UAE announces adoption of smart industry readiness index

DUBAI – The United Arab Emirates’ industrial sector received a major boost as the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology announced it will adopt the Smart Industry Readiness Index (SIRI), the global standard used by the World Economic Forum (WEF) to assess digital developments.

The announcement was made by Undersecretary of UAE Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology Omar Suwaina Al Suwaidi during a keynote speech at the beginning of Day 2 of the Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit (GMIS).

He explained that SIRI will provide companies in the UAE with a vital benchmark for their capacity to adopt the tools of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), equip them with frameworks to facilitate integration and highlight the tangible benefits of digital transformation, according to a GMIS statement.

Suwaidi also revealed that the first 70 companies in the UAE’s industrial sector have now been evaluated.

They can look forward to a new era of possibility, equipped with the ability to increase productivity, efficiency, product quality and global competitiveness. The Ministry’s goal, he added, is to assess a total of 200 industrial companies by the end of 2022.

The Index formed a key part of Industry 4.0 programme spearheaded by the UAE Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology to accelerate technologies’ advancements across the UAE’s industrial sector.

During his speech, Suwaidi also outlined other initiatives that have been launched in support of this objective, including the Champions 4.0 Network, a group of 12 local and multinational companies that will showcase the benefits of 4IR technologies and offer practical insight and expertise to UAE enterprises.

“The rewards for success are clear: Higher productivity, better product quality, enhanced operational efficiency, reduced energy consumption – all of which can make a substantial contribution to our sustainable development goals,” he said.