International Conference on Fourth Industrial Revolution inaugurated

Manama, Feb. 19 (BNA): Oil Minister Shaikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, inaugurated today the International Conference on Fourth Industrial Revolution under the slogan "Industry 4.0 – transition and capacity of GCC countries". As there were a numerical participation from various local, regional and international bodies of executives of oil companies, specialists, technicians and local and international universities specialising in this field. The Bahrain Society of Engineers (BSE) organised the event in cooperation with the National Oil and Gas Authority (NOGA) and with the support from a number of local, regional and international companies. This event aims to upgrade the local industries by benefiting from the opportunities provided by the fourth industrial revolution to increase and improve production in all areas and sectors such as refining, power generation, logistics industries, upgrading of engineering constructions, and metal industries such as aluminum. The minister expressed his pleasure for hosting this event for the first time in Bahrain, which came to the good reputation that the Kingdom enjoys in providing facilities, support and logistical assistance. The minister said the world is in a new era of digital development that offers unprecedented potential for progress, development and global growth, stressing that the fourth industrial revolution is a good opportunity to increase demand for oil, gas and petrochemical products. Shaikh Moahmmed pointed out the importance of thinking differently and working in an unfamiliar and innovative way to achieve more desired achievements and goals. He noted that technological developments have begun to affect all sectors, especially the oil and gas sector, stressing the importance of the fourth industrial revolution today, which is important for the development of regulatory public policies to qualify the new generation of human cadres to work according to the requirements of the new industrial era. The minister said that artificial intelligence will contribute to enhance these developmental capabilities to raise efficiency and create greater value in the oil and gas sector. Shaikh Moahmmed added that the oil companies of NOGA have already done serious thinking and work to develop human cadres, and keep up with the digital technological development to achieve the desired objectives of the oil projects that NOGA seeks in partnership with international companies to implement them during this period. Dr. Dheya Tawfiqi, BSE President and Dr. Haitham Al Qahtani, Conference Chairman, spoke about the importance of the fourth industrial revolution in influencing the economy in various aspects, especially with regard to the quantity and quality of production, production control, production costs and other related barriers. They emphasised BSE keenness to provide the best topics that are in harmony with the kingdom's trends in development and evolution, whether in the engineering, industrial or technological sector. The conference focused on five main themes: oil and gas, energy, engineering projects, and metallurgical industries, as well as logistics services. It also included 36 specialised papers with the participation of 13 keynote speakers along with 34 exhibitors from leading local and international companies who reviewed the latest technology in the fourth industrial revolution. The minister also inaugurated on the sidelines of the conference, the accompanying exhibition, which included a large number of local and international companies and interested educational institutions from different countries of the world, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Germany, France, Africa, Australia, Malaysia, Morocco, Egypt and other countries of the world to showcase the best of the latest related technologies and exchange information, knowledge and expertise specialised in the development and transformation of those industries into the fourth generation of industrial processes.