Future Factories Program

The Future Factories Program is an initiative that adopts the SIRI methodology to assess the operational readiness of factories. It aims to transform four thousand factories from relying on low-skilled, low-wage labor to automation and manufacturing efficiency. The program was launched by the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources on July 20, 2022.

SIRI is an internationally recognized index for measuring the level of adoption of the Fourth Industrial Revolution by establishments. It provides the necessary tools to increase the adoption rate, facilitates benchmarking at the national and international levels, and is the only index approved by the World Economic Forum to enhance local industry capabilities and advance national industry to leading positions.

The program adopts the SIRI methodology in collaboration with the International Center for Industrial Transformation "INCIT" and is sponsored by the National Industrial Development and Logistics Program (NIDLP) and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.

The Future Factories Program is divided into two tracks. The first track targets new factories, ensuring they are designed and established according to high standards of manufacturing and production efficiency. The second track focuses on existing factories, transforming them to adopt operational excellence standards and advanced technologies. The classification criteria for the factories include the number of employees, the size of investment, and the value of exports.

The program offers various development mechanisms that benefit all factories licensed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, regardless of their level of technological advancement. It aims to provide the maximum number of enablers to enhance the competitiveness of the industrial sector, find alternative solutions to reduce the sector's reliance on unskilled labor, and create quality jobs that match educational outcomes and suitable job requirements for citizens.

The Future Factories Program aims to support large factories in achieving the industrial targets set by the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, stimulate major and specialized investment projects, activate supporting programs and activities, and enhance the attractiveness of industrial investment in the Kingdom.

The Future Factories Program has several advantages, including disseminating awareness about the importance of local content and localization targets, preventing setbacks by developing criteria for monitoring factories' financial indicators, providing priority pathways for services provided by the ministry, accessing industrial maturity assessments, identifying and marketing investment opportunities, and taking part in decision-making process.

The program's advantages also include access to the trends and strategy of the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources and its affiliated and supporting sectors, monitoring the factory's progress in achieving automation targets, and tracking industrial indicators and periodic statistical reports.