The Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT) and EDGE Group jointly launched Tour 4.0, a new initiative designed to accelerate digital transformation and promote advanced technology adoption in the UAE’s industrial ecosystem.

MoIAT and EDGE also launched the latest training in the Leadership 4.0 series, which aims to empower industrial leaders to adopt 4IR solutions and sustainability best practices across the UAE’s industrial sector.

Both the Leadership 4.0 and Tour 4.0 initiatives fall under the UAE’s Technology Transformation Programme (TTP), launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, in 2022. The initiatives also support the UAE Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative, which emphasises technology’s key role in industrial decarbonisation.

Tour 4.0 and Leadership 4.0 follow on from CEO 4.0, Pioneers 4.0, and Talk 4.0. The initiatives are being executed as part of a collaboration between MoIAT and EDGE within the Industry 4.0 Enablement Centre. The mandate of the Enablement Centre is to enable the improvement of industrial capabilities in the UAE with initiatives falling under 4 areas: learning, demonstration, implementation, and innovation, and it aims at promoting, enabling, and supporting the digital transformation and adoption of Industry 4.0 solutions across the country’s manufacturing sectors.

Tour 4.0 provides tours to cutting-edge, smart factories to increase awareness and share knowledge and best practices on adopting advanced technologies. Fifteen leaders from UAE-based manufacturing enterprises as well as representatives from MoIAT and EDGE joined the launch tour at Ittihad Paper Mill (IPM) in Abu Dhabi, the region’s largest paper manufacturer. Fifteen leaders from UAE-based manufacturing enterprises as well as representatives from MoIAT and EDGE joined the tour at Ittihad Paper Mill, which operates one of the country’s most technologically advanced manufacturing plants. Participants learned about the company’s digital transformation journey and its latest achievements. The tour also highlighted the factory’s sustainability practices, such as wastewater treatment and carbon capture and utilisation to produce calcium carbonate to be re-used during production.

Tariq Al Hashmi, Director of Technology Adoption and Development at the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, said, “Technological transformation is one of the key pillars of the National Strategy for Industry and Advanced Technology. The ministry collaborates with strategic partners from both the public and private sectors to raise awareness of the skills and mechanisms required for this transformation in the national industrial sector and enable solutions that support it.”

He added, “Launched by the ministry in collaboration with EDGE under the Technology Transformation Programme (TTP), the Leadership 4.0 and Tour 4.0 programmes aim to equip sector leaders, as well as senior and technical executives, with the knowledge to keep pace with rapid technological advancements and international best practices. This aligns with MoIAT’s efforts to accelerate the adoption of transformative technologies, increasing competitiveness, sustainability, and productivity within the national industrial sector.”

Al Hashmi called on industrial companies in the UAE country to take advantage of the ministry’s initiatives that support technological transformation and empowerment. He noted that MoIAT continuously expands its efforts to support technological transformation in industrial companies and strengthen partnerships to achieve this goal under the National Strategy for Industry and Advanced Technology.

Ahmed Al Khoori, Senior Vice President - Strategy & Excellence, EDGE, said, “EDGE is expanding its range of capabilities to the wider industrial base, and is adopting advanced Industry 4.0 technologies to create efficient manufacturing processes. In our pursuit of excellence, EDGE has kick-started Phase 2 of the Leadership 4.0 series, and has launched the ‘Tour 4.0’ series with the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology to unlock best practices in relation to Industry 4.0 and advanced technologies. By embarking on immersive factory tours, ‘Tour 4.0’ is a key initiative which aims to empower industrial leaders to witness the transformative power of cutting-edge advancements, to foster the exchange of insights, and to cultivate a culture of continuous improvement. Through ‘Tour 4.0’, we are paving the way to shape the future of our industry.”

To improve sustainability across operations and advance the adoption of 4IR solutions, Leadership 4.0 equips senior industrial sector executives and technical leaders with the knowledge and skills required to enhance efficiency and productivity.

The programme covers a range of topics including international best practices in lean management, agile methodologies, analytics and IoT, Six Sigma, and the core components of Industry 4.0. Participants gain a deep understanding of concept and trends, with a focus on the importance of adopting the right processes, methodologies, and technologies to enhance operations and create a data-driven organisational culture. Fourteen industrial leaders from ASMAK, Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), Hotpack Global, DUCAB, Saber and ENOC have taken part in the course at the immersive EDGE Learning and Innovation Factory.

Meanwhile, The EDGE Group will participate in Dubai Airshow 2023 as the Official Defence Technology Partner, underpinning its position as one of the leading technology groups across the defence, civil aviation, and aerospace industries, highlighting the Group’s ongoing commitment to disruptive technologies and underscoring the interoperability of its highly competitive products across multiple domains.

EDGE will showcase over 60 state-of-the-art products, solutions, and services at the event, covering autonomous systems, smart weapons, electronic warfare, secure communications, emergency response, and precision engineering.

Mansour Al Mulla, Managing Director and CEO of EDGE Group, said, “EDGE is proud to once again be the Defence Technology Partner at Dubai Airshow. Our presence here as an official partner and major exhibitor underscores a national vision, ensuring the UAE thrives as a global hub of indigenous future technologies for the defence, civil aviation, and aerospace sectors. It is also a testament to the rapid progress EDGE has made since our first Dubai Airshow participation, demonstrating our significant sovereign capabilities and growing global footprint.