Dear Readers,
Last July, Mr. Erdem Cenesiz, the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Turkish Ceramics Federation, handed over the flag to us. I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to this period for their valuable contributions. In the new period between 2023 and 2025, we have two main goals at TSF, the umbrella organization of our industry, to protect our members against unfair competition and to lead them within the framework of green transformation, and we will continue to work by focusing on these issues.
Green transformation, sustainability, conservation of resources and energy saving are among the most important issues in Turkey, along with the rest of the world. For the future of our world, our goal should be to produce in accordance with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. Not only producing environmentally friendly products, but also not harming the environment while producing, reusing water and other natural resources and obtaining electricity from renewable energy sources are now at the top of the agenda of many ceramic manufacturers.
Our Seramik Turkiye magazine, which has been published continuously for 25 years by the Turkish Ceramics Federation, will be published only digitally as of this issue. It will continue to be the voice of Turkish Ceramics in e-magazine format, in accordance with today's conditions where digital publications have replaced printed publications.
As you reach the new issue of our magazine, we will be bringing together our participants and visitors at the UNICERA Istanbul Ceramics, Bathroom, Kitchen Fair, the most important event of our industry. As you know, as TSF, we have given UNICERA an identity that will meet today's needs. UNICERA Uluslararasi Fuarcilik A.S., established within TSF, started its operations in 2021 and we successfully held our first fair last year.
UNICERA, Turkey's largest and the world's second largest specialized fair, is among the most important organizations with its international trade volume. This distinguished fair, attended by 350 exhibitors, more than 1200 international brands and more than 100 foreign companies from 20 countries, hosted more than 120 thousand visitors every year, and we expect it to break the visitor record this year.
As the Turkish ceramics industry, we are also proud this year as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of our Republic. We are among the world's leading ceramic manufacturers with our production capacity reaching millions of square meters and exports of nearly 4 billion dollars to 174 countries. We are among the sectors that provide the greatest added value to our country. We show ourselves not only with our production power, but also with our original designs; we return with awards from the world's most important design competitions.
We are proud of evolving from a country that emerged from the War of Independence 100 years ago, whose economy was foreign-dependent and unable to produce, to a country that established factories and increased its production with economic development efforts carried out with a national understanding under the leadership of the Great Leader Gazi Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
Happy 100th Anniversary of our Republic!
