2630000
m2
194
Companies
98.6
Billion Dollar Total Trade Volume
5.8
Billion Dollar Annual Trade Volume
25000
Employees
Opened in 1990, the Aegean Free Trade Zone (AFZ) is a modern industrial park and the first export-processing zone in Türkiye developed and operated by a private sector company. The site comprises of 620 acres and is located 4 km from the Izmir International airport and 12 km from the city center and Izmir Port. ESBAS has built the entire infrastructure and facilities in the Zone. The company also provides all the essential business basics, including electricity, water, telecommunications and natural gas to all sites. ESBAS supplies a wide array of supplemental services as well, including loading and unloading, equipment rental, stock control, construction, repair and maintenance, customs brokerage, and port related services.
Easy Access to a Global Market
As a natural bridge between the east and west, Türkiye is strategically located near significant world markets and boasts a strong culture of industry and service. Therefore; the country is one of the best locations anywhere in the world for manufacturing and trade since ancient times. There is an easy access to 1.6 billion customers in Europe, Eurasia, the Middle East and North Africa worth USD 23.5 trillion of GDP.
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Why ESBAS?
Wide Range Tax Advantages
The Aegean Free Zone provides unique advantages for companies with its focus on manufacturing, which generates employment and increases trade volume. The widest advantages are granted to the manufacturing companies, one of which is 100% Corporate Tax Exemption.
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News
01 AUG AEGEAN FREE ZONE SETS EXPORT RECORD IN JULY: 33% INCREASE
The Aegean Free Zone, which has the highest export figures in Turkey, has significantly boosted its trade volume and exports in the first 7 months of 2023, reaching record levels. The total trade volume, which was $2.9 billion in January-July last year, has increased by approximately $302 million during the same period in 2023, surpassing $3.2 billion. The Aegean Free Zone achieved a significant portion of this growth through an increase in exports. Exports in the month of July exceeded $194 million, marking a 33% increase compared to the previous year. The total export amount for the first 7 months of the year reached $1.56 billion.
28 FEB A NEW SUCCESS STORY WITH THE WESTERN ANATOLIA FREE ZONE
March will mark the beginning of the infrastructure works for the Western Anatolia Free Zone, which will be established in Bergama. Welcoming the executives of DÜNYA Newspaper in the Aegean Free Zone, Faruk Guler, Chief Executive Officer of ESBAŞ and Western Anatoli Free Zone Development and Operating Co. (BASBAŞ), stated that they will write a new success story with the Zone, which will concentrate on the production of renewable energy machinery and equipment.
06 JAN WE EXPECT A MORE VIBRANT MARKET IN 2022
The Aegean Free Zone remains a leader among the free zones in Türkiye. We discussed the future goals of ESBAŞ as well as the developments in the global and national economy with Dr. Faruk Güler, Chairman of the Executive Board of Ege Free Zone Founder and Operator A.Ş. (ESBAS), who said that they increased their annual trade volume to more than $4.5 billion in 2021 and exports to more than $2.2 billion and generated employment about 21,000 people
23 DEC TÜRKİYE TO BECOME A GLOBAL POWER IN THE WESTERN ANATOLIA FREE ZONE AND OFFSHORE WIND POWER PLANTS
The renewable energy sector is to become a global power not only in the production of terrestrial wind turbine equipment, but also in offshore wind energy turbines, taking advantage of the benefits of the Western Anatolia Free Zone, which will be established on Türkiye’s most important land, sea and railway transportation networks.
16 DEC BERGAMA PREPARES FOR WESTERN ANATOLIA FREE ZONE
Bergama Chamber of Commerce hosted an information meeting about the Western Anatolia Free Zone, which will come into operation in Bergama’s Aşağıkırıklar region. ESBAŞ CEO Dr. Faruk Guler, who made a presentation at the meeting organized with participation of the businesspeople of the region, stated that in time the Western Anatolia Free Zone will generate high employment in Bergama and its vicinities. He added: "For starters, the amount of business in sectors such as machinery, electricity, metalworking and joinery will accelerate together with the Western Anatolia Free Zone. There will be great changes in Dikili, Kinik and Bergama."
13 DEC AFZ EXPORTS AS MUCH AS 41 CITIES IN TOTAL
With an annual export figure of $2 billion, The Aegean Free Zone’s export is 20 percent of Izmir's total exports, excluding free zones. In addition, the Aegean Free Zone, which exports as much as 41 cities in Türkiye, operates as an employment hub, creating jobs for about 21,000 employees.
27 NOV THE GRAND HUMAN VALUE AWARD OF THE YEAR GOES TO ESBAS
ESBAŞ, having received Türkiye's Best Employer Awards in the last 2 years at a time when working conditions were deteriorating in the world and in our country due to Covid-19 pandemic, received PERYÖN's biggest award of the year, the 'Leadership in Human Value' Grand Award. ESBAŞ became the first company in Izmir to receive the “Leadership in Human Value” Grand Award.
20 NOV ESBAŞ SAVES 810 TONS OF WATER PER YEAR IN ONE DONUM WITH XERISCAPING
Renowned for its environmentalist projects in the Aegean Free Zone, ESBAŞ saves 810 tons of water per year in one donum with xeriscaping in green areas of the Zone. It seems possible to decorate cities and parks with xeriscaping which consists of plants that need little water and uses structural landscaping materials such as pebbles and slag instead of large grass areas, requiring much less water consumption.
15 SEP NEW INVESTMENT MOVE IN IZMIR STARTS WITH PRESIDENT’S APPROVAL
The approval process of the Western Anatolian Free Zone to be established in Bergama District in the Northern Aegean Region, which is the most advantageous region of Türkiye in terms of logistics, was finalized with the Presidential Decree No. 4482 on September 7th 2021. The decision was published in the Official Gazette on September 8th and came into effect immediately. BASBAS will complete all necessary procedures by the end of 2021 and start preparing the region for investors as of the beginning of 2022. The Western Anatolia Free Zone will be established on an area of 2.3 million square meters in the Aşağıkırıklar area of Bergama District in Izmir. The free zone will be established and operated for a period of 30 years by Western Anatolia Free Zone Development and Operating Co. (BASBAS).
08 SEP GRAM EQUIPMENT OPENS NEW PLANT IN AEGEAN FREE ZONE
Denmark-based Gram Equipment, the most powerful player in the global market in manufacturing ice cream mass production machines, opened its new facility in the Aegean Free Zone. A leader in the industry with a 34 percent share in the global market, Gram Equipment aims for a 45 percent growth by the end of the year with this new facility, which was realized with an investment of $1 million USD. The number of employees of the company increased to 110 people with the new facility.
10 AUG AEGEAN FREE ZONE EXCEEDS PRE-PANDEMIC FIGURES
Despite the shrinkage in global markets caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Aegean Free Zone, which managed to largely compensate for its losses in trade volume in 2020, completed the first half of this year above the pre-pandemic capacity.
25 JUN VACCINATIONS START AT THE AEGEAN FREE ZONE FOR 20 THOUSAND EMPLOYEES
As of Monday June 21st, Covid-19 vaccines started to be given at the Aegean Free Zone, where almost 21 thousand people are employed, with the decision of the Ministry of Health to start giving vaccines outside of hospitals and family physicians within the scope of the "Covid-19 Vaccine National Implementation Strategy" as per the recommendations of the Coronavirus Science Board
24 JUN VISIT TO ANKARA FOR FREE ZONE
News from Ankara changed Bergama’s agenda to a free zone that will employ 20 thousand people
08 FEB CLUSTERING IN SOFTWARE AND CHALLENGING THE WORLD
Recently, the primary governmental and non-governmental organizations, the private sector and universities in Izmir came together and founded Software and Informatics Industrialists Association (YABISAK). President of YABISAK Association, Dr. Faruk Güler was mu guest this week in my “Trade Talks” column.
30 JAN THE AEGEAN FREE ZONE COMPENSATES THE LOSS OF THE PANDEMIC IN 5 MONTHS
The Aegean Free Zone compensated the losses incurred during the pandemic with the increase in trade volume in the last 5 months and closed the year 2020 with figures similar to those of the previous year. AFZ’s trade volume figures for 2021 are expected to exceed the pre-pandemic figures.
27 JAN IZMIRITES FOUND ASSOCIATION TO BECOME THE BASE OF CLUSTER IN SOFTWARE AND INFORMATICS
Aiming to cement the success of Izmir in innovation, entrepreneurship, R&D and Industry 4.0 in recent years with a new form of partnership, and to transform the city into a base for a cluster of local and international companies in the software and informatics industry, the foundation works for Software and Informatics Industrialists Cluster Association (YABISAK) is finally complete.
09 OCT ESBAŞ AIMS FOR ZERO CARBON EMISSION, RECEIVES GREEN ELECTRICITY CERTIFICATION
Recognized for its environmental investments, ESBAŞ takes the first step for eliminating the carbon footprint due to electricity consumption by turning towards renewable energy.
28 JUL UNCERTAINTIES OF THE PANDEMIC CONTINUE
The bottleneck caused by the Covid-19 pandemic in the world’s economy has significantly reduced the capacities of factories regardless of which country or region they are located.
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