Mohammed Al Ghassani, Executive Vice President, Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (PEIE) and organizer of the Smart Manufacturing Conference, held 23 – 24 January at the Muscat Inter-Continental Hotel commented: “Given initial attendee feedback, the Conference has to be described as an outstanding success. The seven sessions that made up the two day program plus the Lean Enterprise Workshop held on the 25th at Knowledge Oasis Muscat all went extremely well and we’re delighted with the outcome and the momentum the event has generated.”
In delivering the Conference closing remarks Al Ghassani said: “Oman’s Manufacturing is a success story – we excel in ceramics; precision engineering; furniture; fibre optics; batteries; textiles through to food processing. Indeed, manufacturing is a major contributor to Oman’s national wealth. It accounts for a major slice of our exports and provides thousands of jobs and supports a flourishing service sector. Our best manufacturers and best products are world class and sought after in the most highly competitive markets around the globe.”
However, he admitted that manufacturers also face huge challenges. As discussed at the conference, the future of Oman’s manufacturing depends on raising investment, applying innovation and technology, smarter marketing, design and packaging, best practice and skills to create even better products that the world wants to buy.
To ensure that the momentum created by the Conference is maintained, Al Ghassani announced PEIE’s intention to establish a Manufacturing Discussion Group – a group that would aim to stimulate ideas and discussion in priority areas such as skills development, marketing, design, links between industry and academia, technology, logistics, new markets and the image of manufacturing.
“No one would claim that the way ahead for Oman’s manufacturing is easy. Recent failures highlight some of the difficulties. But they are only a tiny fraction of the overall equation. Manufacturing commitment to high value and skills, together with extensive practical government support and maintenance of the right conditions for business to flourish will enable Oman-based manufacturers to compete in the long-term. And that’s good news for everyone,” concluded PEIE’s Al Ghassani.
