Under the patronage of the Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar bin Ibrahim Al-Khorayef, the Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones "MODON" will hold the Future Factory Show on 18 November 2019 at the Prince Sultan Hall in Al Faisaliah Hotel, Riyadh. MODON spokesperson, Marketing And Corporate Communication Director Bandar Al-Toaimi, stated that around 19 specialized local, regional and international entities will share their experiences during the conference, Technology leaders and empowering entities will also present their expectations regarding the impact of the Industry 4.0 Revolution on the future of industry in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. As part of its strategy to empower industry and help increase content in line with Vision 2030, and within its initiatives in the National Industrial Development and Logistics Program, MODON recently launched the National Productivity Program to help factories maximize productivity rates by developing transformation plans to apply the concepts of operational excellence and adopt Industry 4.0 Revolution technologies in 100 existing factories as a model for manufacturers, The productivity program is in partnership with the Saudi Industrial Development Fund )SIDF) and King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST). Al-Toaimi went on to say that the detailed study to prepare 100 factories for switching to Industry 4.0 Revolution applications will be fully implemented with MODON's technical partners, including 20 factories in cooperation with General Electric and 80 factories to be launched later. In addition, workshops were held with participating entities to determine the criteria for selecting factories. He noted that the global industrial sector is witnessing rapid developments, as manufacturers want to maximize productivity and improve the quality of products using modern technology; a trend that falls within the scope of the Industry 4.0 Revolution and leads to increased investments in digital technologies that allow for operational independence and better decision-making. Al-Toaimi continued by stating: "By adopting Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies such as modeling and AI applications, and employing continuous advancements in cyber systems, the smart factory can integrate and link decisions and insights between the supply chain and the entire project using automation and environmental informatics, leading to radical changes in production processes and a stronger relationship with suppliers and customers." "The smart factory is defined as a flexible system that can improve performance, self-adapt, and learn from new conditions; thereby managing the entire production process independently," he added. The conference will address several pillars, most prominently: How to Become a Smart Factory, The Journey Towards Transforming to a Global Industrial Center; Government Initiatives in the Industry 4.0 Revolution, Making the Industrial Vision A Reality; Initiatives, Opportunities and Challenges, Automation and Skills: Can the Human Element be Replaced?, and Smart Industrial Cities: Creating an Environment for Future Factories, among other aspects. The list of sponsors offering their experiences during the conference include the Saudi Industrial Development Fund, Siemens, General Electric, ABB, Manage Engine, Dawiyat, Epicor Software Corporation, Trend Micro Inc, Four Principles, Emkan, Obekan, Industrial Gate City, the Industrial Valley in King Abdullah Economic City, Infor, BOSCH, DETASAD, Accenture, and CGC Digital. Since its launch in 2001, MODON has been concerned with the development of full-service industrial lands; today it oversees 35 industrial cities (existing and under development) across the Kingdom, in addition to overseeing private industrial cities and complexes. Developed industrial lands have exceeded 198.8 million square meters to date, and existing industrial cities include 3,474 operational factories.
