The logistics performance of gemlik ports contributes to Turkey's place in international trade

Globalization is a phenomenon that has deeply affected countries and societies since the beginning of the 21st century. With globalization, our world has shrunk to a universal village. However, the disappearance of international borders is expressed by the expression of the new world universal village. With the information technologies as a result of globalization, institutions and individuals have the opportunity to share goods, services and information thanks to very effective and fast communication. With the market integration brought by globalization, it has prepared the ground for the convergence of countries. This convergence has revealed the importance of the mobilization of transportation services and the effectiveness of logistics activities. The most important concept of today, which ensures the continuation of global economic values, is seen as logistics. In the world that has become a universal village, one of the three prominent fields of activity of the new century is logistics. Logistics is the most important field of activity for the commercial activities in the world to obtain products with the supply of raw materials and for these products to take place in the world markets. The only result of global economic activities is the delivery of products or services to customers and the reasons that ensure customer satisfaction and the continuation of production or service. Logistics can be defined as the effective and efficient planning, implementation, transportation, storage and control of the movement of all kinds of products, services and information flows in the supply chain from the starting point to the last point of consumption in order to meet the needs of customers. The logistics sector makes life easier in every field, although it is very important in reaching the needy of almost everything that people are not aware of while continuing their daily lives, but they need to continue their lives. The logistics industry, which offers such a wide range of services, is especially important in terms of foreign trade. If Turkey is able to use the logistics pillar of the global economy and fully benefit from its geopolitical and geostrategic position, enormous economic gains will be achieved. With this study, it is aimed to reveal whether the developments in the services provided in the logistics sector have a healing effect on Turkey's exports and whether there is a connection between export-based economic growth and the developments in the logistics sector. With its geographical location, young and dynamic population, Turkey is one of the rare countries that has the potential to become one of the centers of the logistics industry in the world. Using these advantages can make it possible to reach sectoral leadership with the potential of being a logistics base. Today, the most important pillar of the world's economic values is the maritime activities in the field of logistics. The seas carry the burden of global trade due to reasons such as the fact that three quarters of the world is covered with water, trade shifts to overseas countries, high volume cargo carrying capacity and low cost compared to other modes of transportation. The most intense key point of maritime activities is the ports. Turkey is a country surrounded by seas on three sides and is 8333 km. Thanks to its long coastline and Anatolian lands at the junction of Eurasia, it has a high geographical and geostrategic advantages. Bursa has this competence due to its location as a trade center and using the Gemlik ports of the Marmara inland sea as a gateway. In this study, it is aimed to determine the qualifications of Gemlik ports, at what stage they have the capacity to meet them, within the framework of the international logistics system. In line with this purpose, to reveal the logistics performance of Gemlik ports in Turkey's international trade in terms of export and import. To evaluate the place of Gemlik ports in the Turkish economy. Gemlik ports, which are seen as the logistics base of the Sea of Marmara, reveal the current state of maritime logistics geopolitically and geostrategically. Global competition; has made the products and services of companies based on speed and time by acting on customer satisfaction. In today's market conditions, the production costs and the desired quality are about the same level. The concept that makes the difference here is determined by the management of logistics services. The logistics sector in foreign trade is an indispensable element. All imported or exported products are necessarily subject to logistics services. Therefore, it is the basic assumption of this study that there is a relationship between foreign trade and logistics, especially transportation, and that this relationship indirectly affects economic growth. As a result of the comparison and evaluation of the data used, it is envisaged that the investment supports needed to reveal the real potential of the potential existence of Gemlik ports are below the desired values, and the preparations will be made in a coordinated manner by public and private institutions, and the preparations will be possible by acting in a mental unity on a win-win basis