According to Industry and Mineral Resources Minister Osama Al-Zamil, Saudi Arabia aims to automate 4,000 factories as the kingdom competes with global entities in the fourth industrial revolution.
Speaking at the Factories of the Future program induction ceremony on Wednesday, Al-Zamil said Saudi factories will become sustainable while creating more job opportunities for Saudis.
He further asserted that the Factories of the Future program is the latest quantum leap in Saudi Arabia’s industrial sector.
“The Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources wanted to shine a light on one of our most important programs (Factories of the Future), through which we try to create a long-term vision for the future, focusing on the future of our economy… for generations and continuing with rapid development,” said Al-Zamil.
The Deputy Minister noted further that the Ministry initially closed 4,000 automation factories, about 30 percent of the kingdom’s factories.
He added: “We intend to do as many things as possible, from finding sources of funding to updating regulations and legislation and finding the incentives that the industry needs to achieve this goal.”
The Deputy Minister said that the National Productivity Program, known as NPP, plans to help 100 industrial enterprises achieve the highest production efficiency through advanced technology.
According to the minister, the kingdom has already launched powerful centers for the fourth industrial revolution, targeting energy, mining, manufacturing, and logistics sectors.
He added that the government has also installed fiber optic networks and mobile phone towers in developed areas in 35 industrial cities to implement the fourth industrial revolution.
In 2019, Saudi Government launched a program named National Industrial Development and Logistics Program for a vision towards 2030.
