The Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat and the Chairman of the Arab Organization for Industrialization (AOI) Abdel Moneim Al-Tarras have witnessed, today, the signing of an agreement of cooperation between AOI and Iken Technology, in digital transformation projects. The Minister of Public Enterprise Sector Hisham Tawfik joined the signing ceremony through a pre-recorded speech.
The agreement was signed by AOI Director General Abdel Rahman Abdel Azim, and Iken CEO Hossam Reda El Gamal, at AOI headquarters.
The signing of the agreement comes within the framework of putting into force the protocol of cooperation signed last year, through an alliance agreement to carry out important projects, taking advantage of the technical, logistic and investment capabilities and experience of both AOI and Iken Technology.
Iken Technology has expertise in digital transformation, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), integrated systems solutions and data center security, which can be utilized through combining them with AOI manufacturing and operational expertise and capabilities to create added value using the Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies.
This is in addition to putting development plans and visions for national projects adopting such technologies and implementation mechanisms, and designing and manufacturing products of high technological value at AOI to meet the country’s needs of digital industries in line with national security standards, as well as strengthening the marketing efforts of joint projects, locally and regionally.
The ICT Minister underlined the significance of boosting manufacturing capabilities and creating a generation of skilled people in technological industries to maximize local manufacturing and cover the country’s needs, as part of its efforts to keep pace with the digital transformation and the associated advanced technological applications.
Talaat highlighted the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) keenness to cooperate with international companies to transfer knowledge and support Research and Development (R&D), innovation and digital manufacturing of electronic applications and products, in addition to implementing several programs that aim at motivating startups and developing calibers in the field of advanced electronics. This is within the framework of implementing the presidential initiative for designing and manufacturing electronics “Egypt Makes Electronics (EME)”, which aims to indigenize the electronics industry by increasing the local components in products.
Talaat stated that this agreement will contribute to enhancing the expertise and capabilities of the AOI in indigenizing digital transformation technology and employing the techniques of the Fourth Industrial Revolution in implementing national projects.
The ICT Minister also added that the AOI is witnessing steady scientific progress in the field of digitization and development in various fields, the most important of which is the field of ICT and electronics manufacturing and design. He referred to the cooperation between MCIT and AOI in a number of projects to build ‘Digital Egypt’.
For his part, the Minister of Public Business Sector Hisham Tawfiq welcomed AOI Chairman and Iken Technology, stating that the Ministry of Public Business Sector is currently implementing an ambitious project to install the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems in about 63 subsidiaries and holding companies, at a cost of about $ 50 million.
Tawfiq pointed out that there are many additional applications needed to increase the efficiency of the production process in the subsidiaries, integrating with ERP, including, for example, a system for sensors in spinning and weaving machines, which alerts the potential for malfunctions and thus reduces maintenance times, and an operating system in the passenger transport sector, which determines the bus transit capacity. He stated that a meeting was held with Iken Company earlier, and a number of applications were agreed upon to be used in many of the subsidiaries.
Al-Tarras also underscored President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi directives to deepen local manufacturing, transfer and indigenize digital transformation technology, secure information flows, and provide smart electronic services in accordance with international quality standards. He stated that the AOI harnesses all its technical and technological capabilities to achieve leadership, transfer and indigenize technology in the field of smart applications and digital systems to serve Egypt's vision 2030.
He added that all the country’s sectors are working to speed up the implementation of business automation and ERP management to develop certified products and deepen the use of advanced digital technology to develop industrial capabilities, manage procedures and apply quality standards, as well as increase competitiveness and export opportunities.
Al-Tarras expressed his appreciation for MCIT efforts and its continuous support to enhance the indigenization of technology for digital transformation projects by relying on manufacturing capabilities and exchanging experiences between national institutions in the country. He underlined the significance of cooperation with Iken, which is one of the leading Egyptian companies in the fields of digital security standards, embedded systems, use of sensors, operating and control systems, and critical infrastructure.
Al-Tarras also stated that they agreed to cooperate, exchange technical expertise, transfer and indigenize specialized knowledge to AOI work teams to assist in building the required expertise for advanced technology in the fields of digital transformation, archiving, electronic documentation, integrated information security solutions, data center security, digital security, system security, and digital products development, especially in the fields of sensors and smart control tools. This is in addition to the cooperation in industrial modernization projects via the Fourth Industrial Revolution and its applications, using the latest global methods and technologies.
He also added that the areas of cooperation also aim to raise the efficiency of industrial projects, production quality, and predictive maintenance; reduce waste of materials used; raise quality of production; and achieve advanced and smart technological management and control for infrastructure projects and industrial and agricultural production projects. This is in addition to researching and developing new products of advanced technology in cooperation with research authorities and experts to serve the needs of the various Egyptian sectors and all ministries, entities, educational institutions and universities.
In addition, El Gamal said that Iken is very keen to cooperate with AOI, headed by Al-Terras, who lays out a clear strategy to achieve a quantum leap in the AOI products, services and projects by using the latest technologies and building advanced competencies in the field of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. He believes in the significance of using industry digitization and AI to deepen the local product, support decision-making, achieve higher productivity and competitiveness, reduce waste of raw materials, energy and water, and achieve a high return on investment in technology.
In this context, El Gamal stated that Ikan will jointly invest in projects, provide advanced and rare expertise, transfer knowledge, train work teams, participate in developing advanced technological products and provide sectoral solutions that achieve a clear return on investment.
