The Deputy Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources for Industry Affairs, Eng. Khalil bin Salamah, said that innovation and technology are an integral part of the nature of industry at the current stage, explaining that his ministry reviewed at the “Multilateral Industrial Policies” Forum the success of the Saudi experience in transforming 4,000 factories into the Fourth Industrial Revolution, starting with knowing the level of progress, then plans for change and then actual change, stressing that the upcoming factories are now adopting this revolution.

In his interview with “Asharq Al-Awsat”, bin Salamah explained that many countries have expressed interest in the Kingdom’s experience and how it applies industrial policies that depend on this major transformation.

He continued that there are new factories entering the Saudi market that exceed the previous numbers, and this gives a great opportunity to adopt new technologies in manufacturing that neutralize variable factors such as operating efficiency and product quality, as well as global competitiveness.

Bin Salamah believes that the importance of the forum lies in two axes: how to help Saudi Arabia, in cooperation with UNIDO, the organization concerned with global industrial growth and industrial policies, to share its success in this framework with countries that need assistance, and the benefit also goes back to the Kingdom to create sustainable markets, as well as the existence of industrial integration between countries, whether at the Gulf, Arab or global levels.

The Deputy Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources added that the event is very important as it is being held for the first time outside Vienna, and it is the second conference specializing in industrial policies, and its importance lies in bringing together different countries with their various experiences, explaining that industrial policies are the basis for sustainable growth.

He revealed the number of registered participants in this forum, which exceeds 2,000 visitors, with the attendance of 20 ministers, prime ministers and leaders of the industrial sector in various countries, indicating that most of the axes focused on two main axes, which are industrial policies related to clean energy, and also industrial policies related to the uses of artificial intelligence.