Pioneering the Future: A Partnership Between the Ministry of Industry and EDGE to Launch an Industry 4.0 Empowerment Hub
The Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT) in collaboration with EDGE has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to launch the UAE’s inaugural Industry 4.0 Enablement Centre, designed to foster, facilitate, and promote the digital transformation and integration of Industry 4.0 innovations throughout the nation’s manufacturing domain.
Both the Ministry and EDGE aim to investigate how the Enablement Centre can build upon the accomplishments of the EDGE Learning & Innovation Factory (LIF), an exemplary institution for learning, innovation, and showcasing advancements in Industry 4.0, operational excellence, and cutting-edge technology. The offerings encompass education, innovation, and demonstrations geared towards the broader industrial community.
This memorandum was formalized in the presence of His Excellency Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, the UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology; Her Excellency Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of State for Public Education and Advanced Technology; His Excellency Faisal Al Bannai, Chairman of the Board of Directors at EDGE; and Mansour AlMulla, Managing Director & CEO of EDGE. Mohammed Al Qassim, Director of Technology Development and Adoption at MoIAT, and Reda Nidhakou, Senior Vice President of Strategy & Portfolio Management at EDGE, executed the agreement at the EDGE Learning & Innovation Factory, situated in Abu Dhabi.
His Excellency Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, Her Excellency Sarah Al Amiri, and Mohammed Al Qasim were welcomed by His Excellency Faisal Al Bannai and Mansour AlMulla at the EDGE Learning & Innovation Factory for an extensive tour. During the visit, crucial insights were discussed on how organizations can optimize their operations by applying the appropriate methodologies and technologies, and how they can utilize automation to drive a data-focused organization.
Throughout the visit, representatives explored the EDGE LIF, a fully automated, integrated facility that showcases digital manufacturing scenarios for trainees. Each participant is given the opportunity to engage in a simulation where they can discover how technology can amplify production. In this exercise, trainees utilize an application to customize a miniature car, incorporate a tagline, and track its production across four designated zones of the factory within a remarkable time frame of 7 minutes. The Smart and Lean Production training at EDGE LIF is integral to the Lean Digital curriculum, which elaborates on how lead-times, quality, and cost efficiencies can be achieved through the integration of Industry 4.0 technologies.
The EDGE Learning & Innovation Factory SLF simulation is executed over three phases, addressing conventional production methodologies, identifying manufacturing and productivity obstacles, and implementing technological solutions that bolster operations. This encompasses digital work instructions and a dashboard displaying pivotal performance metrics, ultimately leading toward more sophisticated technical solutions, integrated automated tasks, and various innovative mechanisms such as logistics smartwatches and barcode scanning smart gloves.
In framework of this alliance, EDGE will launch a succession of initiatives, training programs, and courses at the facility beginning September this year, aimed at accelerating technology integration within the industrial domain, fostering collaboration within the UAE’s advanced technology ecosystem, and enabling the collaborative creation and evolution of inventive solutions among industry stakeholders.
The Industry 4.0 Enablement Centre will encompass multiple facets, such as raising awareness regarding Industry 4.0 technologies and methodologies, upskilling manufacturers’ expertise with tailored training programs, demonstrating the advantages of 4IR technologies, aiding the formulation of Industry 4.0 strategies, and establishing a testing ground along with accessible platforms for piloting and co-developing novel technologies.
His Excellency Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, remarked: “In alignment with our leadership’s vision, the Ministry’s strategy is dedicated to empowering local manufacturers in the adoption of advanced technologies and 4IR solutions. Cutting-edge technologies are pivotal in enhancing efficiency, productivity, safety, and quality while minimizing costs, streamlining supply chains, and creating employment opportunities. The accord signed today holds substantial significance as it promotes technology adoption in the sector, fortifying our industrial resilience, amplifying competitiveness, accelerating economic diversification, and nurturing a knowledge-driven economy supported by advanced technology. Our partnership with EDGE exemplifies MoIAT’s commitment to collaborating with domestic industrial leaders to facilitate knowledge sharing. We eagerly anticipate the ongoing upskilling of our national workforce and development of the national R&D framework to realize our strategic aims.”
He continued: “The UAE is endowed with distinctive competitive advantages and incentives, encompassing a sophisticated logistical infrastructure, an expansive transportation network, financial solutions, legislative frameworks that bolster industrial growth, and an ecosystem conducive to technological transformation through education and training. Our national competitive advantages are continuously evolving to align with premier international benchmarks.”
Her Excellency Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of State for Public Education and Advanced Technology, stated: “One of the primary factors behind the UAE’s ongoing rise as a global industrial nexus is its robust R&D ecosystem, powered by a proficient workforce and a spirit of innovation. It is crucial for us to persist in investing in technological initiatives to elevate existing industries and attract technological investments within targeted sectors.”
She added: “Our MoU with EDGE is designed to enhance our industrial competitiveness. The inauguration of the nation’s first Industry 4.0 Enablement Centre is a pivotal milestone in the sector’s transitional journey. This centre will empower industries by supporting firms in adopting advanced technology and enhancing workforce skills, thereby improving productivity and efficiency. Ultimately, the formation of this centre aligns with the UAE’s Industry 4.0 agenda and the objectives of our wider national strategy for industry and advanced technology.”
His Excellency Faisal Al Bannai, Chairman of the Board of Directors at EDGE, stated: “The EDGE Learning & Innovation Factory is heavily investing in advanced technologies, innovation, and capacity enhancement to provide a real-world testing environment that promotes a future-centric approach to digital transformation, operational excellence, and Industry 4.0, aiming to ignite data-driven organizations. We are devoted to modernizing our operational methodologies and deploying digital and advanced manufacturing technologies at both corporate and factory levels to elevate speed, efficiency, and resilience.”
He further noted: “EDGE’s collaboration with the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology aspires to position EDGE as a beacon in the UAE, and regionally, for the adoption of Industry 4.0, establishing the EDGE Learning & Innovation Factory, and the UAE, as notable centres of excellence. We eagerly anticipate contributing to the development of a knowledge-based economy and a more sustainable future, in support of the In-Country Value Program.”
The EDGE Learning & Innovation Factory integrates theory, technology, and practice under one roof to promote improvements and inspire innovative approaches to transform future processes and products. It offers trainees experiential, gamified, and actionable insights in harmony with the facility’s visionary, future-oriented, and integrative approach.
EDGE is a proud member of the Champions Network, comprising leading national industrial enterprises that implement 4IR technologies and solutions within their operations. This network includes companies like ADNOC, Honeywell, Unilever, Schneider Electric, Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), Cisco, Siemens, Aveva, SAP, Etisalat, IBM, Huawei, Strata, Microsoft, PTC, and Ericsson. The Champions Network forms a vital pillar of UAE Industry 4.0 aimed at expediting the integration of 4IR solutions and applications across the UAE’s industrial terrain, enhancing overall industrial competitiveness, lowering costs, increasing productivity and efficiency, improving quality, enhancing safety, and creating new job opportunities.
MoIAT, EDGE, and Emirates Development Bank (EDB) executed a collaborative agreement during the Make it in the Emirates Forum held in June this year, aiming to support the evolution of manufacturing at EDGE, recognized as one of the world’s top 25 advanced technology groups focused on defense. Under this accord, EDB will extend financing of up to AED 1 billion to bolster EDGE Group’s initiatives in adopting advanced technology and manufacturing processes, further boosting its export capabilities and contributing to the enhancement of the national economy. MoIAT will furnish EDGE with a comprehensive roadmap to strengthen the Group’s stature as one of the world’s leading and financially stable suppliers of military technology and hardware.
In 2021, in line with the country’s efforts to propagate the National In-Country Value (ICV) Program at a federal scale, EDGE formalized an agreement with MoIAT to engage in the program. These agreements advocate collaboration between governmental entities and private sectors to galvanize the industrial landscape. The program aims to redirect public and private procurement towards the domestic economy, intensifying the role and development of national industry.
