team

October 14, 1972

October 16, 1972

October 17, 1972

October 18, 1972

October 19, 1972

October 20, 1972

October 21, 1972

October 23, 1972

October 24, 1972

October 25, 1972

October 26, 1972

October 14. 1972

(1

(2

(3

(4

(5

(6

(7

(8

(9

(10

(11

(12

(13

(14

(15

(16

(17

(18

(19

(20

(21

(22

(23

(24

(25

(26

(27

(28

Reception by TSE President

TSE Laboratories

World Standards Day Celebration

Turk Tractor Plant, Gazi

Sugar Refinery and Farm and Research Institute

Meetings with Professor Can

U.S. Agency for International Development

Middle East Technical University (MLTU)

Mineral Research Institution (TflA)

Minister of Industry and Technology

Planning Meeting with Survey Director

President Chamber of Industry, Izmir

Metas Steel Mill

Goktepe Plastics

Dyo Paint and Printing Ink Company

Kula Textile Mills (wool)

Bosporus University

Research Center for Construction Materials

Rabak Copper Mills

Atli Chain and Needle

Mensucat Santral Textiles

Kalekalip and Electroporselen

Further Discussions with AID, John Fry, etc.

President, Chamber of Industry, Adana

Bossa Textile

Packing House

Final Session with Survey Director

TBTAK

(29) Team Discussions

Meeting with President of TSE

The Turkish

Institute (TSE),

Survey Director and President of the Turkish Standards

Professor Dr. Tarik G. Somer, received the team, and
50

there ensued a preliminary discussion of the itinerary and the agenda of

the survey. Professor Somer informed the team that a study of the

operations of TSE x^as being made by a Turkish group under the

chairmanship of Professor Can of the Middle East Technical University

(METU) . A foreign study originally had been considered but was rejected

because of the excessive cost. The Survey Team made an appointment to

meet with Professor Can.

The fine supporting facilities and program details were arranged

principally by the Secretary General, Mr. Velid Isfendiyar, ably

supported by numerous staff members. Special mention should be made of:

Mr. Fuat Yucesoy, who was on the NBS/AID team in Ecuador

and Korea

Mrs. Aytel Ustanoglu, responsible for international relations

Mr. Taner Berkun, public relations chief and organizer of

the World Standards Day celebrations

Dr. Argun Dagcioglu, Director of the TSE Chemical Laboratories

and former NBS guest worker.

A tour of the TSE laboratories followed.

October 14. 1972 TSE Laboratories

The product testing laboratories of TSE are well housed and contain

a large variety of equipment for product testing. Following is a partial listing of facilities shown to the Team:

Perkin-Elmer IR analyzer used for chemical analyses, e.g., of rose oil

Gas chromatography

Flame ionization detection equipment

Fibrous materials laboratory with a variety of mechanical

testing devices including an Instron machine. Testing of color

fastness, dimensions, wear, flexure.

Metallography - specimen preparation - polishing - heat

treatment - hardness

Plastic tiles and tubing - indentation - electrical insulating

quality - abrasion resistance
51

Mechanical testing of soil, concrete, cement pipe, bricks,

tile, and other ceramic ware.

Testing of steel reinforcing rod and cable anchors - TiniusOlson machine - proving rings for calibration of T-0 machine

General mechanical testing - hardness-impact-fatigue

Lamps and switches - life testing - one-meter and two-meter

integrating spheres - both incandescent and fluorescent lamps can be tested.-

Battery testing

The institute has a capability for constructing special equipment

as needed, e.g., we were shown a simple and effective hydraulic tester

of bursting strength of cement pipe.

The laboratories are very much underutilized at present. Four

young chemical engineers educated at METU operate the entire ranpe of

equipment. Unless the workload is increased it vrill not be feasible to

expand the staff and increase its expertise via specialization. A

considerably expanded use of Standard Reference Materials and

calibration services from national laboratories of other countries could

increase confidence in the TSE testing operations.

October 14. 1972 World Standards Day

An elaborate celebration of World Standards Day (so designated by

the International Organization for Standardization, ISO) followed with

200 guests. Prepared speeches included two by Andrus and Peiser tloat

were delivered in Turkish (English versions are appended) . A message

from the NBS Acting Director was also read in translation. Various

manufacturers were given quality mark certificates, and a banquet

followed precisely at sunset.

October 16. 1972 Visit to Turk Tractor Plant. Gazi

An overview of the company operations was given by the manager, Mr.

Halil Kaya. The company, in which Fiat has a 25 percent interest,

produces about 10,000 tractors (45 and 60 horsepower models) annually.

The company was originally a subsidiary of Minneapolis-Moline (White

Motor Company) , but the interest of the parent company shifted to more powerful machines that are less readily marketed in Turkey. The

relationship was dissolved by mutual agreement in 1962 vjith the

stipulation that Turk Tractor should not affiliate with any other U.S.

company! The current gross annual business is 600 million TL (about $40

1.
52

million) . The company is able to undersell imports of similar

horsepower. There are three other tractor companies in Turkey: Ford,

BMC, and Massey-Ferguson, each producing about 10,000 tractors annually.

It is interesting to note that the Ford tractor is made by a state

factory. (Turkey has a mix of state and private manufacturing in other

areas as well, e.g. textiles.) The state factory was said to be an uncompetitive holdover from an earlier time v/hen artificial support for

domestic manufacturing was needed; it remains alive because there is a seller's market at present. About 50 percent of the parts for Turk

tractors are now made locally. This proportion will increase to 70

percent when a plant expansion which is currently underway is completed.

The Union of Mechanical Engineers is responsible for evaluating the

safety of tractors produced in Turkey.

The plant foreman then conducted a tour of the factory and test

laboratory. The laboratory performs chemical analyses and can measure

hardness, tensile strength, and Charpy impact. The chemical analysis of

metals was done by wet chemical means with no SRMs being used. The team was told by TSE that a mistake had been made by this laboratory in the

past on chemical analysis acceptance testing of 2,000 tons of imported

steel. The tractor company was saved from serious legal action by an analysis at TSE using NBS-SRM's supplied through the AID program which

showed the steel to be made to specifications. Hov>7ever, the Tractor

Company still feels that SRMs are unnecessary for wet chemical analysis.

The company has no trouble in keeping engineers or quality control

staff, but has lost skilled workmen to Germany.

The production facilities include machine shops with some numerically controlled machines, a paint shop, areas for engine

acceptance with a two hour run-in test, a foundry, and a modern assembly

line for final assembly and quality control. Fiat specifications and

standards are followed. Oc casionally, the facilities of METU or Fiat

are used for special tests. The accuracies of various reference gages

used in the plant rest upon the manufacturer's assurances; recalibration

is rare.

October 16« 1972 Visit to the Etimesgut Sugar Refinery and the Sugar

Institute

The team visited the large complex containing the Etimesgut Sugar

Refinery, the Sugar Institute, a plant producing large machinery for

both the sugar industry and other industries, and a demonstration and

experimental farm. The group was greeted by Mr. Osman Bozok, the

Director of the Sugar Institute who presented an excellent overview of

both the Sugar Institute and the Turkish sugar industry, totally a state

enterprise. There are 17 affiliated refineries. All of Turkey's sugar
53

consumption is satisfied from domes tically- grown beets. The industry

follov;s TSE standards for sugar which are compatible V7ith those of the

World Health Organization and ICU>?SA (International Commission for

Uniform Methods for Sugar Analysis) . ICUMSA's chairman and Secretariat

are located in England, The Commission meets every four years, with the

next meeting scheduled for Turkey in 197A,

The Sugar Institute carries out R&D and educational activities for

the total sugar beet industry, from the farmer to the refinery. The

Sugar Institute also provides a central quality control laboratory to

maintain compatibility among the various factory control laboratories

and to provide bacterial control. The Institute has an annual budget of

$850,000. Its professional staff Includes 40 people with advanced

degrees. Students use these facilities to do M.S. theses on problems in

sugar refining, quality control, water purification, process control,

etc. The Institute receives 165 periodicals related to the sugar

industry and provides translation services. Huch of the plant and

laboratory equipment was of German origin, and the Director and some of

his staff vrere German- trained.

The sugar factory appears to be modern and is mechanized but not

highly automated. It was 65 percent locally built. The factory quality

control lab used ICUMSA SRMs for quality control. Measurement rietaods

include colorimetry (both visual and electronic) and ash content.

The experimental and demonstration farm appeared to be well run and

a very useful educational and research endeavor aimed at increasing

agricultural output and improving the quality of life for farm vorkers.

The factory for producing machinery is undergoing a large expansion

program. It is equipped with large lathes, milling machines and rolls

and a large annealing furnace. It has produced pressure vessels and

custom machinery for food processing, cement making (rotary kilns), and

oil refining. It uses Turkish carbon steels; we saw no high-alloy

special steels or aluminums. It was said that welds were examined by xray, but the team was not shown the equipment. The shop looked busy and

businesslike. Professional salaries throughout the sugar complex vrere stated to be about 20 percent below those in private industry resulting

in a tendency in the last few years for professional people to seek

higher paying jobs in the private sector.

All in all, the complex appeared to be well run and effective.

October 16. 1972 Can Committee

As the last activity of the day the Team met x^ith Professor Can,

Chairman of the committee evaluating TSE operations.
5A

Professor Can was completely open and frank In discussing; the TTork

and tentative conclusions of his group. Hor/ever, since his report has

not been officially delivered to TSE, it would be inappropriate to

provide details of this confidential information. Some general aspects

of committee deliberations were included elsewhere in this report

(Section VII)

The Can Committee has limited itself to making proposals v;hose

Implementation is possible under the present statute establishing TSE.

This eliminates any consideration of structures specified in the

statute, i.e., the General Assembly, Board of Governors, etc., and

fairly v/ell confines the Committee's considerations to the operatinp:

staff and standards implementation procedures. In general, the Can

Committee endorses increasing staff support services, streantlining the

laboratories, improving communications vjith outside groups and improving

its salary levels. In many areas its thinking parallels the initial

impressions received by the Team. The interview was extremely valuable

to the Team and a tribute to the objectivity of the TSE manarerient.

October 17. 1972 U.S. Agency for International Development

The Director of the U.S. AID Tlission received Andrus and Peiser in

the presence of Dr. Kenneth W. Kauffman, his deputy. Miss M. Belclier,

and ?fr. W. Nance. Andrus and Peiser explained the need for

standardization and measurement services in industrializing ecouories.

The extent to x-Aiich TSE could or should take wider responsibilities

beyond standards writing was considered. The process of arrivin>^ at

decisions on such problems through an in-deptii analysis should be

expected to be a slo\<r and evolutionary process. The need for

calibration services v;as recognized and TSE was considered to be an appropriate candidate organization to take responsibility for a system

of accredited test laboratories.

October 17. 1972 Visit to Middle East Technical University

The team visited the campus of tue Middle East Technical University

(H1:TU). The host was the President of the Board of Governors of TSE,

Professor Dr. Tarik G. Somer who is a professor in the Department of

Chemical Engineering of METU. The University, founded in 1956, has four

colleges: the Faculty of Administrative Sciences, the Faculty of

Architecture, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and the Faculty of

Engineering. The group was given a general tour of the excellent nev; facilities including the i^ell-stocked cent ral library. METU conducts

all courses except history in English. It has a teaching staff of 700

and a student body of 7,000. Nineteen Ph.D. degrees were granted in

1971-72 and over 1,000 >f.S. degrees. The team, was formally greeted at

METU by one of the Assistant Presidents. The Assistant President was
55

unaware of the AID supported "Blackledge Report" on METU, He explained

tliat the report, most likely, v7as the concern of another Assist?int

President of IfETU.

The group v;as then given a very quick tour of the Engineering^,

laboratories including tlie metallurgy, chemical engineering, and

mechanical engineering laboratories. By far, the most impressive v:a'^ the Unit Operations Cnemical Engineering Laboratory headed by Dr. Somer,

hlLiself ; it is an outstanding facility by any standards. Current or recent laboratory research includes the liquid-liquid extraction of salt

from sea water, studies of fluidized beds, and two phase heat transfer.

There are 150 graduate students in chemical engineering. The mechanical

engineering laboratories contained a metrology laboratory (no climate

control) , a nuclear engineering laboratory, an engine and turbine

laboratory, a heating and refrigeration laboratory and a mechanics

laboratory. The Metrology Laboratory included a Talysurf-4, Zeiss gear

lead checker, gear tooth span and thickness indicator, and precision

microueters. Some product testing is done at ^^TU when there is a stringent requirement for testing (e.g., government procurement)

provided ^lETU has the facilities to do it. The metallurgy laboratories

have recently been completed. They contain heat treating furnaces

(including vacuum types) , microscopes (an electron microscope is to be

ordered soon), x-ray diffraction equipment, melting and casting

facilities, extractive metallurgy equipment and equipment for fatigue,

tensile, and impact testing. A staff member on leave from >IETU is doing

metal corrosion research at the University of California at Los Angeles;

he will expand the corrosion program on his return.

Ti'ie research efforts of '-lETU could benefit by receiving NBSStandard Reference Materials. These would include, for example SRM's

for sulfur in oil, plating thickness, gun metal alloy, radioactivity,

and retained austenite.

To sum up, METU is a rapidly growing dynamic school with excellent

facilities and with a curriculum and research program responsive to

Turkish needs,

October 17. 1972 Visit to Mineral Research Institution (MTA)

The headquarters is a large administration and laboratory complex

located near the Middle East Technical University, It is an integrated

organization for mapping and exploring the ores and mineral resources of

Turkev (equivalent to a geological survey) and for evaluating, by

researca if necessary, the possibilities for exploitation of deposits

and fossil fuel. Laboratories are well equipped for the identification,

separation and processing of minerals. Total staff numbers 3,000

including 1,000 professionals, MTA facilities are used for graduate
56

thesis researches, and trainees are accepted froi^ other orranizat j.o.i^

The staff lias participated in preparation of Turkish Standards, e.g.,

for vitreous ware. The budget is about U.S. $10 niilioa.

Interesting projects were described relative to resources of

copper, iron, lead, zinc, bentonite, boracite, chromite, perlite,

phosphates, lignite, uranium, petroleum, and geothermal energy by the

principal liost, the General Director. During the laboratory visit

the tean received the impression of excellence in raay areas, of

widespread use of IXS standard reference materials and of detemination

to ensure effective future natural resource management in Turkey with

strong participation by private enterprises.

Tae analytical labs are equipped with both an x-ray fluorescence

and a spark source emission spectrometer. More SR^Is will be needed to

utilize tnis equipment fully. MTA will send a list of need..^d NBS SRMs

to TSE. (MTA has an up-to-date NBS SR!! catalog.) This list should

include SRiTs for differential thermal analysis, thermal expansion,

triuranium octoxide, sulfur in oil, and sulfur and mercury in coal,

along with various steels.

October IS, 1972 Visit to Minister of Industry and Technology

The Survey Team met with His Excellency Kesut Erez, Minister of

Industry and Technology, following introductions by Professor Somer.

Formal greetings were exchanged and the im.portance of standardization

vjas discussed. At the close of the meeting Professor Dr. Somer

requested tae tiinister's assistance in obtaining increa?5ed financial

support of TSE activities, and the Minister promised to give his aid.

(Embassy and U.S. AID officials Vi7ere informed about this interview in

advance but they chose not to participate.)

October 18, 1972 Second Planning Meeting with Survey Director

Dr. T. Somer received the entire team for a planning session at

v/hich the principal problems discussed were (1) adequate printing

facilities, (2) calibration service, (3) packaging laboratoiry, and

especially (4) provincial test laboratories.

A second round of talks with Professor Can was held, primarily to

permit Mr. Andrus to exchange viev7s before his early departure to attend

the lOLM General Conference in London. Among other things, Mr. /Uidras

expressed his opinion that the laboratory capabilities of TSE nced^iu to

be strengthened in order to permit it to enter as a full partner into

bilateral v/orking arrangements with standards institutions of otaer

countries for the purpose of mutual acceptance of each other's quality

certifications and product tests, de also pointed out that the rol«i of
57

1

TSE in testing products for exportation needed to be clarified, the

utilization of the available facilities increased, and the technical

expertise of the staff augmented. He felt that the certification

program is already extremely effective,

October 19, 1972 Visit to Izmir Chamber of Industry

The President of the Chamber remarked that he felt well satisfied

with the mission of TSE and with its operations as far as they went, but

that the laboratory testing services available in the Izmir region were

inadequate. Laboratories do exist in the Izmir region for agricultural

produce, health services, and military procurement but not for general

manufactures. Also, there is some control of local weights and measures

(e.g. scale checking) by the Ministry of Commerce, but these services do

not include industrial measurements. The President endorsed the idea of

establishing a regional laboratory for testing the products of

industries in the Izmir area.

October 19. 1972 Visit to the Metas Steel Plant

The Team visited the Metas Steel Plant in Izmir, a private-sector

company operating to some extent in competition with the government iron

and steel enterprise. The NBS/AID Team was greeted by the plant

manager, an impressively capable mechanical engineer. This Xv^as followed

by a greeting from the company president.

The plant remelts scrap steel and produces mainly low alloy steel

(equivalent to types 1010 to 1080), reinforcing rod, and steel for otaer

industrial uses. Most of the products carry the TSE mark. The plant

has an output of 80,000 metric tons of steel per year with most of the

scrap steel being imported from the U.S.A. (high quality scrap is used

at $50 per ton). The plant utilizes electric furnaces, an innovative

continuous casting process, and argon-atmosphere heat treating. The

quality control laboratory was excellent; it utilizes an automatic

optical emission spectrometer and a pneumatic tube for rapid analysis of

each melt. NBS-SRMs are being used for calibration of the chemical

analytical instruments. Mechanical properties are also checked closely.

The plant is undergoing a major expansion to increase production

from 80,000 to 300,000 metric tons per year, to produce strip, I-beams,

and other shapes not presently being made, and to move into the

production of alloy steels. Design for the plant expansion is being

done in-house by the plant manager and his staff. The team felt this to

be a very impressive undertaking.

The company will need many new NBS-SRM's in the future to assume

the quality control of the planned alloy steel production.
58

The plant has no trouble in retaining employees , as the working

conditions and treatment of the entire staff apparently are good.

Professional pay was said to be about 30 percent higher than for

corresponding jobs in the Turkish Government.

To sum up, this plant appears to be a profitable operation,

producing a quality product, and a good place to work.

October 20. 1972 Visit to Goktepe Plastic Pipe Company

The Survey Team visited the Goktepe Plastic Pipe Company in Izmir.

The team was given a general overview of the company and then was conducted on a plant tour. The plant buys its polymers (PVC and

polyethylene), fillers and other raw materials from Turkish companies.

The raw poljnmers come from Petkim, the Turkish state petrochemical

industry which both produces and imports them. Goktepe accepts these

without test. The materials are blended and then formed into many types

of pipe in diameters up to about one foot in a continuous operation.

Most of the products bear the TSE mark. The company management

expressed the desire to see the TSE Standards for plastic pipe mde

mandatory to insure the removal of poor quality pipe from the civilian

market. (The TSE mark is already required on plastic pipe for

government construction.) The quality control laboratory was equipped

with ovens for heat testing, mechanical impact testers, dimensional

gages, water absorption testing, and a hydrostatic pressure test at

various temperatures. The laboratory appeared to be adequate to control

product quality. At the end of the operation, scrap plastic from the

plant is recycled into lower quality, nonpressure pipe.

The plant appeared to be well run with modem German equipment.

Its Director is German trained. It offers a quality product and good

working conditions.

October 20. 1972 Visit to Dyo Paint and Printing Ink Company

This large modem paint and printing ink company with associated

tin can manufacturing is under license from the Danish company of

Sadolin and Holmblad with factories also in many other countries ranging

from VJest Germany to Ethiopia. The high technology used in this plant

is introduced via the Danish plant manager who is responsible also for

the development and process laboratories. Each Danish expert furnished

by the parent company serves for a two-year period. Product qualities

but not necessarily the trade-names are identical between the subsidiary

companies in different countries. One of the problems of

standardization is in the Turkish market requirement for sale on a weight basis. An unscmpulous manufacturer could add a cheap dense

filler to increase weight without improving the effective paint
59

quantity. Volume dispensing would have the advantages of corresponding

more nearly to covering power and of enabling paints of different

densities to be packed in cans of the same size x-zithout introducing

undesirable free air space. It is not customary in Turkey to specify

contents or coverage on the labels of paints. Our host stated that he

felt that the TSE mark would be desirable as an assurance to customers.

Regarding quality control, we noted Thwing-Albert Inkometers and test

equipment for viscosity, weather exposure simulation, gloss, and

hardness. It appeared that the level of ultraviolet light exposure in

the weather simulator v/as monitored by fading papers; however,

communication on this point was uncertain. Generally German and ASTM

standards are used for guidance.

An interesting paradox appeared in a peripheral discussion. It was remarked that there was an unnecessarily large number of sizes of letter

and document paper being used in Turkey, to which it v/as replied that

paper is a state industry and therefore not receptive to pressures to

standardize!

October 20, 1972 Visit to Kula Textile Mills

Kula Textile Mills produce woolen fabrics including worsteds.

Another plant of the same company located some two and a half hours

drive away produces hand-made rugs which receive final finishing,

cleaning, and warehousing at Izmir. The high quality of their hand-made

rugs may be inferred from typical prices quoted as 1,200 Turkish liras

per square meter (about $70 per square yard) , They use a considerable

amount of Australian Merino wool. Turkish wool is inferior at present

and difficult to handle, but the Merino breed is being raised more and more in Turkey. They also make wool-orlon fabrics and produce orlon and

cotton velvets. Their machinery was largely Italian but V7ith some of

German, English, and French manufacture. A recent rise in the price of raw wool has priced this company out of the export market. The coupany

is 100 percent privately owned.

Regarding quality control, Kula consults the TSE for information

but does not attempt full compliance. (It is not mandatory at present.)

They feel that they are already well known and the possessors of an assured position. To invest in the TSE mark would not be cost effective

in their view, as TSE is not well known to the public. They feel that

it should be made the subject of an educational and public relations

effort. (Mr. Isfendiyar interjected that TSE does plan an educational

effort in the scliools.)

They do not test for color-fastness but buy their dyes from abroad

(West Germany, Britain and Switzerland) on the basis of the performance
60

and reputations of the suppliers and the company's own past experiences

with them.

They remarked that competition from smaller enterprises with

inadequate quality control is bothersome, but they did not draw the

seemingly obvious conclusion that use of the TSE quality mark would

enable potential customers to differentiate their product from ones made

without proper quality control.

October 21. 1972 Visit to Bosporus University

This visit was arranged on the spur of the moment as a substitute

for two factory visits which could not be made. We vrere able to meet

with Mr. Mumin Tansever, Assistant Director for Student Affairs and Dr.

A. S. Yalcin, Chairman of the Civil Engineering Department. Bosporus

University is tlie former Robert College, which existed for many years

with American administration, faculty and financial support. Our t^-ro mentors from TSE, Velid Isfendiyar and Fuat Yucesoy, received their

undergraduate training there. The institution was nationalized about

two years ago.

It is planned to expand the graduate school until it about equals

the present size of the undergraduate school. Thus, the imiversity will

remain a small but elite institution. (No more than 2,000 students of

all kinds are to be accommodated.) The graduates who attend graduate

schools in the U.S.A. average about 3.4 grade points on a scale of four.

There have been no failures of such students in the U.S.A.

We inquired about relationships between the university and Turkish

industry and were told that attempts had been made to assign students to

attack industrial problems as theses, but that it had been found

difficult to bridge the gulf between industry and academia. Turkish

industry was said to feel that it did not need R&D and was satisfied to

continue producing on foreign patterns. Similarly, the university has

no R&D contracts from industry, and there is little or no faculty

consultation for industry. The Team was unable to examine this question

from the point of view of the industries involved.

It was remarked that government agencies feel no commitment to

develop domestic engineering talent and tend to seek safe solutions to

engineering problems by hiring foreign firms—hence the paradox that

university staff received more consulting work from foreign firms

carrying out large engineering projects under government contract than

from the government directly. Faculty pay is low (800 to 2,000 Turkish

liras per month), and there is a "brain drain." The feeling was expressed that the government is insufficiently aware of the importance

of university faculties of scientists and engineers to the future
61

development of the country. This is manifested, for example, in the

small and diminishing number of full professorships allotted to the

state supported universities. We saw teaching laboratories in chemistry

and chemical engineering but no research laboratories. In subsequent

plant visits around Istanbul, utilization of the Technical University of

Istanbul for testing and for staff consultations was mentioned, but

there was no such mention of Bosporus University. Thus it is possible

that a visit to the former would have been rewarding,

October 21, 1972 Visit to the Research Center for Construction Materials

This Center is a private mdertaking. Its functions are to exhibit

new industrial products manufactured in Turkey, Thus its title is

somex^hat of a misnomer, as the Center does not have a research projjram

at present. Following is a brief description of the industrial

exhibition stands.

1, Ytong of Istanbul demonstrated an outside cement coating

applied by spray and adhering to bricks, cement, wood, etc. The same conpany also builds low-cost prefabricated houses and apartments of

modular construction,

2, Yener Celik of Istanbul—furniture, especially shelvinjr and

display cases for shops.

3, Tamsan of Istanbul—wood and glue for parquet, construction,

and packaging,

4, Canakkale Seramik A,S, of Istanbul—^wall tiles,

5, Kale Porselen of Istanbul~porcelain insulators,

6, Izocam of Istanbul—cut straw insulation for walls and roofs.

7, Semenkat of Istanbul—other wall insulation.

8, Kamping Izzet Isman of Istanbul and Ankara—plastic Venetian

blinds and balcony railing.

9, Yapl Malzemeleri Endustrisi Ltd. of Karakoy—office files.

10. and 11, Halifleks Sanayi Ve Ticaret A.S. of Istanbul had

colorful vinyl flooring and floor tiles made from polyesters and

polyamides (also detergents) , not to be confused with Kaleflex

(Istanbul) floor tiles associated with Kaledekor wall tiles.

12. Hasel of Kararmaz—door hardware.
62

13. Eczacibasi Seramik Fabrikalari A.S., (trade name VITRA).,

Istanbul—a full range of sanitary ware.

14. Dokumay of Istanbul—fixtures of enamel on steel and cast iron,

15. Karvin of Istanbul—vinyl auto seat covers.

16. Farglas of Istanbul—transparent acrylic sheet,

17. Turkiye Sise Cam Fabrikalari A,S, had a very attractive glass

products exhibit including frosted glass panels and an asbestoscontaining strip for mechanical, moisture, electrical and mechanical

protection and large industrial rolls.

18. Kaplamali Bantlar (trade name of Borusan of Istanbul)—brass,

nickel and copper strip,

19. Betebe of Topkapi—mosaic tiles.

20. Bik Asbest Borulari—asbestos pipes.

21. Piraas —plastic pvc pipes (Istanbul),

22. Arcelik—refrigerators bearing the TSE marking.

23. Philips—washing machines and refrigerators made in Turkey.

24. Sark-Mobilya of Ankara—furniture for the kitchen but also all

types of wooden furniture.

25. and 26. Tortas of Istanbul and Ankara—steel reinforcing bars.

(A wider range of ferrous metal products comes from Metas Metallurji

Fabrikasi, Izmir, which was visited by the team on the previous day.)

27. Dyo of Izmir—paints and inks (also visited by the teatn) .

The entire exhibit was modest but represents a real start of

Turkish manufacture in modem building construction. The products

generally x^ere tasteful in appearance, and looked to be of good quality.

October 23, 1972 Visit to Rabak Copper Mills

The rapidly expanding Rabak Copper Mills buy smelted copper fror. a state refinery, resmelt it and cast it into plates of 99.6 percent

purity, and then electrolytically refine it to 99.95 percent purity or better. They then cast and forge into round bar stock from which they

produce rod, wire, strip, and tubing. They also make brass products.
63

The plant equipment was mostly German, New equipment v/as bein,'^ set up

by the Turkish workers without supervision by the manufacturer, an evidence of maturing competence.

The laboratory is headed by a capable young chemical engineer, Ms.

Ay ten Ergul, a graduate of the Technical University of Istanbul, who was

in the process of occupying an impressive new small laboratory in which

a Baird-Atomic automatic spectrograph was being installed. There was

also a vacuum fusion oxygen analyzer, an eddy current conductivity meter

for quickly screening rough-cut slices of round bars, a Thomson bridge

for conductivity measurement of rod samples, a sonic flaw detector, and

hardness and tensile (wire) testers. They have until recently used some

test equipment (e.g. tensile) at the Technical University of Istanbul.

They also make occasional use of one of the labs of the Ministry of

Commerce, and rely on the Mint for silver and gold analyses of refinery

sludges. They use NBS and other (LECO for oxygen' analyzer) standard

reference materials and have on order a number of NBS-SRMs for the new

automated spectrometer. Ms. Ergul also asked to receive a n&n NBS-SRM

catalog and information related to copper and its alloys (which have

been sent). Practically all products conform to Turkish standards. The

company has applied for the TSE mark and its application is currently

under consideration, A valuable by-product is the refining sludge vjhich

contains gold and silver. From this sludge the noble metals are recovered by a West German Company.

The production is nearly all for domestic consumption, though one exportation to Pakistan was mentioned. There is one other producer of

electrolytic copper—a government enterprise near Ankara. Salaries were said to be higher at Rabak; there was no difficulty reported in staffing

the laboratory, and turnover is low.

October 23, 1972 Visit to Atli Chain and Needle Factory

The group visited the Atli Chain and Needle Factory in Istanbul.

The host was !-lr. Ertugrul Soysal, who is also the president of the

Chamber of Industry of the Istanbul District. The products are chain,

tire chains, needles, pins, paper clips, and thumb tacks. The Company

enjoys a competitive position in the world market with considerable

exports—17 percent of production—to the U.S. and Australia among

others. Problems from the company point of view are: the lack of a TSE

Steel Standard to cover the particular low alloy steel used in making

chain under the TSE chain standards, and the difficulty in purchasing

high quality alloy steel from domestic sources. (They can import

satisfactory steel meeting DIN or ASTM standards, but only to the extent

that they export.) The result is production of inferior chain for

domestic consumption using carbon steel produced in Turkey.
64

There followed a tour of the plant (including a machine shop

equipped with low cost machine tools from USSR, Rumania and

Czechoslovakia) which produces machinery for other industries, e.g., a body die and seat cushion molds for Renault, as well as improved copies

of the plant's German chain making equipment. The company would like to

be able to buy better machine tools from the U.S. and Western Europe.

We also viewed machines for the manufacture of chain and needles and

facilities for heat treating, case hardening, and electroplating. The

quality control laboratory had tensile and hardness testers.

The company has an apprentice program and a total staff of 400.

Its management looks forward to Turkish participation in CO^MART,

believing that they will have better access to materials and that they can compete effectively due to the lower industrial wages in Turkey.

Loss of trained workers to Germany is a problem, but some return to

Turkey with more experience. The company has contact with universities

for consulting purposes. Summer college students are carefully screened

before employment to exclude political activists. The management feels

that Turkish workers have excellent native skills and intelligence, but

that they sorely need training and that Turkish industry generally fails

in this area.

As President of the Istanbul Chamber of Industry, Mr. Soysal

answered a variety of questions on behalf of the industry of the

district. He did not have a strong argument at this time for a district

test laboratory,

October 23. 1972 Mensucat Santral Textiles

Mensucat Santral, a large textile plant on the outskirts of

Istanbul, is apparently a family controlled business, now in the hands

of the second or third generation of owners. During preliminary

discussions the Team inquired about laboratory facilities and v/as told

that the company did some evaluation of its raw materials (mainly

cotton) but that most of the supplies were bought on reputation and

warranty of the vendors. The cotton is all domestically grown.

Occasionally, outside laboratories are utilized for physical testing and

for compliance with export requirements. The team was unable to visit

the company's laboratory because of the demands of the itinerary and

received a rather hurried tour of the plant. Both cotton and synthetic

fibers (polyester and viscose) as well as blends are processed from

fiber to finished cloth. Equipment and techniques seemed fairly modern;

there appeared to be more than one hundred looms. A concentrated effort

is underway to offer designs which will be attractive to the export

market, and the team consensus was that this was shovjing some success. The firm complies with such Turkish Standards as are applicable but does

not use the TSE mark because it feels that currently there would be no
65

benefits—the company's reputation is sufficient to assure its

customers. The manager indicated that TSE could enhance its services by

increasing the number of standards that could be used for export

arrangements.

The team made a hurried visit to the company's outlet shop where

they viewed a comprehensive display of its products,

October 23. 1972 Visit to Kalekalip and Elektroporselen Plant

At the Kalekalip and Elektroporselen Plant in Istanbul the Team v;as received by the plant manager. As time was quite short, the visit was limited to a brief overview and a tour of the manufacturing facilities.

The company specializes in punch and die making and in injection molding

equipment for glass, ceramics, and plastics. It also makes sv7itch

leaves, magnetic cores, sockets, and bases. It has 40 well-trained

machinists, many with experience in Germany, and an apprentice program

coupled with schooling in mathematics and engineering drawing. They

draw upon the faculty of the Technical University of Istanbul for

consultation on materials. The plant manager has himself observed

German practices and admires German methods of apprentice training,

which he is copying. Typically these might provide up to two days of

study per week over a period of several years. The Istanbul Chamber of

Industry helps by providing certain basic courses, e.g., mathematics and

drafting. The machine tools were modem and of good quality; they

included all of the usual machine tools plus a modern automated spark

erosion machine. Of all the plants we visited, this one evidently had

the highest capability for precision manufacturing. It exports part of

its output of ceramic insulators to Germany.

The manager expressed concern over "fast buck" operators in Turkey,

e.g., street sellers of excellent looking pliers, made, unfortunately,

of zinc alloy. He endorses TSE goals and feels that more standards are needed. The ceramic insulators made by this company bear the TSE mark.

October 24. 1972 Adana and AID. Ankara

While the rest of the NBS/AID team visited Adana, Peiser stayed In

Ankara to discuss the mission with Mr. John Fry of AID, VJashinf;;ton, who

was making a one-day visit to Turkey. Miss Belcher of U.S. AID and

Peiser discussed with Fry the status, opportunities and the challenj;e of

the Turkish survey. All agreed on the timeliness of the survey and the

excellent preparations made for it by TSE.

In the afternoon ilr. Fry and Peiser were received by Dr. Somer, the

Survey Director, The distinction betr^een government-operated and

private-sector industry was discussed. Private industrial firms are
66

more inclined to seek consultants of high academic stature. Yet it is

easier for University experts to accept outside payment for consulting

services from Government organizations, as this has less appearance of

conflict with their duties to the students, for which they are already

paid by the Government. It is thus felt that the Government and only

the Government should ask them to undertake other work.

The group in Adana was very hospitably received by the staff of the

Chamber of Industry. Despite the lateness of the hour, the Team was met

on arrival at the airport on the 23rd by the Secretary- General and

driven to its hotel. Although time was too short for a comprehensive

survey of the city, the parts of Adana viewed by the Team sho^-zed signs

of recent rapid growth to its position as fourth largest city in Turkey,

This impression was reinforced by comments of the Secretary-General and

others as well as by a view of the city from the Cotton Exchange, It was indicated that only a decade or two ago Adana was little more than

an agricultural center.

The Team was driven to the Chamber of Industry and V7as immediately

received by Mr. Sakip Sabanci, its President, and by the SecretaryGeneral. Mr. Sabanci impressed the Team as an industrialist of

imagination and social responsibility. He is a strong supporter of TSE,

though his textile firm, like the others, does not utilize the TSE mark.

He feels that the Turkish public and many manufacturers are insufficiently aware of the useful role of product standards and that

TSE ought to launch a well-planned and professional informational

campaign. He thinks more standards are required, especially those

affecting exports and that TSE should be given resources needed for

their production. When asked for his opinion of the need for expanded

laboratory services, he unhesitatingly answered that he believed the

question required a serious and objective study before decisions could

be reached. Mr. Sabanci not only controls a significant segment of the

Adana textile industry but also figures strongly in the Akbank and is

expanding into synthetic fibers.

The Bossa Textile Plant, the next stop on the Team's itinerary, is a very large and fairly modern establishment which runs the whole gamut

of processing from fiber to finished cloth. It employs 5,000 v/orkers in

three shifts and houses some of them in on-site family housing. The

machinery is eclectic (Geman, British, S\d.ss , Italian). At present

less than five percent of the output is exported, e.g., to Arab

countries, A large part of the output is cotton but polyester is also

utilized. There is a certain inflexibility in their costs due to the

necessity to buy their cotton from the state enterprise, Sumerbank. The

textile laboratory had a fair variety of equipment but no atmospheric

control. However, they plan to install this in the near future.
67

After a lunch provided by the Chamber, the Team was driven across an irrigated plain producing citnis and cotton to Mersin about 70

kilometers to the southwest. Mersin is a port city on the

Mediterranean, said to be largely a fruit packing and processing center,

although there was ample evidence of heavy industry and refining as well. Following a brief interview with the local Chamber of Commerce

and Industry, the Team visited a fruit packing plant in Mersin.

Tangerines and grapefruit were being sorted and boxed using a f^izable

staff of women workers, though the plant V7as obviously operatinc- much

below capacity. Conveyors and hoppers did most of the sorting and

sizing, carrying the fruit past inspectors. Subsequently, the Team met

with the Plant Manager who concentrated on the export problems of the

fruit packers. These problems are almost all related to packaging

materials and structures. The discussion and presentation was a strong

argument for the packaging laboratory proposed for TSE by the OECD

consultants. This advice appeared to this Survey Team to be as valid

now as when it was given (compare Section VII) . Quality controls (size,

sugar content, acidity) are apparently well in hand due to the

availability of Turkish Standards and critical scrutiny by foreign

buyers. The latter has led to some past rejections, with salutory

effect on the Turkish packers. It was remarked that competinp packing

plants were being established although the present one was obviously

underutilized. The team was unable to ascertain why.

October 25. 1972 Final Session with Survey Director

In a brief final session, Dr. Somer pointed out some additional

problems due to TSE not being involved sufficiently or at an early

enough time in the development of new industrial product lines, both in

private and state indxis tries. He also expressed his own opinion in favor

of creating regional TSE facilities in the following order of

preference: Istanbul, Izmir, Adana.

October 25. 1972 Visit to TBTAK

TBTAK is the acronym of the Scientific and Technical Research

Council of Turkey. It was founded in 1963 and, in effect, began to

operate in 1965. Our visit with representatives of TBTAK was impromptu

and was arranged at our request after we had heard it referred to in

earlier discussions. The visit proved to be very significant due to the

importance that TBTAK apparently will have in Turkish applied research

and technological development. Our discussion was held with Dr. S. C.

Ozoglu, A. S. Torel, Refet Erim, and Akdogan Mat.

TBTAK is a government organization with functions that resemble

those of the U.S. National Research Council and National Science

Foundation. They include the support of education, the support of
68

research, and policy advice to the government. Research is supported by

two mechanisms: (1) the funding of proposals received from outside of

TBTAK and (2) the operation of in-house facilities. A current budget

summary was not available. Further details on the above two mechanisms

follow:

1. Apparently proposals from any source may be considered,

including industry and other government agencies, but, in fact, most are from the universities—especially the Middle East Technical University

(Ankara) and the Technical University of Istanbul, The management of

these projects is handled by "Research Groups" in TBTAK with the

following titles: Mathematical, Physical, and Biological Sciences;

Engineering; Medical; Veterinary and Animal Husbandry; Agriculture and

Forestry. The supported projects have a narrowly applied flavor, as indeed would seem to be entirely appropriate for Turkey in its present

stage of economic development. They include, for example, researches in

pollution abatement, reclaiming of copper slags, smokeless fuels,

abatement of mine explosions, and voltage regulation. In some cases,

researches are supported jointly by TBTAK and other bodies on problems

of mutual interest, e.g. with the Mineral Research Institution.

2. The principal in-house laboratory is now under construction at

Gebze, near Istanbul. It is called the Marmara Scientific and

Industrial Research Institute. There are also a Building Research

Institute and an Institute of Life Sciences. The conduct of "in-house"

research is organized under "Research Units" with the following titles:

Applied Mathematics, Materials, Electronics, Food Technology and

Nutrition, Mechanical, Plant Taxonomy, Arid Zone, Polymer Chemistry,

Mathematical Research, Solid-State Physics, Operational Research, and

Science Policy. Some of these units are located at universities or other outlying sites but are fully supported by TBTAK, which encourages

staff interciiange and communication with the host institutions.

Finally, there is a Documentation Centre. The planned functions of

TBTAK do not include those of a national metrological laboratory, and it

appeared that this possibility had not been considered during the

planning of TBTAK.

The budget of TBTAK this year is 80 million Turkish lira, but this

includes some of the construction costs of the Marmara Institute, A

normal operating level might be 60 million TL (about four million U.S.

dollars). The total staff will be about 1,000, The research staff at

the Marmara Institute will number about 250,

Clearly, TBTAK has the potential to be the major element in the

national technological scene. Also, the fact that it apparently has the

only technology assessment and policy research activity in Turkey is a significant factor in assessing its importance. This impinged on one of
69

the recurring questions encountered by the present study team, namely,

whether regional testing laboratory facilities are needed in Turkey.

The TSE felt that such facilities were indeed needed but did not offer

convincing evidence to support this view and obviously had not

researched the question. In contrast, we were told by the President of

the Adana Chamber of Industry that TBTAK had sent a small team to

examine this question as it related to textiles only and had prepared an as yet unpublished report. It seems probable that in-depth studies by

official bodies such as this are likely to be influential policy

determiners, and that the technique might well be adopted by TSE in

analyzing such issues as the one of regional facilities.

October 29. 1972 Team Discussions

Mealtime, evenings and weekends provided many opportunities for

team members to discuss among themselves impressions, views, and

conclusions. Possible recommendations were debated and, as time went

on, a consensus on the nature of the problems emerged. The teaKi

discussed such questions as : How much could be expected of the

relatively small, largely independent TSE? Should it risk its present

effectiveness by taking upon itself largely nonreimbursable functions

v;hich are critically needed for Turkish industrialization goals?

Such discussions were important in the somewhat more formal

meetings with the Survey Director, especially the concluding session in

which the entire senior staff of TSE and Professor Can participated.

(Some foreign team members had already departed before that meeting.)

Peiser summarized the contents of the draft report which was in the

early manuscript stage. There was praise for the written standards and

for the TSE quality marking scheme which appeared to be effective in

part through the associated guarantees. The TSE laboratories and

associated buildings invite wider usage and increased staffing. Yet,

the proposed establishment of a calibration service at TSE should be

examined carefully, A cautious approach through the provision for one specialty at a time is preferable to a commitment to the possibly

premature establishing of a comprehensive calibration service. SRMs

might be such a specialty through which TSE might gradually enter the

calibration field. AID funding had made it possible for TSE to become

the focal point in Turkey for the dissemination of and consultation on the use of SRMs.

Similarly the establishment of test laboratories and particularly

district laboratories in major geographic centers of industry operated

from TSE in Ankara as a central administrative and technical

headquarters might drain staff equipment and financial resources from

Ankara, where they would be most needed, or lead to substandard
70

provincial test facilities. The team felt such a scheme should be

undertaken only after a detailed benefit-cost analysis. Necessarily

this question of provincial laboratories would remain an open one. However, Professor Somer requested the team to emphasize this problem

and its associated considerations in its report. The Turkish chambers

of industry supported TSE strongly. Might they not expect TSE to supply

rapid test services in their own localities?

Similarly the question of a printing shop came up for discussion.

The Team would not question that fault-free high quality printing was an essential need for TSE, but the team members did not accept readily the

conclusions that—in consequence--the printing had to be done on their

own premises. Yet this view by TSE might well have been justified under

the given circumstances in Turkey. In any event, the decision had been

made and the relevant financing request had been submitted to the

Ministry of Industry and Technology,

During the final session, training assignments to l^S and temporary

assignments of NBS staff or retirees to TSE were discussed.

Professor Somer requested the Team to write a forthright report in

x^hich frank criticism would be made where needed without fear or personal considerations, feeling that in the long run this was the kind

of report that could help TSE the most.

Mr, Peiser emphasized that the Team had learned from Turkish

systems and experience. The knowledge would better fit the team members

to help and advise other national technical services. The Survey had

been held and concluded in a friendly cooperative spirit with its

members prepared to face the considerable challenges involved.
Appendix 2

REMARKS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY BY W. E. ANDRUS, JR.,

PROGRAM MANAGER, ENGINEERING AND INFORMATION PROCESSING STANDARDS

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

AT THE CELEBRATION OF WORLD STANDARDS DAY

AT THE TURKISH STANDARDS INSTITUTION

OCTOBER 14, 1972, ANKARA, TURKEY

THE ROLE OF STANDARDS IN INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Thank you, Mr. Isfendiyar.

Professor Somers, ladles and gentlemen. It Is Indeed an honor to

join with you today in celebrating the 14th of October - - World Standards

Day, Although this is my first visit to the Turkish Standards Institute

(TSE) , I feel very much at home because of my long acquaintance v^ith

TSE and its outstanding staff. I first became acquainted with TSE in 1961

when I met Faruk Sunter at the ISO General Assembly in Helsinki and

Olle Sturen, now Secretary General of ISO, both of whom played such an important role in establishing your fine institution. I have become

well acquainted with Dr. Sunter over the years and through his leadership during his term as President of ISO (1968-1970) , ISO is prepared

to accept and be responsive to the vast standards challenges of the 1970's.

I have also become well acquainted with your outstanding Secretary

General, Velid Isfendiyar, and most recently I met your new President,

Dr. Somers, last month at the ISO Council meetings in Geneva.

Because of my association with these fine gentlemen, it is not

only a pleasure to join you on World Standards Day, but also indeed an honor to be a member of the U. S./AID International Survey Team

who will be studying the Turkish standardization and certification

programs during the next two weeks. My only regret is that I will

be unable to spend the entire two weeks in Turkey since I must leave

for London this Sunday to attend the Fourth International Conference

of the International Organization of Legal Metrology. On September 22,

1972, the United States acceded to the Convention of the OIML, and

the Fourth International Conference convenes on Monday, October 23.

My topic for today is the role of standards in International trade.

I intend to briefly discuss what standards are, why they are important,

and how both international standards and product certification systems

affect International commerce. I would then like to tell you about

the effort in GATT (The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) to

develop an international policy guide for standards and certification

programs.
72

A brief summary of the economic benefits of standards would include

the following: They, first establish recognized levels of quality,

performance, and safety; secondly, they help reduce misunderstandings

between producers and users; thirdly, they provide a rational basis for

contracts; fourth, they simplify procurement and repair by providing

interchangable parts and sizes; and finally they Increase opportunities

for trade.

In the United States we have a relatively free movement of goods

among all of our fifty states. This is made possible, or is certainlv

enhanced, by the some 20,000 national standards which have been written

and promulgated by the private voluntary standards system in our country.

Only with uniform standards such as these could anv country aggregate

a market such as we have in the United States.

It follows that to have the maximum free interchange of goods

between nations we need harmonized standards—internationally recognized.

In the past national standards of the larger industrialized nations were

largelv acceptable to, and used by, trading partners because of the

clearly superior and advanced technology. It was not as necessary then, as it is now, to participate actively in the international standards

writing exercise to ensure that local technological needs were reflected

in the international standard. But times are changing; we can no longer

assume that national standards of the larger industrialized nations

will automatically be the preferred standards.

One of the changing situations we face is the growing Influence

on standardization of regional groups such as the Common Market and

the European Free Trade Association which make up Western Europe.

The Western Europeans, in the early sixties, found themselves with

thirteen different standards in many cases. There were two organizations formed, CEN and CENEL, to negotiate the differences in these

standards. They had, as you may expect, limited success in negotiating

common standards and they early recognized that the problem could only

be solved if nations adopt the same standard at the outset, rather than

waiting until they had their capital equipment in place and committed

to a particular type of production. In recognition of this fact, it is

expected that the standards adopted in the future by Western European

countries will be predominantly the standards written by international

organizations such as the International Organization for Standardization

(ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (lEC) . It is

not necessary for me to describe ISO and lEC to this audience. Suffice

it to say that they are both private, non-treaty organizations which

have been in business since around the turn of the century. There

is essentially worldwide membership in both organizations with anproxi*-

mately fifty-some odd nations belonging. The Turkish representative is.
73

of course, TSE, your Turkish Standards Institute. As the ISO and lEC

standards assume new importance the Western European Countries will

increase their participation level in ISO and lEC so as to assure their

voices are heard early in the standards development process.

What does all this mean to Turkey, and the other nations of the

world? If Western Europe succeeds in making an economic union of that

part of the world, they will have an economy of the approximate size of

the United States. For an economy of this size, they will need many

additional industrial standards, a number near that which presently

exists in the United States. If, as is their stated purpose, they

adopt international standards to meet the needs of this economic union,

then there will be needed approximately twenty thousand ISO and lEC

standards. Presently only about two thousand such standards exist.

But if you look at the rate of production of the standards of these two

organizations, you will find that over half of the total standards that

exist today were written in the last three years. And if you project

this trend forward, you will find that the balance of the standards

needed, approximately eighteen thousand of them, may well be written during

the decade of the 1970' s. If a country's needs and practices are to be

reflected in these standards, it is imperative that each country participates

effectively in the writing of such standards, starting now! As I previously

mentioned, this has been recognized by the Western Europeans and they are drastically increasing their rate of participation. In fact, in France

and Germany, the staffs and budgets of their national standards institutes

have recently doubled. Moreover, the Europeans are pressing the International standards organizations to move more quickly in produclnf» new

standards.

The United States has recognized this growing trend and has taken a number of actions to increase the level and effectiveness of its participation. Let me scope the size of our concern by pointing out that about

$14 billion of U. S. exports are identified as being standards sensitive.

Let us now take a look at international product certification and

what it means to trade.

Even after you have agreed-upon standards, there can be a barrier

to international trade caused by the need to retest a product in an importing country in order to measure compliance with a standard. In

order to eliminate this expensive need to retest products, many are turning to product certification as an answer. The particular solution

that seems to be popular in Western Europe can be described as total

harmonization. Total harmonization is a three-step process: (1) agree

upon common standards, (2) agree upon a quality assurance program

acceptable to all participating countries, and (3) certify products
7A

that meet the standard and that follow the agreed-upon quality assurance

program by applying a "Mark of Conformity."

A first product area selected for this process was electronic

components under the CENEL program. However, we have reason to believe

that many other products will be included in the same type of process

in the near future. CENEL is currently attempting electronic components

certification and CEN is far down the road towards finalizing a certification plan which might well apply to many other products.

One of the disturbing aspects of the emerging European product

certification schemes is their exclusive nature. By that I mean that

participation in the certification scheme, in many instances, is only

open to Western European countries. If the buyers of these products

within those European countries give limited or exclusive buying

preference to products bearing the mark of confomity, then these

become serious nontariff trade barriers. Also, many of these systems

require that each country have a single organization representing

all interests of that country in the certification system. By all

interests they mean government, Industry, and effective user or buver

acceptance. For the United States to participate in such a certification

system requires a new relationship between the Federal Government and

private industry on matters of standardization, laboratory accreditation,

product testing, and product certification. In Turkey you already

have the beginnings of an acceptable and effective certification

program.

Let me now turn your attention to the work effort that is under

way in GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) to deal with

the subject of standards and certification as barriers to trade. The

GATT is an organization with approximately eighty signatory countries

as members. This organization is headquartered in Geneva and is a major trade negotiating body.

The elimination or reduction of non-tariff trade barriers, or so-called NTB's, was an important objective of the work program of

GATT that was initiated at the end of the Kennedy Round Tariff

Negotiations in 1967. On the basis of countries' notifications, an inventory of more than 800 alleged non-tariff barriers was compiled

and later examined by the GATT Committee on Trade and Industrial

Products.

The next stage of work was a search for possible solutions to

the major barriers. For this purpose there were five working groups

established to consider the NTB categories into which the notifications

had been grouped. One of these categories concerns technical barriers

to trade in the area of product standards and certification. In meetings

during the spring and fall of 1970, various solutions to these problems

were proposed and discussed.
75

In February 1971, It was agreed among the GATT participants to

give priority attention to product standards. Standards were chosen

for priority attention, not only because of their growing Importance,

but also because it appeared that progress might be more possible

here than in certain other areas. All countries have an interest in

this question and, in large part, work on standards deals with potential

trade barriers rather than with difficult rollbacks of existing

restrictions.

In considering the NTB complaints in the standards field, a number

of countries, including the United States, Indicated an Interest in

considering an International code of conduct designed to promote the

use of standards and certification in facilitatins trade and to prevent

the use of standards from becoming technical trade barriers. This is a forward looking effort to deal with this subject in such a manner

as to prevent barriers to trade, rather than the traditional way of

dealing with problems after the fact.

It is recognized by those countries which are participating in

this GATT exercise that international harmonization and certification

of product standards can actually facilitate trade. Significant

economies can be realized if exports are designed and tested for a large multicountry market rather than for a number of separate national

markets with different standards and quality assurance requirements.

However, it was also recognized that if international standards

harmonization and certification arrangements are exclusive they can result in technical barriers to trade.

Much of the thrust of the efforts in the GATT on this standards

code are directed toward assuring that standards will be used to

facillate rather than to impede trade. In particular, emphasis Is

being given to worldwide rather than to regional or other exclusive

standards arrangements.

There have been approximately ten meetings, involving about thirty

countries, or GATT Working Group III in attempting to develop such

a standards code. They have gone through several drafts of such a code and the present draft Is approximately 37 pages long. This code

is Intended to apply to both mandatory standards, written by government,

and to voluntary standards, written by private organizations.

Furthermore, it would apply to standards bodies at the central, state,

and local government levels and to voluntary or private standards

bodies.

The proposed standards code covers the entire field of industrial

products Including agricultural products. And it deals not only with

the subject of standards, but product certification as well. It is

truly intended to be an international policy document for nations to

follow in the drafting and enforcement of standards and product

certification systems. I hasten to add that GATT will not, however,

write standards.
76

In its present form the GATT standards code would: (1) encourage

participation in standards lilting in International organizations so as

to harmonize standards on as wide a basis as possible, (2) it would

encourage participation in international certification arrangements

assuring conformity to standards, (3) it would formulate rules for

regional standards arrangements so that, in standards writing and

certification, these arrangements will not operate to restrict the

trade of third countries, and (4) it would formulate rules that

should be followed by nations so that standards writing and

certification will not afford unnecessary protection to domestic

production.

The GATT Working Group III concluded its most recent meeting

last week in Geneva and apparently has made considerable progress

in resolving some of the problems associated with the proposed code.

The Working Group now fully expects to complete its work at the next

meeting scheduled for this November. Implementation of the code

requires approval of the parent committee and, of course, ultimate

ratification by the signatory countries.

I might summarize by saying that in my opinion international

standards and their effect on international trade is more of an impact of the future rather than an historical lesson of the past

although we can learn a lot from the problems of the past. We have,

of course, all learned to live with differing national standards and

to adjust our products to meet those standards. The Japanese radio

manufacturer knows that in order to sell radios in Eastern Turkey

these radios must be able to operate on 220 volts and 50 hertz — and

have plugs with round prongs. By the same token, to sell the same radios in the United States they must operate on 110 volts and

60 hertz and have plugs with rectangular prongs.

International standards will probably never affect national

de facto standards of this nature; but they will affect and make

more uniform other standards for products and services.

The increasing use of the metric system, the SI units, will

eliminate many measurement problems associated with international trade

problems of size and quantities. It is fully expected that the

United States, the one last remaining industrialized nation using the

"inch system," and not. committed to a change, will in time make the

change to SI units.

Olle Sturen, Secretary General of ISO, said in a recent speech

at the National Bureau of Standards,

"One real difficulty in international standardization, which

has nothing to do with the use of measurement systems, is what

I like to call differences in 'health and safety philosophy.

You would think that what is considered safe in Belgium would
77

be good for Holland and vice versa. But, In a number of Instances,

this Is just not true. This being so between small neighboring

countries. It Is not difficult to Imagine the problems faced In

trying to reach agreement on a global scale. Needed here primarily

Is a better collaboration between government agencies establishing

minimum requirements for safety and standards organizations,

and a better understanding by governments of the need to change

present national safety philosophies and adopt an International

approach Instead."

I must agree with his comments since differences In "health and safety

philosophy" could become one of the most serious roadblocks In International standardization.

It Is my firm belief that In the long term International standards

will be a key factor to successful International trade. National

standards based upon International standards will reduce significantly

unnecessary product requirements and variations. The result will

be lower cost products and services to the ultimate benefit of the consumer. International standards will enhance the free and competitive

International marketplace and will ease the entry Into that marketplace

by developing nations.

We must remember, however, to emphasize the International aspect.

We can 111 afford to allow regional standardization and product

certification programs to come Into being which have geographical or geopolitical restrictions. Such programs must be open to participation

by all countries of the world In order to maintain a truly International

competitive market.

Thank you.

Appendix 3

THE IMPORTANCE OF MEASURFu^IENT SC IENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

TO STANDARDIZATION AND THEIR CONTraBUTI ON

TO INDUSTRIAJ. DEVELOPMENT

(Text of H. S. Peiser's proposed speech at the "World

Standards Day" to be celebrated in Ankara,

Turkey October 14, 1972)

It is commonly believed that a quality product has a look or

feel or taste by which it can be instantly recognized as a product of excellence. In fact, it may be generally true that

a high quality product looks the part, but not all good looking

objects are quality products. The hidden parts, the uniformity

of performance, the life expectancy, the repair capability, the

effects of the environment, the influence on the environment and

the safety in use cannot be assessed at sight. Most, if not all

these elements must be gaged by measurement. Such quantification

is generally not simple. The need exists in the modern world for

a sophisticated technical backup. Whenever vje discuss Indus trializati

v/e must not fail to stress the difficulties of this all-important

quantification involved in quality measurements. Every nation must

hope to create and perpetuate for its products an image of recognized

quality and established reliability. In discussions with friends

abroad, staff members of the U.S. National. Bureau of Standards have

emphasized the hard fact that to reach important industrialization

goals a nation must aim to provide services useful for controlling

production, certifying quality for trade, and establishing records

of reliability. It is a hard lesson that Germany, Britain and

Japan have learned vzell, in addition to the U.S. There is a need

for a national capability in measurement and standardization.

The U.S. Agency for International Development has asked NBS to

find out in what ways the services which NBS offers to U.S.

industry, other U.S. government agencies, and the general public

are relevant to foreign countries which AID has been trying to

help in reaching national industrialization goals for their

economic growth. Further, in what ways could NBS give assistance

to sucb less developed countries by consultation or other means

so that sister organizations in those countries could obtain

needed support? To explore all these and related questions a seminar was held in February of last year at Airlie House, Virginia.

We invJ.ted and were privileged to welcome participation b}'

representatives from 13 nations as well as several national and

international organir^ations . I wish here to summarize the proceedings

of that seminar, V7hich are now published, and discuss with you our program that is developing as a result of that seminar . *

*See Proceedings of a Seminar "l^Ietrology and Standardization in Less

Developed Countries: The Role of a National Capability for

Industrializing Economies," edited by H. L. Mason and H. S. Peiser,

National Bureau of Standards, Special Publication 359 (1971).
80

Dr. Lewis M. BranscomL, then the Director of NBS, explained how

we at NBS are seeking a better understanding of the industrial

and governmental significance of the ser\^ices NBS provides.

However > we should not hide the fact that V7e do not have a satisfactorily clear picture of the roles of these services even within the U.S.A. We certainly do not have a good judgment on tK^ extent to which services optimized for the United States would

be immediately relevant to less developed countries. Most important

is our realization that, essential though standardization and

measurement technology are, there are other equally essential

ingredients needed for economic growth through industrialization.

So that we V70uld not lose sight of these other ingredients in our symposium Mr. George Kalmanoff of the World Bank gave a quick overview of economic aspects and Admiral Geraldo N.S. Maia

of Brazil a glimpse of the political, sociological and cultural

implications of industrialization. Such matvers were recognized

as of great significance though not the prime target of our seminar.

They are also not the theme of today's discussion in Turkey,

Mr. Joel Bernstein, Assistant Administrator of AID, set the stage

for the seminar objectives. He called for conclusions and

recommendations on the following question: should AID and NBS

move forward together in support of infrastructure scientific

and technological services in less developed countries for their

economic grow-th? After NBS had described in summary its supporting

activities within the U.S.A. the answers from the seminar participants,

as well documented in the published proceedings, was an enthusiastic

"yes." However, v/e have to emphasize that we are a small organization

in relation to the responsibilities given to us by the Congress of

the U.S.A. When V7e work in support of other agencies such as AID,

we must ask that our services be used only if they are unique and can show a high benefit to effort ratio. Part of our reason for

being here in Turkey is to ask what you feel about these objectives

and the realistic limitations. For Turkey such collaboration

would not be new because close ties have long existed between

the Turkish Standards Institute (TSE) and NBS. I want to

acknowledge especially the work of Dr. W. Brombacher who is

well past his 80th birthday, and who helped to plan the outstanding

laboratory facilities here at TSE.

NBS may differ in some respects from other national institutions j.n

standardization and measurenient. It has no regulatory responsibilities

and seeks none. XJe recognize that many countries assign both

metrology and quality control regulation to the same organization.

Although we see limitations in such systems the NBS recognizes that

it is the choice of each country to decide on its system. No

country should blindly copy another's system of standardization,

particularly not that of the U.S.A. where unique circumstances have

determined the pattern followed. Differences in systems do not

preclude international cooperation, fortunately.
81

Descriptions of NBS services were dispersed throughout the

seminar. None aroused more interest than Mr. J. Paul Cali's

presentation of the N3S standard reference materials program.

Dr. H. T. Yolken, the deputy to Mr. Cali, is with us here in

Turkey to help in plannino effective use of these SRM's to

Turkey's industrial needs. Dr. Robert D. Huntoon, former

Director of the NES Institute for Basic Standards, pointed

out that such SRM's provide users a powerful method for

self-evaluation of measurement capabilities. The presentation

of Dr. W. E. Cushen, Chief of the NBS Technical Analysis Division,

on operations research left, our friends from the less developed

countries wondering how these techniques might be applied to their

local problems. Dr. Cushen is hoping that he or one of his

colleagues might have the opportunity some day to demonstrate

the power of his methods on a real systeri in Turkey. The U.S.

Government science and technology informaticn services were

summarized by Melvin S. Day, then of the National Aeronautics

and Space Administration, but now Deputy Director of the

National Library of Medicine. His was a signpost kind of

summary of the technical information resources in the U.S.

Government. This summary sho'uld be of great value outside

the U.S.A. Few realize hov7 much information you can obtain

just for the asking.

Most enlightening to us at NBS were the lectures and contributions

from outside our own organization. Dr. Jesse D. Perkinson,

Director of the Department of Scientific Affairs of the

Organization of American States, in his keynote address on the

role of a national capability in metrology and standardization

in industrializing economies, quoted an unforgettable portion

of Henry Grady's description of Georgia, a once disadvantaged,

xrnderdeveloped state of the Union:

"A few years ago I told, in a speech, of a burial in Pickens County,

Georgia. The grave was dug through solid marble, but the marble

headstone came from Vermont. It was in a pine wilderness, but

the pine coffin came from Cincinnati. The iron mountain overshadowed it, but the coffin nails and screws and the shovels came

from Pittsburgh. With hard woods and metals abounding, the corpse

was hauled on a wagon from South Bend, Indiana. A hickory grove

grew near by, but the pick and shovel handles came from New York.

The cotton shirt on the dead man came from Cincinnati, the coat

and breeches from Chicago, the shoes from Boston; the folded

hands were encased in white gbves from New York, and round the

poor neck, that has worn all its living days the bondage of lost

opportunity, was twisted a cheap cravat from Philadelphia. That

country, so rich in underdeveloped resources, furnished nothing

for the funeral except the corpse and the hole in the ground,

and would probably have imported both of those if it could have
82

done so. And as the poor fellow was lowered to his rest, on

coffin bands from Lowell, he carried nothing into the new

world as a reminder of his home in this, save the halted blood

in his veins, the chilled marrow in his boYies, and the echo of

the dull clods that fell on his coffin lid.

"There are now more than $3,000,000 invested in marble quarries

and machinery around that grave;. Its pitiful loneliness is

broken with the rumble of ponderous machines, and a strange

tumult pervades the wilderness. Twenty miles away, the largest

marble-cutting works in the world puts to shame in a thousand

shapes its modest headstone. Forty miles away, four coffin

factories with their exquisite work tempt the world to die.

The iron hills are gashed and swarm with workmen. Forty

cotton mills in a near radius weave infinite cloth that

neighboring shops make into countless shirts. There are

shoe factories, nail factories, shovel and pick factories,

and carriage factories, to supply the other wants. And that

country can now get up as nice a funeral, native and home-made,

as you would wish to have."

The program also featured case studies of a number of less

developed countries: Argentina, Colombia, Ethiopia, Ghana,

India, Iran, and Vietnam.

Labor-intensive versus capital-intensive industrial technology,

a controversial subject, was discussed by Dr. Joseph E. Stepanek,

Director of the Industrial Services and Institutions Division of

the United Nations Industrial Development Organization in Vienna.

A country with an inexpensive easily trained labor force v/ill tend

to prefer a capital-intensive manufacture, but there is a danger

that finding jobs for unemployed hands will be regarded as an end in itself overshadowing the real needs for production. Manager's

should always be warned to avoid a labor force in excess of that

needed for the job at hand. In other words one should not allow

policies for reduction of unemployment rule industrialization

policies. An Indian railroad executive recently said to me "We now

realize there is nothing as expensive as cheap labor." I well

realize this is not a problem in Turkey; instead you have the

challenge of a fine labor force, partly trained in highly

industrialized countries, who need to be put to work in modern

factories.

Another controversial topic was market research. If the techniques

set out by Mr. Seymour Marshak of the Ford Motor Company were

absolutely essential to an industrial enterprise we would have

to leave all production efforts to large or at least very wealthy

organizations, else the funds surely would run out in attuning

the product to the market. However, we must not dismiss market
83

research lightly for projects of stable organizations. Large

companies and governments cannot afford to make many wrong

decisions any more than small ones. The technological

successes of the U.S.A. may in part be based on the fact

that small companies have much of the action. When they

make wrong decisions they can go out of business without

causing more than a ripple on the total industrialization

effort.

Mr. Jerry- L. Hayes, Technical Director of the U.S. Navy

Metrological Engineering Center, made a strong case for a national metrological capability, he concluded that in the

absence of adequate capability, industrial chaos would result,

whereas metrology could help towards better and cheaper

products provided the measurement system itself was carefully

controlled. Mr. Simon E. Russek of the Hughes Aircraft Company

presented a similar viewpoint but related it to the systems

analytic approach. In an appended statement Mr. F. J. Lehaney,

Chief of the Applied Physics Divisbn of the National Standards

Laboratory of Australia, described the metrological facilities

in that country. Dr. M. C. Probine, Director of the Physics

and Engineering Laboratory of New Zealand, working for UNESCO,

had developed a questionnaire for less developed countries to

survey their metrological capabilities. The questions asked

are themselves reproduced in another appendix of the printed

proceedings. I believe it woul.d be a useful exercise to

complete the questionnaire in respect to other countries such

as the U.S. and Turkey?

Dr. H. Tabor, Director of the National Physical Laboratory of

Israel, in a most incisive review questioned the cost effectiveness of metrological seirvices at the highest achievable accuracy

in smaller or less developed countries. Such services are rarely

used, easily available internationally, and expensive to achieve.

If in a measurement you can afford to double your uncertainty

you often cut your cost by at least a factor of ten. One

seminar participant concluded that, by agreeing with Dr. Tabor,

we had in fact voted against measurement services in less

developed countries. How wrong he wasl The seminar voted

for measurement; yet with accuracies, precisions, or compatibilities no greater than is really needed for valid

economic goals. Valuable resources can be wasted on services

that are not needed. Dr. Tabor's analysis, though not directed

primarily at NBS, was a most helpful lesson to us. Questions

such as these will engage Dr. R. J. Corruccini of our team

during his stay in Turkey.
84

Instrumental problems were discussed by Professor Luiz Cintra do Prado

of Brazil xi/ho is presently the only member of the International

Committee for Weights and Measures from Latin America. This

Committee of experts deals with the problems of international

harmonization of basic metrological standards. In our seminar,

Dr. do Prado pointed out the principal pitfalls of procurement,

maintenance and calibration of instruments and how less

developed countries could be helped by international cooperation.

Dr. Glenn E. Pratt of the Monsanto Company presented the viewpoint

of industrial firms of developed countries which are seeking the

right "soil" for growth and development of their organizations in

smaller and less developed countries. Some of the pained reactions

to his remarks were no doubt directed at the facts of technological

life rather than at the author. One senses that most multinational

organizations with home offices in the U.S.A. are not trying to

transplant Anierica to any other nation. Most of them are consciously trying to respect the cultures of the countries in

which they operate. As Dr. Jorge A. Sabato, Presidente, Servicios

Electricos del Gran Buenos Aires, pointed out in discussion.

Dr. Pratt's paper truthfully stated that technology is a

commodity of commerce. It is not something which at the

behest of a benevolent government can be transferred to

another nation. In contrast I would like to stress that much

of the scientific capability and the infrastructure for

technology such as is represented by NBS is trans f errable

,

at a relatively very small cost, by decision of cooperating

governments

Special emphasis should be placed on the seminar discussions

on standardization itself. Dr. Frank L. LaQue, President of

the International Organization for Standardization, described

the spread of standardization from factory to the international

level. Dr. A. N. Ghose, former Director of the Indian Standards

Institution, described the national role of standardization,

discussing the subject in terms of a three-dimensional matrix,

consisting of: 1) "aspect," that is the type of standardization:

nomenclature, specification, sampling and inspection, tests and

analyses, limitation of variety, grading, code of practice,

and packaging, conservation and transport; 2) "level" from

company to association to national to international; and

3) "subject" that is engineering, transport, housing and building,

food, agriculture, forestry, textiles, chemicals, industry,

commerce, science, and education. The President of the American

Society for Testing and Materials, Dr. R. B. Smith, pointed out

the value of engineering standards in assisting industrialization.
85

In a prologue session the operations of the American organization

called Volunteers for International Technical Assistance , (VITA) was described. Mr. Edward S. Dennison, Executive Secretary of that

organization shov/ed us how much easier it is to achieve progress

in small individual projects and problem-solving activities

than to influence the general infrastructure and atmosphere

for industrialization and innovation. No one who listened to

Mr. Dennison could forget some of the successes he described..

He also mentioned a few failures such as the perfect sun-cooker

that failed because Moroccans liked to cook after sunset.

In this discussion I have mentioned some of the follow-up

activities which we have cautiously started; and now I would

like to describe briefly the program we have begun in partnership with U.S. AID. We have made standards literature from the

U.S.A. available to many countries. The generosity of several

standards organizations in the U.S.A. has greatly helped by making

such literature available at reduced costs, but our financial

resources are still inadequate for the immense demand and need.

Similarly we have offered our standard reference materials to

less developed countries on the basis of a justified individual

need. Again, the dem£md has outstripped our ability to respond.

In addition, we have made a modest start in joining x;ith other

experts from less developed countries in a mutual consultative

effort to survey existing standardization and raeasureraeut

facilities in certain target countries. Turkey has agreed

to be one. The aim is to identify the most effective infrastructure services in terms of the visible needs of industry

and government in full conformity with national goals and

cultural background. We have asked representatives of the

target countries to understand that we at KBS do not know

the answers to most of their problems, but by drawing upon

the experience of the NBS in the U.S. and particularly that

of other target countries, we may jointly arrive at insights

which will be of significant help to the nation that has

requested such cooperation. In this experimental program

representatives of each of the participating countries have

been members of the team that has surveyed each country.

Mr. Fuat Yucesoy of the Turkish Standards Institution has

represented Turkey with distinction and has thereby contributed

to the team's analysis of the problems of Ecuador and Korea.

Representatives from Ecuador, Korea and Thailand are with us in

Turkey. They join the NBS team during the next two w^eeks to be

of service in discussing Turkey's industrialization goals and

the relevant technical services.
U.S. CE,-.-. or COMM. 1. PJDI.ICATION OR RHl'DRl NO. 2. Gov't Accession

BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATA ,^ No. SHEET NBSIR 73-172

3. Recipient's Accession No.

4. TITLE A\l) SUBTITli

A Report on a Survey m Turkey on Standardization and

Keasurenent Services in Support of Industrialization

Goals, October lA-28, 1972

5. Publication Date

6. Performing Organization Code

7. AL'Ti;OR(S)

II. Steffen Pelser, R. J. Corruccini, S. B. Newman

0. Performing Organization

NBSIR 73-172

9. PERFORMIWG ORGA.MIZATION NAMl- AND ADDRF.SS

NATIONAL BUREAU OF ST.\N'DARDS

DEPAKTMENT OF COMMFRCE

WASHINGTON, D.C. :0?i4

10. Project/Task/Wotk Unit No. 1560370

11. Contract/Grant No. TA(CE)5-71

12. Sponsoring Organization Name and Address

Agency for International Development

Department of State

Washington, J). C. 20523

13. Type of Report at Period

Covered NBS Report

October 14-28, 1972

14. Sponsoring Agency Code

15. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES

16. ABSTRACT (A 200-word or less f-ictual summary of most significant information. If document includes a significant

bibliography or littrature survey, mention it here.)

The survey of standardization and measurement services for developing industries

in Turkey has been carried out by NBS with funding by AID, with participation by

representatives of Ecuador and Korea, and under the guidance of the Turkish Standards

Institute. The Survey Team spent 'two weeks in Turkey v;here it inspected representati-'Je

laboratories and plants, and had discussions with leaders of Government, the USAID

Mission, principal universities and indusj:ry. The Report describes the preparation

for the Survey, a summary of the economy of the country soon to be a full member of

the European Common Market, notes on Turkish science and technology and the independent

Turkish Standards Institute recognized by law as the national standards body. Issues

addressed are 1) Standards Development, 2) Test Methodology, 3) Product Certification,

4) Product Testing, 5) Calibration, 6) Weights and Measures Control, 7) Export

Control, 8) Quality Control, 9) Consumer Protection, 10) Industrial Extension,

11) Building Cedes, 12) International Contacts, and 13) Publications. The principal

conclusion is that the Turkish economy would benefit from a strengthening of

standardization and measurement services. Appropriate recommendations are

offered.

17. KEY \;ORDS (Alphabetical order, separated by semicolons)

^<=°"°'^ics; LDC's (less developed countries); measurement services; standaridzation; survey; Turkey

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85

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