Fifty-eight factories under the Saudi Authority for Industrial and Technology Zones (Modon) have passed the global Smart Industry Readiness Index (SIRI) that measures the level of facilities created to back the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Saudi Arabia is moving towards harnessing the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, self-driving cars, the Internet of Things, and smart cities, which reflects the government’s keenness to make the Kingdom a pioneer in this field.
Global developments
In a statement, Modon said the recent success is a culmination of efforts to keep pace with developments in the global industrial sector, and to ensure the transfer of the latest technologies that support the competitiveness of national products in local, regional and international markets.
It also falls within the Kingdom’s endeavor to enhance the national export system, in accordance with the best approved quality standards, and the initiatives of the National Industrial Development and Logistics Program (NIDLP).
Qusai Al-Abdul Karim, Director of Marketing and Corporate Communications Department, the official spokesperson for the authority, said Modon was keen on implementing the objectives of the national productivity program, as the main focus of its strategy for digital transformation.
Digital transformation
Al-Abdul Karim noted that the National Productivity Program was able to train 450 leaders from 76 factories on the concepts of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, in cooperation with two global technical partners - General Electric and McKinsey.
He added that in order to enhance the success of the National Productivity Initiative at the industrial sector level, the factories of the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu have joined the program, where 63 digital transformation plans were delivered to more than 15 industrial sectors, enhancing support for the Modon strategy towards empowering the industry and contributing to increasing local content in integration with the public and private sectors in the Kingdom.
Since 2001, Modon has been providing industrial lands with integrated services. The Authority currently supervises 36 cities across the Kingdom that include more than 4,000 productive factories, in addition to private industrial complexes.
Modon is also working on developing and enhancing its investment system through quality programs, to keep pace with the aspirations of its partners in the private sector and to empower women, as well as small and medium enterprises.
Ready-made factories
The Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones recently inaugurated 58 ready-made factories in support of small and medium enterprises, pioneers and entrepreneurs and to encourage women’s investments.
The move is part of the NIDLP initiatives to boost the contribution of the non-oil sector to the GDP and enrich the development base of the national economy.
The new factories cover an area of 700 square meters per unit.
Eng. Osama Al-Zamil, Modon CEO, said the project was the product of an effective partnership between the public and private sectors as part of Modon’s strategy to enable industry and contribute to increasing local content.
Small and medium enterprises
The General Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises (Monsha’at) announced in its report for the second quarter of 2002, which was issued on Sunday, that the number of SMEs exceeded 892,000 companies, an increase of 25.6 percent compared to the fourth quarter of 2021.
The report disclosed that the investment financing obtained by Saudi startups grew by 244 percent to reach SR2.19 billion (USD 584 million dollars) in the first half of 2022 on an annual basis.
The report stated that the percentage of establishments owned by women amounted to 45 percent of the total owners of start-up companies in the Kingdom, which is double the percentage achieved in 2017.
International conference
Meanwhile, the National Committee for the Saudi Steel Industry announced that the Second Saudi International Iron and Steel Conference would be organized on Sept. 12-14 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Riyadh, under the auspices of the Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, Bandar Al-Khorayef, and the Minister of Investment, Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Falih.
About 50 speakers, including leaders from the steel industry, government officials and CEOs of giant projects, will participate in the conference, while more than 750 participants are expected the attend the conference, including international, regional and local media organizations.
The conference will address a number of challenges facing the Saudi iron and steel industry, in addition to global economic developments and their repercussions on the industry in Saudi Arabia and the world.
