Global Innovation Enabler Plug And Play And Abu Dhabi Investment Office Announce Industry 4.0 Open Innovation Platform Founding Partners

Committed to empowering, connecting, and investing in startups, Plug and Play Abu Dhabi, the largest innovation enabler in the world, and Abu Dhabi Investment Office, the government entity enabling investment in Abu Dhabi, have officially announced their final list of founding partners for the Industry 4.0 open innovation platform in Abu Dhabi.

Mid Q3 2021, Plug and Play Abu Dhabi and ADIO announced the launch of their first-of-its-kind Industry 4.0 open innovation platform focused on boosting Abu Dhabi’s industrial innovation capabilities and attracting high-calibre tech startups, this was followed by an announcement welcoming Abu Dhabi Ports Group (ADP), the region’s premier facilitator of logistics, industry and trade, as the first founding partner.

The strong combined efforts from Plug and Play Abu Dhabi and ADIO have led to an outstanding set of an additional 8 founding partners joining the Industry 4.0 open innovation platform.

The latest founding partners to join the first Industry 4.0 Platform are Strata Manufacturing; a wholly owned company by Mubadala Investment Company with the aim to advance the aerospace sector in Abu Dhabi; Emirates Global Aluminium, the world's largest premium aluminium producer and the largest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates; BRF, one of the largest food companies in the world; Eaton, a global technology leader in power management solutions; Red Bull Advanced Technologies, the high performance vehicle engineering division of the Red Bull Racing Formula 1 Team; Gazprom Neft, Russia’s leading oil producer; Giffin Al Jazira Industrial Group, a firm that delivers complete signage solutions for the development of Abu Dhabi and Al Dahra, a UAE-based international conglomerate, specialising in the agribusiness.

As part of the platform’s mission, Plug and Play Abu Dhabi and ADIO have worked with some of the founding partners to define key tech challenges and innovation bottlenecks that will be solved by 7 high- calibre global startups selected to be part of the open innovation platform. The tech challenges agreed upon collectively were Industrial IoT; Vehicle Electrification & Charging; Warehouse Automation; Predictive Analytics & Maintenance; Last Mile Delivery and Low Carbon Vehicle Solutions & Integrations. To ensure the success of this platform Plug and Play Abu Dhabi and ADIO will also help in accelerating the deployment of innovative pilots, tech integrations and new products that enable Abu Dhabi’s industrial revolution.

The leading array of founding partners will also support in ensuring the Industry 4.0 open innovation platform creates a unified marketplace and forum to foster collaboration and knowledge exchange across major industrial avenues and exceptional technology startups, bringing real value and solutions to Abu Dhabi whilst paving the way for Abu Dhabi to secure a leading global position in the 4th Industrial Revolution.

Monira Al-Kuttab, Executive Director, ADIO, said: "Abu Dhabi’s focus on innovation has been the driving force behind our strong progress in developing impactful, cutting-edge technologies that can be deployed globally. ADIO is partnering with a world-class enabler Plug and Play Abu Dhabi and other leading entities from around Abu Dhabi to further boost innovation by taking support for companies to another level. Our partnership will enable companies from a range of sectors to access the tools and information they need to thrive in the industries of the future."

Babak Ahmadzadeh, Managing Director, Plug and Play Abu Dhabi, said: "In addition to ADIO and Abu Abu Dhabi Ports Group (ADP), we are proud to welcome the newest 8 local and global entities joining us as founding partners of the Industry 4.0 Open Innovation Platform to help drive the UAE’s 4th Industrial Revolution. Such a platform has not yet been started in the MENA region, and we are incredibly excited about its potential. We hope to drive real innovation and prosperity in major economic drivers of the Emirates such as manufacturing, logistics, sustainability, food security and more through meaningful collaborations with exceptional tech startups and forwarding-thinking corporate and government entities here in the UAE. We have no doubt that the Emirates will one day be a world leader in the 4th Industrial Revolution – we hope that this open innovation platform will play a major role in that for many years to come."

"We are proud to be a founding partner of the first Industry 4.0 open innovation platform, which aligns with the UAE's Vision to build a knowledge-based economy. The platform provides a unique opportunity for start-ups to be provided with knowledge and innovation that will drive the change in various key sectors. We at strata already incorporated and invested in research and developing 4IR technology within our working mechanism to expand our capabilities through innovation." Ismail Ali Abdulla, CEO of Strata Manufacturing PJSC, said.

Carlo Nizam, Chief Digital Officer, Emirates Global Aluminium, said: "Together at EGA we innovate aluminium to make modern life possible, and one of our bold aspirations for the decades ahead is to help establish a thriving manufacturing innovation ecosystem here in the UAE. Our partnership with this Industry 4.0 Platform will help us achieve that, creating opportunities for new businesses in the UAE, and supporting us in our own Industry 4.0 transformation of EGA’s operations."

"We are honored to be part of this one of a kind initiative to drive Industry 4.0 in the region. As the world’s largest poultry exporter and the leading brand in the chicken category in the Middle East with its own factory in Abu Dhabi, BRF Sadia is more than ever committed to drive innovation and sustainability in the food industry." Fadi Felfeli, BRF Sadia, Commercial Director, said.

Steven Nasser, Chief Technology Officer, SABER Investment Company, said: "Giffin always has been on the forefront of technological innovation and transformational breakthrough. Since its inception in 1976, the company has always been focused on combining engineering expertise with infrastructure designs. Known for its milestone accomplishments in manufacturing wayfinding signage, steel infrastructure and other roads assets that span the UAE; today, the company is positioned to yet again, play a pivotal role in transforming the industrial innovations and capabilities of the UAE. With its investment in the 1st digitally connected advanced precision machining center, Giffin is ready to design, manufacture and deploy high precision components well targeted to growing emerging sectors. We look forward to becoming the platform through which supply chains can be further developed and enhanced."

Alexey Vashkevich, Gazprom Neft Chief Technology Officer, Upstream said: "Gazprom Neft is the first Russian oil and gas company that promotes its technologies and digital solutions internationally. Having a portfolio of 200+ hardware technologies and 100+ digital solutions we are a partner of choice for major industry players, start-ups and scale-ups worldwide. Being a part of Industry 4.0, Gazprom Neft opens opportunities of Russian innovations in order to enhance value coming from emerging tech."

Andy Damerum, Commercial Development Officer at Red Bull Advanced Technologies, commented: "Red Bull Advanced Technologies specialises in applying the same tools, techniques and methods used in the Formula 1 industry to new and exciting technical and engineering challenges across the globe. We are delighted to be involved with the Industry 4.0 innovation platform and to work with businesses in the Middle East who can benefit from our industry leading expertise and high performance technologies."