In 1971, the Council of Ministers decided to include Cerkezkoy district of Tekirdag in the list of Priority Development Regions, and subsequently, with the decision to establish an Organized Industrial Zone, the Cerkezkoy Organized Industrial Zone (ÇOSB) became the starting point of the industrialization movement in Thrace. Accordingly, the region became one of the first areas to implement the planned industrialization models aimed at rapid growth and industrialization, in parallel with the planned development movement that began in Turkiye in 1960.
COSB (Corlu Organized Industrial Zone) was established on January 6, 1976, in accordance with the protocol and undertaking signed on December 25, 1975, with number 42863, between the Ministry of Industry and Technology and the COSB Entrepreneurial Board. Initially covering an area of 450 hectares and comprising 143 industrial plots, COSB experienced a need for additional investment areas. Therefore, the State Planning Organization (DPT) planned an expansion area of 800 hectares, also known as the Second Organized Industrial Zone, which was incorporated into the existing regional legal entity by the Ministry of Industry and Technology in 2002. Currently, COSB has 352 industrial plots, with an occupancy rate exceeding 96%.
Established in 1976, COSB (Cerkezkoy Organized Industrial Zone) was managed by an Entrepreneurial Board until 2004. In 2004, it was decided that it would be managed by a General Assembly under the scope of Law No. 4562 on Organized Industrial Zones and its Implementing Regulation. Cerkezkoy district, the closest settlement to the region, had a low population density until the 1970s. However, it developed with the increase in the number of industrial facilities in the region, and especially after 2000, the increase in the number of factories with domestic and foreign capital significantly increased its population by attracting labor from the Thrace Region and Anatolia. Over the years, the region has had an unemployment rate well below the average for Turkiye, and due to its advantageous location and the increasing number of industrial facilities, it has frequently exhibited a shortage of skilled labor, even beyond unemployment.
With a history spanning approximately 50 years, COSB (Cerkezkoy Organized Industrial Zone) is home to many companies with a long-standing tradition in manufacturing. Due to its technical and institutional infrastructure and exemplary services provided to participating companies within the zone, COSB is constantly visited by guests from both within Turkey and abroad, who come to learn about the zone's practices.
COSB, covering an area of 1273 hectares, is one of the most important production areas in the country, employing over 82,000 people in approximately 300 companies, 44 of which are foreign.
COSB serves many sectors in the region, including textiles, chemicals, rubber, plastics, metals, electronics, pharmaceuticals, paper, and food, with its understanding of "Clean Energy, Clean Environment, Clean Production." COSB stands out through its provision and distribution of electricity, water, and natural gas within the framework of Law No. 4562 on Organized Industrial Zones and its regulations, as well as its direct corporate services to participating firms, industrial wastewater treatment, the training of qualified technical personnel through its Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School, employment services for individuals with intellectual disabilities, and social service activities such as training, seminars, panels, and awareness meetings, as well as theater and concerts. Furthermore, it makes significant contributions to the growth and development of the regional and national economy through its digitalization and sustainability efforts, both at the corporate level and for the development of participating firms. The first Sustainability Report prepared by an Organized Industrial Zone in Turkiye was presented to the public by COSB in 2019.
In COSB, a data-driven decision-making mechanism has been established with the SCADA system and the COSB Camera Monitoring and Tracking System, which includes over 600 cameras. Efforts to reduce energy losses and energy efficiency applications have significantly contributed to the competitiveness of participating companies in COSB. Furthermore, alongside digital applications such as the Electronic Information Management System (EBYS), Digital Archive, and COSB ERP (Information Management System), the corporate software development efforts initiated by the COSB management, reflecting its commitment to digitalization, have reached a significant level in recent years, and development work continues.
The 27 R&D centers and 5 design centers established within the participating companies in COSB employ a large number of people, and these figures demonstrate the innovative approach of the companies in the region.
Dozens of companies in the COSB (Corlu Organized Industrial Zone) have ranked highly in the TIM (Turkish Exporters' Association) Top 1000 Exporters Survey and the ISO Top 500-ISO Second 500 Surveys. The annual turnover of the companies in the region is approximately 21 billion USD, and their total exports exceed 4 billion USD.
Having earned the Green Organized Industrial Zone title in 2024, COSB (Cerkezkoy Organized Industrial Zone) positively impacts the national and international competitiveness of participating companies in its region through its sustainability-oriented projects and practices.
The COSB Dam Construction Project, Data Center Installation, and COSB Wastewater Recycling Project, prepared by COSB for the upcoming periods, are important studies prepared with climate change in mind.
