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Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), the largest industrial company in the UAE outside the oil and gas sector, has been recognised by the World Economic Forum (WEF) and included in its Global Lighthouse Network. This network comprises facilities demonstrating the successful adoption of Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies at scale.
EGA achieved this recognition as a 4IR Lighthouse due to its accomplishments in maximising performance efficiency through technology-driven transformation. This distinction highlights EGA’s leadership as the first industrial company in the UAE and the first aluminium company globally to be included in the network.
As part of its digital transformation, EGA has focused on empowering and upskilling its workforce in digital capabilities. Over 3,000 EGA employees have been trained in areas such as
artificial intelligence and agile working methodologies.
Integrating 4IR technologies and artificial intelligence has significantly improved EGA’s operational efficiency and productivity.
Over the past three years, the company has realised financial impact exceeding AED 365 million (approximately $100 million USD) by implementing more than 80 4IR use cases, along with improvements in quality, safety, and sustainability.
EGA has reduced operational downtimes by 50%, decreased non-productive time by 18%, and increased overall equipment effectiveness by 12% in Al Taweelah, including by utilising locally developed industrial technologies. EGA’s new digital manufacturing platform has reduced the cost of AI-based image and video analysis by over 80% while increasing its speed by up to 13 times compared to previous solutions.
Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of EGA, stated this achievement strengthens the UAE’s position and leadership in developing and adopting industrial technologies. Joining the Global Lighthouse Network increases opportunities for knowledge exchange to further enhance competitiveness in 4IR and AI applications, improving efficiency, sustainability, and innovation.
Bin Kalban added that EGA launched its digital transformation plan in 2021. This recognition from the World Economic Forum reflects the company’s significant progress in adopting 4IR technologies to enhance its industrial and commercial operations, improve performance efficiency, and elevate customer and employee experience. EGA continues to strengthen its capabilities and competitiveness by adopting and developing the latest innovations and technologies to achieve the highest levels of production efficiency.