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The Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat and the Minister of Trade and Industry Niven Gamea have witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA), the Industrial Modernization Centre (IMC) and Siemens Egypt, to establish and equip the first Industry 4.0 Innovation Center (IIC) in Egypt, in the Knowledge City at the New Administrative Capital.

The IIC aims at raising awareness of the Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies and practical applications in smart factories, adopting advanced technology in local manufacturing, and providing training in automation and digitization techniques. This is in addition to providing the necessary support in the areas of stimulating industrial innovation and designing smart factories in a way that contributes to the transfer of knowledge and the development of the local industrial sector.

The MoU was signed by ITIDA CEO Amr Mahfouz, IMC Executive Director Mohamed Abdel Karim and Siemens CEO Mostafa El-Bagoury.

Talaat ascertained that this cooperation entails very significant elements in MCIT strategy, including fostering creativity, developing innovative work and creative skills, and enhancing electronics manufacturing. Consolidated efforts are made to promote Egypt’s position in the field of electronics designing and manufacturing. He stated that serious steps have been taken in promoting the electronics industry in Egypt during the recent period, the most prominent of which was the signing of a contract with an international company to manufacture tablets in Egypt. Within the framework of a committee that includes members from MCIT, the Ministry of Trade and Industry and a number of concerned parties, recommendations based on scientific foundations are being developed to be submitted to the Prime Minister and the political leadership to promote the field of electronics designing and manufacturing in Egypt.

Talaat also added that Egypt seeks to keep pace with and indigenize the latest global technologies and stimulate the adoption of smart manufacturing technology to achieve digital transformation at the level of all industrial sectors, thus increasing competitiveness to become an active player in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. He stated that this cooperation will contribute to accelerating work towards making Egypt a leading regional hub in the field of electronics designing and manufacturing, to implement the presidential initiative “Egypt Makes Electronics (EME)”.

He also pointed out that the Knowledge City, established by MCIT in the New Administrative Capital, represents an integrated information society that attracts global investments, being a catalyst for digital innovation and creative thought. It is established according to the latest technological systems and equipped at the highest level to be ready for the research, development and technological innovation activities, the specialized training provided in advanced technologies, and the headquarters of global and local ICT companies.

For her part, Gamea stated that MCIT is keen to provide the techniques and applications of the Fourth Industrial Revolution to the industrial sector to cope with global developments as well as increase the competitiveness of the Egyptian products in local and foreign markets. She pointed to MCIT endeavor to disseminate the culture of industrial digitization in the national industry and transfer all expertise and technologies applied in this sector, to cope with the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Gamea said that the IIC aims to provide services and programs to build the capabilities of the industrial sector, entrepreneurs and university students in order to facilitate production processes and product development through the application and promotion of concepts of digital transformation and the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and the applications of modern technologies.

In this context, She stated that the Ministry of Trade, represented by IMC, is providing a number of services to help the industrial sector keep pace with modern systems in the field of digital transformation, including providing specialized software in all sectors, Internet of Things (IoT) tools, virtual reality technology and augmented reality, three-dimensional printing, digital manufacturing tools and prototyping, reverse engineering , designing production lines and systems, and providing evaluation and consulting services in the fields of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

In addition, she indicated that the Ministry of Trade coordinated with MCIT and Siemens to form a working group to follow up the implementation of the agreement and work to solve any obstacles that may face the implementation process, provided that this group meets periodically to evaluate each stage of the implementation. This will contribute to ensuring achieving the benefits of this agreement, especially for the industrial sector.

For his part, Mahfouz said that the opening of the IIC comes within the framework of ITIDA efforts to support the local electronics industry and promote it to keep pace with technological developments and the smart manufacturing environment by boosting the business environment and making the most of the opportunities offered by disruptive technologies.

He pointed out that the Knowledge City will be the icon of the electronics manufacturing and designing in Egypt, where startups in this field will be incubated, incentives and training programs will be offered, in addition to other advanced labs to be established to help Egyptian companies innovate and compete at the regional and international levels.

Mahfouz added that according to the MoU, both ITIDA and Siemens will cooperate in establishing and equipping the IIC at the premises of the Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center in the Knowledge City, which is built on an area of 15000 square meters. IMC will determine the programs appropriate to the needs of the industrial sector in Egypt, and provide the required calibers for benefiting from the center's services in the fields of training and consultation.

For his part, IMC Executive Director said that the IIC includes a training laboratory for the applications of the Fourth Industrial Revolution for students, entrepreneurs and industrial facilities, and a product development laboratory that includes design programs and prototyping manufacturing machines in addition to the production process development laboratory. He pointed out that the role of the IMC within the framework of the MoU includes promoting the activities of the IIC in the industrial sector and among the entrepreneurs registered in the center, to contribute to developing plans, programs and activities and following up on their implementation.

Abdel Karim also stated that the center includes a simulation of a smart factory with the techniques of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, devices, equipment and tools for developing smart systems, an innovation laboratory for developing technical applications for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and a room equipped for providing training on the techniques of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The Center also targets a number of segments to benefit from its services, including factories, SMEs, startups, and students, in addition to sponsoring and supporting graduation projects in related fields.

For his part, El-Bagoury highlighted Siemens keenness to support Egypt's digital strategy, as manufacturing was identified as a basic pillar of the economic transformation strategy in Egypt. He indicated that Siemens contributes to providing digital technology and automation at a global level to raise the quality standards for Egyptian manufacturing and enhance the skills of the industrial manpower in the Egyptian economy.