Saudi Arabia is becoming a hot spot for global technology manufacturing with sustainable practices in mind. Here's how.

Saudi Arabia's ambitious Vision 2030 transformation has already brought significant change and growth to the nation's economy and society, with technology, tourism, and sports gaining global attention. Now Saudi Arabia has set its intentions on advanced manufacturing, and one company, Alat (Arabic for "machine"), is taking the lead to make the country a new global center for advanced and sustainable industry.

Driven by a $100 billion investment from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), Alat was founded to become a world-class enterprise focused on developing electronics and advanced industrial production in Saudi Arabia, while pioneering industry 4.0 technology and the use of clean energy in manufacturing.

AI and industry 4.0 technology presents an unprecedented opportunity for manufacturers to transform their operations. The market for industry 4.0 technology is expected to reach $327.8 billion by 2030, as manufacturing companies deploy AI, robotics, and other technologies for automation, increased efficiency, and other benefits. At the same time, manufacturers are looking to improve sustainability in their operations, and are looking for greater resilience and flexibility in their supply chains.

All of these factors require significant long-term investment, as well as expertise to unlock the most value from advanced technology, sustainability practices, and new supply chain strategies. Many companies are looking for partnerships that will bring investment capital and know-how around the future of industry.

Alat has already partnered with several global leaders in advanced manufacturing to work together on these challenges. By partnering with these world-leading companies, and R&D centers in Saudi Arabia, Alat is developing best-in-class manufacturing expertise that will benefit all its current and future partners. By fostering best practices around industry 4.0 and the use of the latest manufacturing technology, as well as introducing new approaches focused on sustainable operational and supply chain resilience, Alat and its partners are leading the way on the transformation of industry.

One of the first deals announced by Alat is a strategic partnership with SoftBank Group, the Japanese investment company, which will focus on the next generation of industrial robots. The partnership will build industrial robots based on intellectual property developed by SoftBank Group and its affiliates. These robots will be capable of performing a diverse range of tasks with only minimal additional programming. The robots are ideally suited to industrial assembly and similar applications in manufacturing and production environments.

Equally important as these robots is the facility where they will be produced. Alat and Softbank will create a "lighthouse factory" — a facility where industry 4.0 technology will realize substantial gains in production, agility, scalability, and efficiency, and which will be an example for the entire manufacturing sector. By deploying the latest technologies and developing operating procedures to maximize the returns from these technologies, Alat intends to raise the bar for next generation manufacturing, with lessons and solutions that can be applied across all its operations and businesses.

Alongside advanced technology, another critical element of Alat is the use of clean energy and sustainable practices to become a leader in sustainable manufacturing. Saudi Arabia has a long history of heavy industry around petrochemicals, but the advanced technology and electronics manufacturing spearheaded by Alat will benefit from being a greenfield industry, free of legacy infrastructure. Production facilities will be able to leverage Saudi Arabia's solar power potential to tap into clean energy sources — energy sources that are currently being developed through over $266 billion of investment in clean energy.

Alat will also implement sustainability best practices into every facet of its processes, which integrate the most up-to-date industry 4.0 thinking to enable sustainable manufacturing. This approach will be combined with next-generation innovations in the production phase to include remanufacturing, material substitution, recycling, and yield loss reduction.

Through the combination of advanced technology, best practices, and commitment to sustainability, Alat is reimagining manufacturing, for a better tomorrow.

ALAT: Transforming KSA through Sustainable Technology

This post was created by ALAT with Insider Studios