Ministry, Edge launch Talk 4.0 to drive technology adoption

ABU DHABI / WAM

The Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT) and Edge Group PJSC have jointly launched Talk 4.0, a new knowledge-exchange initiative to empower industrial leaders to adopt transformative technologies and sustainable practices.
The new initiative follows a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the two parties in August 2022, seeking to expand the offerings of Edge’s Learning and Innovation Factory to the UAE’s industrial ecosystem and support the establishment of an Industry 4.0 Enablement Centre.
Talk 4.0 is the latest in a series of initiatives designed to encourage and accelerate digital transformation in line with MoIAT’s Technology Transformation Programme (TTP) launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in October 2022. The move also supports the UAE Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative, given technology’s key role in industrial decarbonisation.
Talk 4.0 brings together industry leaders to share learnings and best practices in Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) solutions through informative talks, workshops, seminars, and other learning activities.
The inaugural edition of the Talk 4.0 series was held at the Factory. The edition featured keynote speakers from global industrial organisations, including Nouman Qaiser, SC Digital Transformation Manager at Unilever, who discussed the lessons learnt from an entrepreneurial journey to becoming a 4IR lighthouse. Dr Omer Dawelbeit, Principal Solution Architect at Amazon Web Services, delivered a talk on artificial intelligence and machine learning.
Following the keynotes, participants experienced a simulation of the Edge Factory’s “Smart Learning Factory”, which demonstrated how to design and build digital twins, integrate and design connected technologies, and use data to enhance productivity and efficiency.
Trainers also conducted two micro-training sessions focusing on Six Sigma and Agile processes.
Moreover, participants had the opportunity to network with other industry professionals, share experiences and best practices, and learn more about technology adoption, sustainable solutions, and capacity building.
Tariq Al Hashmi, Director of Technology Adoption and Development at MOIAT, said, “To fully digitalise industry, we must first spread awareness about advanced technologies and their potential to unlock value, as well as empower industrial leaders to adopt them through capacity building initiatives. Through education and facilitating knowledge exchanges between industrial stakeholders, Talk 4.0 will directly support the TTP’s objective to accelerate the pace of technological transformation in the UAE’s priority sectors.”
Ahmed Al Khoori, Senior Vice President – Strategy and Excellence at Edge, said, “Talk 4.0 is a new, key initiative which will bring together some of the industry’s most innovative and inspiring thought leaders to challenge conventional thinking, share learnings and best practices, and discuss topics that will ultimately shape the future of the industry. The series will further promote digital transformation and help foster a culture of learning and innovation among the UAE’s leading industrial players.”
The Edge Factory combines theory, technology, and practice under one roof to drive improvements and inspire an innovative approach to encourage digital transformation and modernisation of operations. It provides trainees with experiential, gamified, and actionable learnings in line with the industry’s future requirements.
The TTP is designed to achieve goals, primarily contributing AED110 billion to the nation’s GDP; enabling AED15 billion worth of advanced UAE exports annually; developing 1,000 technological projects; investing AED11 billion in advanced technology, in addition to nurturing Emirati talent across advanced technology projects within ten years.
The programme is based on five main initiatives. These include the Industrial Technology Transformation Index, Industry 4.0 Enablement Centres, advanced technology incentives, the Factory of the Future Award, and the Advanced Technology testbed initiative.