Saudi Industry Minister inaugurates the “Factories of the Future” Initiative

Saudi Industry Minister Bandar Al-Khorayef inaugurated the “Factories of the Future” initiative and the accompanying exhibition at the General Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Riyadh.

The inauguration witnessed the presence of the Secretary-General of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, Dr. Nayef Faleh Al-Hajraf, and the ministers of trade and industry in the GCC countries.

The Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources stated that the Future Factories Program provides many development mechanisms that benefit all licensed factories in the Kingdom, according to their levels of technical development.

The program offers the greatest possible potential to raise the competitiveness of the industrial sector and find alternative solutions; To reduce the sector’s dependence on unskilled labor.

The program seeks to find quality jobs that are commensurate with the educational outcomes in the Kingdom, and the requirements of suitable jobs for citizens.

During the launch of the program, Deputy Minister of Industry, Osama Al-Zamil, said that the Ministry of Industry seeks, through this initiative, to build a long-term future vision that focuses on the future of our economy.

He added that the program seeks at the same time to ensure the sustainability and growth of the industrial sector, its ability to compete globally and create job opportunities for the sons and daughters of the country.

He pointed out that the Future Factories Program’s first step, and the SIRI methodology’s adoption lies in converting four thousand factories from relying on labor-intensive to automation.

He emphasized that the selection of this number was not random, but rather was the result of an assessment of the current situation in the industrial sector, and a base for the industrial sector to build upon to complete the transformation process.