Top experts and leaders in the international manufacturing sector are set to discuss the challenges and transformations of the industry at a major industry event to be held in Abu Dhabi, UAE, next year.

The Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit (GMIS), which will take place from March 27 to 30, is a world-first gathering of global governments, manufacturing businesses and civil society.

The Paris-Sorbonne Abu Dhabi University, located on Al Reem Island, has been chosen as the venue for GMIS, signifying the important role of young graduates in shaping the future, with manufacturing positioned as a key driver of transformation, said the organisers.

GMIS will be the first global summit ever held for manufacturing, uniting leaders from diverse industries with international government policy-makers, as well as civil society leaders.

The global consulting firm PwC, the events division of international news platform The Economist Group, and market insights and news specialist Thomson Reuters have joined GMIS as strategic partners.

The summit responds directly to the pressing regional need to diversify economies and create sustainable employment for GCC youth.

Bahrain’s manufacturing sector grew by 4.1 per cent in 2015 compared to 3.8 per cent in 2014, with several landmark projects announced in 2016 – including a $3 billion expansion of Aluminium Bahrain, said the event organisers.

The GMIS announcement comes as innovations in the manufacturing sector are set to have a transformational impact on the global economy.

Badr Al Olama, member of the GMIS organising committee, and CEO of Strata Manufacturing, said the event is not just about shaping the future of global manufacturing.

"It is about taking a transformational approach for global manufacturing that enables it to meet the needs of the global economy - and the world’s citizens - over the coming decades," he explained.

“Accordingly, the event will reflect the entire spectrum of manufacturing, spanning low-tech and high-tech industries and encompassing both the developed world and fast-emerging economies with nascent manufacturing sectors,” stated Olama.

“It brings together for the first time the world’s innovators in all sectors of manufacturing - aviation, automotive, technology, food production and healthcare - and from government and civil society to address common themes and seize new opportunities,” he added.

The Economist Group, which is developing the GMIS event programme, has designed the event’s agenda to produce outcomes with practical, real-world application.

Kay Westmoreland, head of Middle East and Africa (MEA) at The Economist Group, said: “Globally, economic growth remains sluggish, prompted by recent geopolitical factors, a tightening of the energy market, expectations for collective climate action and the reduction of emissions, and turbulence facing commodity prices.”

“Over the course of the summit, GMIS will set out a roadmap for the sector as a whole in driving growth in the global economy and addressing pressing global challenges including driving sustainable economic growth, creating skilled employment opportunities, and tackling global resourcing and production challenges,” she added.

Nadim Najjar, managing director, Middle East and North Africa, (Mena), Thomson Reuters, said: “When we examine world markets, we see lingering issues from the global financial crisis being exacerbated by low oil prices and, most recently, market uncertainty over Brexit.”

“The counterpoint – and where we can have a sense of economic optimism – is with rising levels of innovation, fuelling productivity and competitiveness gains across the world economy. The small and medium enterprises (SMEs) sector is a disruptive force in manufacturing, particularly with regard to the repurposing of goods, and has the potential to make huge contributions to the more established businesses,” he said.

“With GMIS, we can create a unique stage for stakeholders, large and small, in global manufacturing to share their insights for how we can help companies and countries serve the global good,” he added.-TradeArabia News Service