How would you summarize Siemens’ key milestones since its foundation and its current position in the global and Turkish markets?
The origins of Siemens date back to 1847 in Berlin. For more than 175 years, we have remained a global technology leader in innovation, quality, and reliability. What began as a continental journey has evolved into a worldwide presence, with operations in over 200 countries, hundreds of thousands of employees, and transformative solutions across numerous industries. Our story in Türkiye began in 1856, when Siemens contributed to the Ottoman Empire’s efforts to establish telegraph lines. For 169 years, we have proudly been part of Türkiye’s modernization journey in manufacturing, buildings, transportation systems, healthcare, cities, and infrastructure. Through the technologies we develop across many different fields, we continue to make a tangible difference in people’s lives. Today, Siemens Türkiye is much more than a supplier. We see ourselves as a German-rooted Turkish company and as a constructive ecosystem partner in the country’s digital transformation.
At our two factories in Gebze, covering a total area of 35,000 square meters, we produce low-voltage switchgear as well as medium- and low-voltage power distribution systems, exporting technology to 80 countries. We contribute to the national economy not only through our exports but also through the employment opportunities we create.
In Türkiye, our R&D organization, with more than 1,000 engineers based in Istanbul, Ankara, and İzmir, develops projects that contribute to Siemens’ global technology roadmaps. These projects span from cybersecurity and trustworthy artificial intelligence to edge connectivity and digital twin technologies. This structure enables us to develop scalable solutions that meet both local needs and global market expectations.
What are Siemens’ competitive advantages on the global stage, and how do you sustain them?
Our competitive strength rests on two main pillars: a flexible, reliable, and scalable portfolio of products and technologies, and a highly skilled, knowledge-driven workforce. We provide end-to-end integrated solutions and services in industrial automation, machinery manufacturing, energy distribution, smart infrastructure, building technologies, and data-based grid management. Our extensive product and service portfolio, combined with a customer-focused approach, world-class quality, and highly qualified engineering and project management teams, allows us to respond quickly and efficiently to the mechanical and digital transformation needs of multiple industries under one roof.
To ensure the sustainability of this advantage, we have placed innovation, digitalization, and sustainability at the heart of our strategy. The Siemens Xcelerator digital business platform brings together not only Siemens’ own products and services but also third-party solutions that our customers may need, all within a single marketplace. Through Siemens Xcelerator, our customers can seamlessly implement artificial intelligence, IoT, digital twin, and cloud-based solutions in a secure and modular architecture. This approach reduces integration costs, accelerates time-to-market, and significantly enhances efficiency.
Could you tell us about the impact of your R&D investments on innovation processes and how they help you stay ahead of market dynamics?
Research and development lie at the very core of Siemens’ DNA. Since the 1970s, we have been investing in artificial intelligence, and today Siemens stands as an innovation-driven company with more than 1,500 AI experts, over 3,700 AI patents, and a total of 5,300 new inventions in the 2024 fiscal year, which means an average of 24 new inventions every day. According to the European Patent Office, 25 percent of all patent applications in the fields of machine learning and artificial intelligence belong to Siemens. This significant share clearly demonstrates our strong ability to turn innovation into commercial value. Through our R&D operations in Türkiye, we aim to create pioneering technologies that generate value for both our nation and the global community.
Which of the products or technologies you have recently developed hold the greatest strategic importance for your company? What differentiates them in the market?
Artificial intelligence has become the driving force of transformation in our era. Guided by this vision, we combine AI with cybersecurity and digital twin technologies to drive transformation across industries. By simulating real physical processes in virtual environments, we identify potential errors in advance, enhance operational efficiency, and optimize resource utilization, all while contributing to sustainability goals by reducing emissions.Research by McKinsey supports these outcomes, showing that AI-based digital twins can reduce costs by up to 15 percent and shorten time-to-market by as much as 60 percent. Siemens strengthens its leadership in the global industrial simulation and analysis market through strategic acquisitions and partnerships. In November last year, Siemens AG signed an agreement to acquire Altair Engineering, a leading company in industrial software and artificial intelligence.
Another key collaboration is our partnership with Microsoft. The AI-powered service Siemens Industrial Copilot, which we launched together with Microsoft in July 2024, has already started to enhance productivity across multiple industries. In engineering processes, solutions such as Siemens Industrial Copilot accelerate code generation and increase efficiency. By combining Siemens’ deep expertise across industries with the Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service, the Copilot platform enables us to better address the complex needs of manufacturing and automation. We have also entered into another significant collaboration. Siemens has agreed to acquire Dotmatics, a US-based scientific software company specializing in drug research and development, for 5.1 billion dollars. The transaction is expected to be completed in the first half of the 2026 fiscal year.
Within the scope of your sustainability goals, which projects are you implementing to enhance energy efficiency and reduce environmental impact?
We regard sustainability not as a goal, but as an integral part of the way we do business. We regard sustainability not as a goal, but as an integral part of the way we do business. This mindset is structured through our global DEGREE framework (Decarbonization & Energy Efficiency, Ethics & Governance, Resource Efficiency & Circularity, Equity & Employability), which systematizes our approach and ensures measurable progress across all focus areas. In Türkiye, we approach sustainability within a transparent and institutional framework by publishing a report aligned with the Türkiye Sustainability Reporting Standards (TSRS). This report presents our performance indicators and roadmaps in environmental, social, and governance areas in a comprehensive and measurable way.
On the independent verification side, Siemens Türkiye achieved Platinum status in the EcoVadis 2025 assessment with a score of 85, ranking in the top one percent among 130,000 companies worldwide. This score confirms our strong performance in the areas of environment, ethics, labor and human rights, and sustainable procurement. Furthermore, more than 90 percent of our business portfolio contributes measurably to our customers’ sustainability goals. In this way, we expand our positive impact not only within our own operations but also across the entire value chain.
How would you define your operations and growth strategies in the Turkish market?
We view Türkiye not merely as a market, but as a hub for production, export, and research and development. Our facilities in Gebze stand as a global example of digital twin and AI-based production models, continuously advancing local manufacturing through technology. Our strategic approach is to maintain investment, employment, and exports even in challenging times, creating long-term value with confidence in the country’s potential.
As we prepare for 2026, our priorities include delivering customer-specific digital solutions, maintaining leadership in energy efficiency and green technologies, and investing in talent development. In projects where access to finance is critical, we provide speed and flexibility to our customers through Siemens Financial Services support and models such as “pay as you save,” especially in energy efficiency initiatives.
Could you tell us about your collaboration models with business partners in Türkiye and the results of these partnerships?
We shape our business model around the idea of creating value together. Through Siemens Xcelerator, our open ecosystem approach that also includes third-party solutions, we accelerate the digital transformation of customers ranging from SMEs to large-scale enterprises. This structure makes integration easier and allows return on investment to be tracked and measured transparently.
We are proud to stand as the trusted technology partner of Türkiye’s leading industrial organizations. This impact is clearly reflected in the results we have achieved on the ground, particularly through our recent joint projects with leading companies such as Kardemir, IGSAŞ, and Socar. These collaborations have delivered significant improvements in efficiency, process safety, and sustainability through digitalization, automation, and data analytics solutions.
Could you tell us about Siemens’ corporate social responsibility projects and your contributions to society and the environment?
We see social contribution not as a series of short-term projects, but as a long-term investment in ecosystem building. In line with this vision, we increased volunteering hours by 18 percent, reaching 1,728 hours in the 2024 fiscal year. Our employees also spent an average of 30 hours on digital learning, surpassing our global 2025 target ahead of schedule. The high participation rate in our employee share ownership plan is another strong reflection of our corporate commitment. At Siemens Türkiye, we believe in the power of art and artists as drivers of social progress, and for a quarter of a century we have supported those who need it the most. Since 1998, we have been organizing the Siemens Türkiye Opera Competition, helping Turkish opera artists gain international recognition.
Through our global foundation, Siemens Caring Hands, we launched a donation campaign that began with company contributions and quickly grew with the voluntary support of our employees.
The total amount raised was then matched by the company, doubling the funds and creating an even greater impact. The combined funds were directed to non-governmental organizations working in education, women’s empowerment, child welfare, healthcare, and infrastructure. Within this scope, we implemented nine projects in collaboration with Darüşşafaka, Türk Eğitim Vakfı (TEV), Anne Çocuk Eğitim Vakfı (AÇEV), Toplum Gönüllüleri Vakfı (TOG), TOHUM Autism Foundation, Bridge to Türkiye Children’s Center, Acıbadem Solidarity, and UNICEF. Additionally, we delivered five mobile X-ray devices and eight CiOS Fit System units to hospitals in the region.
Together with Türk Eğitim Vakfı (TEV), we have been supporting the Women Shaping the Future program for many years, providing financial scholarships and mentorship to young female engineering students. As of the 2024–2025 academic year, now in its eighth year, the program has directly impacted the lives of 80 women studying in STEM fields. In addition, members of our engineering teams actively participate in mentorship initiatives such as Million Women Mentors and Binyaprak, guiding dozens of young women across different cities in Türkiye.Through our Digital Technologies Mentorship Program, we provide one-on-one software mentoring to the students of Darüşşafaka for eight months, helping them prepare for the future. Our long-standing mentorship programs with Turkish-German University students also continue, focusing on robotics and advanced technology topics.
Is there anything you would like to add?
Digital transformation is no longer a choice; it is a necessity for competitiveness. That is why our approach is not to integrate artificial intelligence into our organization, but to integrate our organization into artificial intelligence. We believe this transformation can only be achieved through open ecosystems and strong partnerships.
There is one truth that 169 years of history has taught us: our strength comes from the confidence we have in the potential of this country. We built the past together, and today we are managing the transformation together. In the years ahead, we will continue to combine Siemens technology with Türkiye’s production power and talent pool to contribute to the country’s digital future.
*The related interview was published in Ekonomist magazine on November 9, 2025.
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