The geographical position and structure of the province of Samsun has provided it with an advantageous position for the industrial investments. This feature of the city has laid the foundation for the establishment of large industrial enterprises, especially copper, fertilizer and cigarette factories, in the region. The industrialization process that started with the industrial facilities owned by the public sector in the city continues with the establishment of the Organized Industrial Zones in the 1980s and private sector investments.

OIZs mainly include enterprises operating in spare parts for machine industry, injection products, surgical hand tools, medical products, furniture manufacturing and the food sector. A large part of production and exports in Samsun takes place mainly in the Organize Industry Regions, principally the Central OIZ. There are 15 small industrial zones in the province of Samsun and around 23.000 people work in over 8.000 workplaces in these industrial sites.

There are 7 Organized Industrial Zones and a Free Trade Zone in Samsun. The rapidly developing Bafra Organized Industrial Zone and Kavak Organize Industrial Zones have high potential for investors as well as the Central and Food Organized Industrial Zones and Free Trade Zones operating in full capacity. The Havza OIZ, whose infrastructure is completed and the allocation of space is started, is located at a very important location on the north-south axis extending from Samsun to Ankara, the capital of Turkey.

Works for the establishment of a new organized industrial zone in Samsun is also continuing. New employment opportunities will be created with the investments to be made in the Greenhouse OIZ in Bafra and the mixed OIZ to be established in Çarşamba, contributing to the economy of Samsun and the country.

Technoparks are established in the framework of university-industry cooperation with the aim of strengthening industrial branches, supporting innovative works, raising productivity and efficiency, and raising international competitiveness where technology-intensive industries are located.

In this context, Technoparks have to be the technology production centres where new technology producing units are established or existing units are allowed to develop, the results of the scientific studies carried out by the universities and the research institutions are transferred to the application and the university-industry cooperation is transformed into the product in an effective and rapid manner.

A free trade zone (FTZ) is defined as a specific class of special economic zone. It is a geographic area where goods may be landed, stored, handled, manufactured, or reconfigured, and re-exported under specific customs regulation and generally not subject to customs duty.

There are one free trade zone in Samsun. The free trade zone has started to operate in 1998. It is operating in full capacity.