White Goods Manufacturers’ Association of Turkey, whose acronym is TÜRKBESD, was established in 1986 as White Goods Manufacturers’ Association (BESD) by the leading white goods companies of the sector. In 1999, following its membership to the European Union’s senior organization of the field APPLİA ( Home Appliance Europe), the association received permission to use “Turkey” in its name through a Cabinet of Ministers decree, and changed its name to White Goods Manufacturers’ Association of Turkey (TÜRKBESD). Currently, the association has ten members: Arçelik, B/S/H, Candy Group, Dyson ,Electrolux, Miele, Samsung, Versuni and Vestel. The association represents approximately 90-91% of the sector. Additionally, TÜRKBESD represents Turkey at APPLİA (Home Appliance Europe), which is a platform where home appliance manufacturers in the European Union come together to make decisions. The efforts in the EU are pursued through this membership, and specialist technical personnel of the member companies participate in the technical committee works of the said organization. When needed and requested, the association makes statements to the relevant ministries, NGOs and media.

White Goods Industry, included in the scope of electricity appliances as well as durable goods, possesses a wide range of products due to the varying technologies it incorporates. Refrigerator, deep freezer, washing machine, dryer, dishwasher and oven are regarded as the six main products whereas durable goods such as cookers, vacuum cleaners, toasters, food processors, fruit presses, blenders, and mixers are included in the small home appliances category. Products such as air-conditioners, water heaters and water purifiers are also counted among the electricity home appliances. With its production capacity of 25 million units and actual production of 21 million units, the white goods industry has become a significant focus of production in the last 10 years and Turkey has become the LEADING country in Europe in the white goods sector. The industry, having achieved 14 million units in exports, is exporting 70% of its manufacture to more than 100 countries in such markets as European countries, neighboring countries and Africa. The Turkish market used to sell 2 million units in domestic sales in the 1990s; however, in the last 5 years, domestic sales have gone up to 5 million units and achieved another record by rising up to 6.5 million units by the end of 2011. The white goods companies operating in Turkey are making significant investments in the R&D (Research and Development) area and they are able to achieve success in the world as a result of the competitive power they gain through these investments. In the last 10 years, improvements in the energy efficiency of the products have reached up to 65%. The white goods sector also strikes out with the number of its patent applications. Having assumed a leading position in many white goods categories, Turkey is making a significant impact in the world with the washing machine that consumes the least water, the dishwasher that washes fastest and consumes the least water, the refrigerator and tumble dryer that consumes the least energy, the most silent washing machine, dishwasher and oven.