Riyadh: Vice Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources for Industry Affairs Eng. Khalil bin Ibrahim bin Salamah participated in a panel discussion at the Industrial Transformation Saudi Arabia 2025 Exhibition. The session addressed the Kingdom's industrial transformation journey and the role of government policies in enabling advanced manufacturing and strengthening the investment environment.
According to Saudi Press Agency, during the discussion, he outlined Saudi Arabia's efforts to drive comprehensive industrial transformation and build an advanced industrial ecosystem aligned with the ambitions of Saudi Vision 2030. He underscored the importance of international partnerships in knowledge transfer, technology localization, and enhancing the competitiveness of the national industrial sector. He also reviewed key initiatives launched under the Advanced Manufacturing and Production Center, set to shape the future of industry in the Kingdom and accelerate the shift toward smart manufacturing across national facilities.
Bin Salamah emphasized that industrial transformation is a cornerstone of developing a competitive and sustainable industrial economy capable of thriving amid rapid global industrial progress. He noted that the Kingdom approaches industrial transformation as an integrated national project grounded in strategic planning, investment in knowledge, legislation, and infrastructure. He stated that the ministry is restructuring the industrial ecosystem to boost productivity and strengthen its readiness to adopt next-generation industrial technologies.
He highlighted that enabling factories to adopt advanced digital solutions is a central pillar of the transformation agenda. He stated that the ministry is transitioning from the phase of incentivization to one of empowerment through new operating models, enhanced performance of industrial service providers, and a more transparent and streamlined regulatory environment.
He added that the Kingdom places strong emphasis on measuring the economic impact of transformation initiatives and directing investments toward advanced industries and artificial intelligence. "The coming phase will see new regulatory updates designed to accelerate the sector's transition to higher levels of advancement and sustainability," he said.
The session also featured prominent global industry and technology leaders, including former CEO of NEOM, member of several business and advisory councils Dr. Klaus Kleinfeld, former Korean Minister of Trade, Industry, and Energy Dr. Hyung-Hwan Joo, and World Economic Forum's Head of Growth and Strategy Kyriakos Triantafyllidis. They commended the Kingdom's efforts to build a modern industrial ecosystem centered on AI, smart factories, and integrated supply chains.
The panel formed part of the Industrial Transformation Saudi Arabia 2025 Exhibition, which showcases the latest global trends in advanced industries and reaffirms its position as a leading model in adopting comprehensive industrial transformation on the international stage.