In line with Egypt’s focus to support local manufacturing capacity, the Ministry of Industry (MTI) and Siemens have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), to collaborate on the modernization of manufacturing in Egypt and the upscaling of industrial skills by providing advanced digital solutions, technology upgrades and knowledge transfer across multiple sectors. The MoU touches upon the key pillars within Egypt Vision 2030 which aim to build a diverse and sustainable economy.
The signing took place during Siemens’ first Digitalization Roadshow in Cairo, held to highlight the role of technology in spurring economic growth building a digital industrial ecosystem. His Excellency Mr. Tarek Kabil, Minister of Industry and Foreign Trade, signed the agreement with Emad Ghaly, CEO of Siemens Egypt.
Under the terms of the MoU, Siemens will look to supply the MTI with a range of innovative products, systems and solutions for Egypt’s new industrial zones, enabling the creation of intelligent industrial parks. The collaboration will start with the development of the Robbiki Leather City in Cairo and the Furniture Cluster in Damietta, providing solutions that cover overall planning, industrial information security, integrated production management systems as well as energy management of these zones.
H.E. Mr. Kabil, said: “The MoU with Siemens supports the goals of the Ministry’s strategy for enhancing industrial development and foreign trade until the year 2020. Aimed at helping create a digital industrial ecosystem in Egypt, we will focus on the fields that are critical to enable digital transformation of local manufacturers such as automation, remote control services, digital factory and intelligent manufacturing systems. Through the agreement we will jointly work to leverage the latest digital technologies in Egypt new industrial zones such as, the Robbiki Leather City in Cairo to digitalize Egypt’s manufacturing sector. It will also pave the way for Siemens to become the Ministry’s technology partner, as part of our efforts to prepare for industry 4.0.”
The collaboration also intends to place significant emphasis on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by providing them with a number of automation and data management tools and digital services to ensure greater return on investments, and help develop new business models.
“A strong manufacturing sector is linked to a strong economy, and digital technologies are rapidly changing manufacturing across the globe. This is why it is more important than ever for companies in Egypt to embrace digitalization,” said Emad Ghaly, CEO of Siemens Egypt. “We are honored to be a technology partner to the Ministry, and our goal is to enable companies, in all industries, to harness new digital solutions to increase their efficiency, flexibility, quality and reduce time to market.”
A key point in the MoU relates to training programs for various technical fields in order to create a pool of highly-skilled local workers to help build the country’s digital industrial ecosystem. As part of the MoU, Siemens will also look to equip a number of the Ministry’s technical labs with automation and lab management systems, giving young Egyptians access to digital tools and domain expertise. Covering a full spectrum of other activities, the MoU will provide the framework for the two parties to sign a partnership agreement, selecting Siemens as the Technology Partner for the MTI in the country.
The Siemens Digitalization Roadshow was attended by 300 leaders from the public, private and education sectors. During a series of panel discussions, business leaders and technology experts demonstrated how emerging technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT), the Digital Enterprise, Additive Manufacturing, and MindSphere – the cloud-based, open IoT operating system from Siemens – are changing industries from manufacturing to energy management to transportation.
Representatives from education, government and private sector also discussed topics related to the wider digitalization ecosystem including skills, research and development, partnership-building and investment to define a roadmap for the country’s digital transformation.