A conference entitled ‘Utilizing Industrial Cooperation to Develop Local Supply Chain Capability’ and held at the Headquarters of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) was inaugurated today by Sheikh Khalid bin Abdullah Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Customs and Seaports Department, in the presence of HE Abdullah Sultan Al Owais, Chairman of SCCI.

The conference, which was held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah and Chairman of the Sharjah Executive Council, discussed several specialised working papers commissioned to identify key global trends affecting the future of the industrial sector, in particular the role of national industrial concerns within international production and supply chains.

HE Abdullah Sultan Al Owais, Chairman of SCCI, said: ‘This event reflects Sharjah’s ambition to pursue its development strategy, based on productive partnerships between the public and private sectors to help drive and diversify our economic sectors. By hosting industry leaders from the aviation, defence and space industries, SCCI is seeking to strengthen stakeholders’ relationships to help Sharjah’s manufacturing sector to compete at regional and global levels’.

The two-day conference, which is hosting leading executives from major companies and institutions operating in Sharjah and numerous representatives from the aviation, defence and space industries, will discuss the potential for enhancing technology transfers and enhanced industrial cooperation for the benefit of manufacturing, investment and other business-related activities in these sectors. There will be a particular focus on potential options for helping established country manufacturers to reorientate their businesses in order to boost exports of products and services to the international Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM’s).

‘Expanding our manufacturing and export sectors, and implementing best-in-class innovation practices, are key goals in line with the UAE’s economic diversification strategy and the Emirate of Sharjah’s development targets. In the future, we will carry out this event every November in order to help our business community stay abreast of evolving industry trends and how these trends are affecting manufacturing and investment activites on a global level’, added Al Owais.

Among the issues discussed at the event’s keynote session were: the UAE Industrial Cooperation Authority; the UAE’s and Sharjah’s success to securing technology cooperation in order to become a world class Tier 1 manufacturer; present and future manufacturing requirements in the UAE defence sector; the role of the defence and aviation industries in helping local manufacturers to attain global governance and management benchmarks; the SCCI’s Industrial Cooperation Support Services Unit; and the evaluation of supply chain risk.

During the conference, distinguished experts from across the manufacturing sector, including senior leaders from some of the most prominent local and international industrial concerns in the public and private sectors, are offering their insights and opinions at the conference’s discussion panels, which will deal with opportunities for UAE and Sharjah manufacturers to supply to global Tier 1 and 2 OEM’s through industrial cooperation, OEM supplier requirements, and the potential of the UAE’s Northern Emirates to become global manufacturing destinations