The effects of supply, production and logistics process of textile-apparel sector in Turkey (KOBIs) on national competition

In last decades, as a result of increasing competition, relations among suppliers, consumers, distributors and retailers became more significant. Companies has to adopt logistics, production and supply chains for competing with increasing competition, acquiring advantages of competition, maintaining the market share as well as surviving. Today, international free movement of products, services, production factors became widespread with regard to globalization. As a result of widespread free movement, foreign expansions of national economies grow up and relatively became more vulnerable against risks of foreign trade. In terms of Turkish economy, especially uncertainty of foreign trade rates, limited diversity of export products, and commercial relationship between less number of countries, chronicle foreign-trade deficit and similar external risk factors are becoming more significant. Textile and apparel sector in Turkey which initially focused on internal market and became dominant production sector in 1960s has been forced to find out new worldwide alternatives about using sources, supply, production, logistics and marketing beginning with globalization since 1980s. Along with the increasing of importance of management of competition and supply chain as a result of globalization, logistics management became more important in textile and apparel sector and a new term started for textile and apparel sector in Turkey after termination of quota in textile sector since 1 January 2005. Management of supply chain and logistics management provides considerable competitive advantages for companies in last decades. Efficient management of the logistics process raises the value created by supply chain. This value means high profit for suppliers and low priced and qualified service for consumers. This dissertation aims to figure out the effects of supply chains, production and logistics of Turkish textile and apparel sectors on national competition. My survey is on the textile-apparel companies which are on production and also member of Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) in the last quarter of 2012. According to codes of 13-Production of Textiles and 14-Production of Clothing, survey covers the textile companies in İstanbul, Bursa, Denizli, Tekirdağ, Uşak, Gaziantep, Adana and Kahramanmaraş and apparel companies in İstanbul, Bursa, Ankara, Denizli, Konya, Tekirdağ, Kırklareli, İzmir, Gaziantep and Adana. Chi-square, variance analysis, hypothesis testing and principal component analysis are used to analyze data. This dissertation analyzes supply, production and logistics process of textile-apparel sector. The improvement of the textile-apparel sector among the world and the supplement, production and logistics condition of Turkish textile-apparel sector are described and the competitiveness of the sector is evaluated. Some variables are figured out in textile-apparel sector competition in national level.