Dubai, United Arab Emirates – November 23, 2021: 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 H.E. Omar Suwaina Al Suwaidi, Undersecretary of UAE Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, during a keynote speech at the beginning of Day 2 of the Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit (#GMIS2021). The Smart Industry Readiness Index will, he explained, 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.

Al Suwaidi also revealed that the first 70 companies in the UAE’s industrial sector have now been evaluated, and 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 end-2022.

The Index forms a key part of Industry 4.0 program spearheaded by the UAE Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology to accelerate the adoption of advanced technologies across the UAE’s industrial sector. During his speech, H.E. Omar Suwaina Al 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.

He said: “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.”

Under the theme ‘Rewiring Societies: Repurposing Digitalisation for Prosperity’, the second day of #GMIS2021 jump-started with great success, bringing together key global leaders from government, business, and civil society to discuss how data and connectivity are shaping the future of the manufacturing sector.