For centuries, textile production has been a key contributor to Turkey's economy and is still its sixth-largest export earner, representing about 8% of Turkey's $US108 billion annual exports.
Factories such as Sibatek's Textile Trade and Industry Company, owned by the Ucak brothers, are typical of the textile industry.
They employ 130 people in three shifts a day and produce 120,000m of clothing fabric a year, of which 40% is sold to Syria, Iran and Algeria.
Naci Ucak said Turkey would eventually join the European Union, a move he saw as positive for both business and Turkish people.
But it would mean his company increasing production.
He believed Turkish textile companies had an advantage in that their workers were hard-working, skilled and young, which would ensure their survival on joining the EU.
Lift production company HAS Asansor has embraced new technology to stay competitive in the run-up to joining the EU.
Robots have been installed throughout the factory floor, helping the company produce 5000 lifts a month.
Foreign trade manager Tayfun Gora did not want Turkey to join the EU, saying it would force up wages and compliance costs and make his business less competitive.
EU membership would also mean his company having to educate new customers and break down preconceived views that Turkish workmanship was substandard.
