Business

Manufacturing, future industries laboratory takes off

 
The manufacturing industries and future industries laboratory launched yesterday under the auspices of Qais bin Mohammed al Yousef, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion.

The laboratory is a result of a collaboration between the Ministry, the Industrial Innovation Academy, and the Oman Vision 2040 Implementation Follow-up Unit.

Under-Secretary for Commerce & Industry at the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, Dr Saleh bin Said Masan, shared the following in the opening ceremony: “We hope that the laboratory will emerge with a set of initiatives that will find solutions to the challenges facing the industrial sector, in addition to enhancing the means and enablers that will serve to provide a more lucrative environment for investment growth in the sector.” The laboratory will focus on four main axes: industries of the future, project and investment opportunities, Oman’s 2040 industrial strategy, and governance.

“To keep pace with the development of future industries, emphasis will be placed on the tools of the fourth industrial revolution in the manufacturing sector, enabling their use in production lines, energy, storage, marketing, human resources, health and safety systems and others, in addition to a number of initiatives in green industrial zones, robots and automation, and the Internet of Things,” added Masan.

Additionally, the lab will review Omani's 2040 Industrial strategy with the intention of evaluating and revising it in light of recent developments.

“The lab will address Industrial Strategy 2040, which focuses on sectors dependent on domestic resources, capital-intensive sectors, knowledge-based sectors and research and development,” shared Masan, Moreover, the laboratory will also focus on outputs of the Manufacturing Industry Solution Clinics, which were conducted in December of last year.

According to Dr Ayman Abdullah al Fudhail, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Industrial Innovation Academy, more than 15 initiatives in the industrial sector have resulted from the clinics, covering finance, investment, national product support, basic services, and employment.

The laboratory is expected to last until January 26th, with over 190 participants from government, private sector, and academic institutions.