DİTAŞ Research and Development
Ditaş has a superior capability to design and to produce parts for innovative vehicles of its customers by using its deeply rooted experience in the sector and advantages of having an integrated production facility.The DİTAŞ RD R&D. Ditaş, with its knowledge accumulated from the past experience, is serving the steering and suspension system parts both to the main industry and the spare part market. Without limiting its business activity only to automotive sector where it works with many main industrial companies in the position of sector principle players and spare part companies providing services at global level, it defined its 2017 company strategy as “ Becoming a Part and the Solution Partner of the Transportation Industry”. Within the focus of this strategy is has intensified the R&D works in four main industrial groups such as Automotive, Railway Vehicles, Agriculturale Vehicles and Defense force – Aeronauticsal Vehicles. Becoming a Research and Development Center in 2017 has been added as a secondary strategy to the targets in order to provide the sustainability of the works executed and the systematic follow up based on the Project Management Office logic.
The activities oriented to this goal started up with the consolidation of the present personnel infrastructure. New engineers were recruited to the R&D team within this scope and during the job application period the team consisted of 22 researchers, 14 technicians and 4 support personnel. The great majority of the research personnel is formed by mechanical engineers and materials engineers. Later on the team development needs were planned and the training calendar was set. Along with the trainings leading to more information accumulation, some company internal incentives were run up for encouraging the master and doctorate. The studies which would carry forward the engineering infrastructure are planned and actualized together with academicians who are experts in theirs fields. As result, the innovative studies were materialized and the university – industry business collaboration was activated by taking advantage of the academic studies. Many studies are carried out within this scope with the Niğde Ömer Halis Demir University, the Adana Science and Technology University and the Kayseri Abdullah Gül University.
The physical infrastructure, which is the main secondary indicator of the technical infrastructure, has been strengthened in terms of the R&D Center application, with an office, test center and prototype workshop in service on a total area of 1.172 sqm. The test and measurements laboratory can meet all the needs of the sector. The V- track control arm test device which functions under the heavy conditions under which the dynamic life tests above sector needs are conducted, as well as the acclimatized fatigue test devices are also installed. In the prototype workshops there are workbenches meeting the new product development needs. This infrastructure and product prototyping capability is diversified by being used in the Central Laboratories of the universities.
The study branches of the R&D Center were determined parallel to our Company’s main strategy, they were grouped according to the targets set in the 4 main industrial branches. The top one among these is weight decrease for the Automotive sector. Product development studies using Aluminum as alternative material, weight reducing studies using composite materials and innovative designs are carried on. In order to work for achieving this goal on a larger scale, we joined the Vehicle Lightening R&D group in OTEP. By participating in the Railway Conference attended by the prominent companies of the railway systems sector, we have started up the product development processes with the sector companies.
The New Product Group focused its studies on the Defense- Aeronautics sector and actualized the design and prototype production of the controls rods for the first locally manufactured helicopter and the mentioned products were mounted on the helicopter exhibited at the IDEF 2017 fair. The design verification of the developed products is made using the test and computer supported analysis. The DITAS R&D Center which is gifted also with mould development capabilities, is running its projects exactly like a solution partner of the main industries. As software infrastructure, the Creo, Catia and AutoCad drawing programs; Deform and Ansys computer supported analysis programs and, as product life span, the SAP and Windchill programs are used.
Technologic Development and Sustainability are in the focus of the R&D Works. DITAŞ became aware of the fact that being an R&D Center is the basis of running systematically and with the Project management logic all the studies suitable for this purpose and of preparing the grounds for the innovative studies.
The R&D Center application made within this frame and within the scope of the “Law About Supporting the Research, Development and Design Activities” Nr. 5746, and submitted to the Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology was positively evaluated and accepted and it was deemed appropriate to give DITAŞ the “R&D Center Certificate”. Under these circumstances, according to the provisions of Law Nr. 5746, DITAŞ was entitled to the right of benefiting from the incentives and exemptions recognized for the R&D Centers. The DITAŞ R&D Center will keep on providing contributions to the industrial development of Anatolia, consequently helping the country economy achieve its goal of reducing the current accounts deficit.