Business & Money | Sunday 31 July, 2016 4:16 pm |

The noticeable expansion of manufacturing domain in the GCC region is credited to the government’s decision to reduce dependence and transition to a non-oil based economy. Furthermore, the recent launch of the Dubai Industrial Strategy is testament to the growing importance UAE lays on boosting the industrial development in the country. 

As part of this strategy, 75 initiatives have been identified to transform Dubai into a global business hub for knowledge, innovation-led and sustainability-focused industries. Dubai Industrial Strategy indicates that the industrial sector is expected to grow by an additional AED18 billion by 2030 creating 27,000 jobs.

The GCC Manufacturing Excellence and Technology Summit will lay emphasis on achieving operational efficiency and excellence in the manufacturing industry. With Dubai Economic Council as a Strategic Partner, this event is one of its kind in the region that is meant to provide a platform for exchange of dialogue between manufacturing professionals and policy makers, free zone authorities, consultants, technology and solution providers about their needs. This conference will be held on 14-15 November 2016 at Sofitel Dubai The Palm Resort & Spa.

With over 20 sector specialists, global and regional heads delivering presentations on topics that are pertinent to the manufacturing industry in the region, the summit will help identify insights to help achieve excellence in manufacturing. H.E. Hani Rashid Al Hamli, Secretary General, Dubai Economic Council (DEC); Dr. Robin Scott, Head of Virtual Reality and Modelling Group, Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre with Boeing; Thorsten Junghanns, Vice President Manufacturing System & Strategy; Airbus Defence and Space GmbH; Ashraf Zaki, Manufacturing Director, Colgate Palmolive and Stefano Pietroni, Global Network Design, Planning & Sourcing Vice President, Barilla will serve as speakers at the summit.

Presentations by Kunal Sharma, National Head - Operational Excellence & Centre of Excellence, Coca-Cola, Jagdish Ramaswamy, President - Corporate Business Excellence, Aditya Birla and Mario Naldini, Director of Manufacturing, Pirelli on the Deployment of the Operational Excellence Frame Work at Coca Cola, the role Corporate Business Excellence has played in shaping Aditya Birla Group's manufacturing and service businesses for building excellence across its various processes and Turn-around of the factory through lean & people engagement: PMS, The Lean Manufacturing in Pirelli: Tools and methods from the operators to the top managers respectively will focus on the importance of looking inwards and offer a new perspective on applying techniques.

Dr. Souraj Salah, Business Process Improvement Manager, Juma Al Majid Group will deliver a session on process and quality improvement in a manufacturing environment, while Sathish Narayanan, Productivity Lead- Lean Six Sigma - Middle East & Africa, Pepsico will speak on learning to leverage six sigma & lean.

The inaugural edition of the GCC Manufacturing Excellence and Technology Summit is expected to witness over 300 senior professionals including VP’s, Directors, and Department Heads representing Engineering, Lean Manufacturing, Operational Excellence, Quality Assurance and Control, Six Sigma, R&D, Health and Safety divisions amongst many others from across the GCC.

Announcing the speaker roster, Mr. Brad Hariharan, Regional Director, Expotrade Middle East, said, “We are honoured to have an eclectic mix of esteemed speakers and panelists from across the globe participating at our summit, providing insight on some of the most pressing topics in this sector. With UAE’s focus on boosting the region’s manufacturing sector, we are confident the summit will prove to be an invaluable opportunity to learn of new processes, developments in technology and network with the who’s who of this industry.”

More information on the GCC Manufacturing Excellence and Technology Summit is available at http://www.gccmanufacturing.com/. Follow the Summit on social media with the hashtag #GMETS2016.