UAE works with Siemens to speed up digital transformation of industrial sector

The Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology has collaborated with Germany energy giant Siemens to fast-track the digitisation of the country’s industrial sector.

As part of the agreement, by the end of 2022, the two entities will evaluate the digital maturity of 200 industrial companies in the UAE, the ministry said in a statement on Saturday, adding that more than 70 industrial companies in the country have already undergone the process.

“The programme will equip our industrial companies with essential insights on their digital maturity and offer practical frameworks and tools to accelerate their transformation journeys,” said Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Technology.

The partnership between the ministry and Siemens will support the objectives of the UAE Industry 4.0 programme to raise industrial productivity by 30 per cent and add about Dh25 billion ($6.8bn) to the national economy over the next decade.

Siemens is among the first dozen companies supporting the ministry's programme to accelerate the digital capabilities of thousands of local manufacturers.

“By joining forces with Siemens, we are gearing up to elevate our local industrial capabilities and shape a future industrial landscape that is as sustainable as it is productive and profitable," Ms Al Amiri said.

"At a time when industry is transforming faster than at any period in history, partnerships such as this hold the key to unlocking a new era of smart industrial growth."

The UAE is expanding its manufacturing and industry sectors as it maintains its economic momentum, leading it into a future underpinned by Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technology.

The Industry 4.0 initiative, announced last month, aims to increase productivity and the development of innovative products. The programme has been designed to help the UAE to realise its economic potential by increasing the use of deep learning, machine learning, artificial intelligence, additive manufacturing and the Internet of Things, into the value and supply chains that support the industrial sector.

The digital maturity assessment programme will not only allow the UAE to “determine its current baseline level for the adoption of 4IR technologies across the country’s industrial sector”, it will also identify areas within the sector that are ripe for digital transformation, the ministry’s statement read.

“Our partnership will identify challenges and solutions in the UAE’s manufacturing sector, help ignite a broader adoption of Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies and make industries more agile, productive and competitive,” said Roland Busch, president and chief executive of Siemens.

The UAE plans to increase the industrial sector’s contribution to national gross domestic product to Dh300bn by 2031 from Dh133bn currently. Known as Operation 300bn, the plan was launched this year with a target of supporting 13,500 industrial companies in the next decade.

The Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, established in July 2020, is mandated with strengthening the UAE’s industrial sector, specifically by accelerating the adoption of advanced technologies and 4IR solutions across the value chain.