The Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources the launch of the second phase of the “Factories of the Future” program, which targets the first cohort of the program consisting of 217 factories that achieved an advanced level in the self-assessment according to the SIRI standard, with a score of 2.4.
The Ministry clarified that this phase focuses on verifying the results of the self-assessment, as factories will be categorized into tracks that include those classified as "Advanced"—those exceeding a score of 2.4 in the audited assessment based on the SIRI standard—as the program provides a number of incentives for this category of factories, honors them, and designates them as beacons of transformation.
It noted that factories that did not exceed the specified score in the self-assessment will be eligible for a number of incentives to enable their transformation through plans developed by the factory to achieve advanced results in the audited assessment measuring the level of the the factory’s adoption of Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies.
The Ministry has held more than 13 detailed workshops to introduce the program to the targeted factories in the first segment, attended by more than 140 factories, where factories in the program were divided into four segments based on capital, led by the first segment with capital exceeding 500 million riyals; the remaining three phases will be announced sequentially in the coming period.
Launched on July 20, 2022, the Factories of the Future program aims to transform 4,000 factories from relying on low-skilled, low-wage labor to automation and manufacturing efficiency, thereby enhancing the competitiveness and quality of the national industry and contributing to the creation of high-quality jobs for Saudi nationals.
The program offers numerous development mechanisms that can be utilized by all licensed factories in the Kingdom, regardless of their level of technical development; This is to provide the greatest possible opportunities to boost the competitiveness of the industrial sector, find alternative solutions that contribute to improving the quality of local factory products, reduce operating costs, and increase the flexibility and responsiveness of supply chains.
In addition, Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources launched the website for the Factories of the Future Program (https://future-factories.mim.gov.sa/ar), which features the latest news about the program, as well as a list of supporting organizations, accredited assessors, and local service providers, in addition to knowledge guides on implementing operational excellence and adopting Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies.
