Emirates Global Aluminium, the largest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside of oil and gas, and the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT) today signed an agreement leveraging EGA’s Industry 4.0 expertise to support the digital transformation of UAE industrial companies.

The agreement was signed at Make it in the Emirates 2025 by His Excellency Omar Al Suwaidi, Undersecretary at MoIAT, and Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of EGA.

HE Al Suwaidi said: “EGA’s recognition as a global leader in Industry 4.0 positions it ideally to help advance the UAE’s industrial digital transformation. By sharing EGA’s best-in-class expertise, we can empower UAE industries – including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) – to become more globally competitive, resilient, and future-ready. This partnership directly supports the objectives of the National Strategy for Industry and Advanced Technology, driving sustainable growth and advanced technology transformation of our industry.”

Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium, said: "EGA is the UAE and the aluminium industry’s first Industry 4.0 global lighthouse, and we have the opportunity and the responsibility to support MoIAT to accelerate the digital transformation of other UAE industrial companies. We are looking forward to sharing the knowledge we have gained from EGA’s pioneering digital transformation programme, as another contribution to the achievement of the UAE’s Operation 300bn industrial development strategy.”

Earlier this year, EGA was designated a global Industry 4.0 Lighthouse by the World Economic Forum, the first in the UAE and in the global aluminium industry to achieve this distinction.

Since 2021, EGA’s digital transformation and Industry 4.0 programmes have delivered some $100 million in financial impact through more than 80 Industry 4.0 use cases. These range from using artificial intelligence to perform real-time quality checks of carbon anode production to developing predictive tools for market movements in key commodities. Almost 3,000 EGA employees have been upskilled in digital capabilities and ways of working.

Under the agreement, EGA will support MoIAT in developing a mentorship programme to accelerate advanced technology adoption among UAE industrial companies, including SMEs. The programme will offer tailored practical guidance and technical support from EGA’s operations and digital transformation experts.