ABU DHABI, As the global population increases, smart manufacturing and Fourth Industrial Revolution applications will be cornerstones of societies and economies, delegates attending the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum and Energy Conference (ADIPEC) heard on Tuesday.
During a welcome address at the Smart Manufacturing Strategic Conference, taking place on the side-lines of the global energy event, Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of State for Public Education and Advanced Technology, highlighted the importance of investing advanced technologies to help ensure industries and economies meet net-zero targets.
“The transition to a paradigm where smart manufacturing is the norm will yield significant benefits which include increased productivity, supply chain resilience, new business models and opportunities, high skilled jobs and ultimately will contribute to our net-zero strategy,” she said.
Al Amiri added, “We at the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, have used those principles to drive our operation 300 Bn. Make it in the Emirates, is our platform to create networks, drive offtakes, and build on local production within the global context. This is supported by the in-country value programme that further enhanced the impact on the economy.”
She concluded, “Technology is our other pillar, the driver and enabler for manufacturing… it can streamline production, reduce energy and material usage, increase resilience and strengthen supply chains, and deliver higher quality production.”
Omar Al Suwaidi, Under-Secretary of MoIAT, also participated in the Smart Manufacturing Strategic Conference. During a panel titled ‘The Future of Manufacturing in a Transitioning Energy System’, he commented, “Smart manufacturing is at the core of sustainable industrial development. As a global hub for advanced manufacturing and innovation, the UAE is an ideal platform and testbed from which to develop new solutions and disrupt existing production models.
“Through the Make it in the Emirates campaign, the UAE is attracting some of the world’s leading technology and industrial companies to work within its industrial ecosystem. MoIAT is inviting industrialists, innovators, and investors from around the world to join us on our industrial transformation and help to shape the future of smart manufacturing and pave the way for a more sustainable future.”
The Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT) prioritises the adoption of advanced technology and smart manufacturing as part of the national industrial strategy, Operation 300bn. The Industry 4.0 programme, which supports the adoption of Fourth Industrial Revolution solutions across industry, is one of the key pillars of the UAE’s industrial strategy.
The recently announced Technology Transformation Programme is another vital part of the UAE’s efforts to promote digital transformations. The program, which aims to facilitate industrial innovation over the next 50 years, will establish 1,000 technological projects by 2031 and enable AED15 billion worth of exports, representing a significant opportunity for technology corporations and start-ups setting up in the UAE.
The Smart Manufacturing Strategic Conference provides a platform for the manufacturing industry to foster discussions around industrial growth and to identify the challenges and opportunities for manufacturing in the drive for a net-zero carbon economy. The conference brings together manufacturers from across the energy industry to consider how rapidly evolving technologies including artificial intelligence (AI), the industrial internet of things (IIoT) and advanced robotics will unlock greater value, boost productivity and transform value chains.
The conference featured six panel sessions including one titled The Future of Manufacturing in a Transitioning Energy System with the participation of Omar Al Suwaidi, Rashed Al Blooshi, Under-Secretary, Department of Economic Development, Abu Dhabi, Osama Amir Fadhel, Assistant Under-Secretary, MoIAT, and Ismail Abdulla, CEO, Strata.
A panel titled Raising In-Country Value Through Industrial Growth and Supply Chain Localisation in the UAE witnessed the participation of Abdulla Al Shamsi, Assistant Under-Secretary, MoIAT; Khaleefa Yousef Al Mheiri, Acting CEO, TA’ZIZ, and Mohammad Al Afari, Senior Vice President – Marketing, Emirates Steel Arkan.
The Attracting Manufacturing Investment to the UAE panel featured Osama Amir Fadhel, Assistant Under-Secretary, MoIAT, Ahmed Mohamed Al Naqbi, CEO, Emirates Development Bank, Ibtisam AlSaadi, Director of the Industrial Development Administration at the Department of Economic Development-Abu Dhabi, Massimo Falcioni, CEO, Etihad Credit Insurance, Fatima Al Hammadi, Chief Commercial Officer, KEZAD Group, and Saud Abu Alshawareb, Executive Vice President, Dubai Industrial City.
A panel called Leveraging Advanced Technology in Manufacturing was joined by Tariq Al Hashimi, Director of Technology Adoption, MoIAT, Chafic Traboulsi, Vice President and Head of Networks Operations – Middle East and Africa, Ericsson Middle East and Africa, Omar Al Marzooqi, CEO, AIQ, Helmut Von Struve, CEO, Siemens Middle East, and Sebastien Grau, Regional Vice President – Middle East, Turkey & Africa, Rockwell Automation.
A panel titled Winning the Race for Talent in the Manufacturing Sector featured Salama Al Awadhi, Director of National Value Added, MoIAT, Naim Yazbeck, General Manager – UAE, Microsoft, Dr. Yehya Al Marzouqi, Executive Director, Advisory, Tawazun Economic Council, and Jose Larios, President & CEO, Celeros Flow Technology.
Finally, speakers on a panel titled Manufacturers Maneuvering the Shift from a Linear to a Circular Economy Business Model included Yousef Lootah, CEO, Biofuels, Samah Alhajeri, Director of Co-operatives & Strategic Reserve Department, MOE, Walid Sheta, President – Middle East and Africa, Schneider Electric, and Dr. Jemma Green, Chairman and Co-founder, Powerledger.
Source: Emirates News Agency