The Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit, GMIS, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with the Association of Industrial Unions in Slovakia as part of the summit’s international roadshow to major manufacturing economies around the globe. The MoU was signed in Slovakia’s capital, Bratislava, by Anton Ondrej, General Secretary of the Association of Industrial Unions, and Mohammed Al Baloushi, member of the GMIS Organising Committee and advisor to the CEO of Strata.

The MoU, which was signed in the presence of Ambassador Hamad Alkaabi, Permanent Representative of the UAE to the IAEA, is the third international agreement to be signed by GMIS, following recent partnerships with the Polish Chamber of Commerce and the Confederation of Indian Industry.

Today’s Memorandum of Understanding in Slovakia cements mutual support between the two bodies in the lead up to the inaugural Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit, which will be hosted by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, UNIDO, and the UAE Government in Abu Dhabi in March 2017. The summit will bring together 1,200 of the world’s leaders from industry, government and civil society, setting an outcomes-driven agenda for the manufacturing sector in addressing pressing global challenges including driving sustainable economic growth, creating skilled employment opportunities, and tackling global resourcing and production challenges.

During the roadshow in Slovakia, representatives from the Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit met with leaders of the country’s industrial sector. These included Rastislav Chovanec, State Secretary of the Slovakian Ministry of Economy, and representatives from the Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency, CEIT (AGV systems), C2i, Volkswagen Slovakia, Aeromobil, and ABB Slovakia.

Mr. Chovanec said, "The Memorandum is a tangible result of mutual and continuous efforts in recent years to further develop global value chain partnerships. Despite the growing role of services and digital economy, manufacturing and industrialisation still play an important role. Thus, the Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic welcomes and fully supports the direct cooperation among Emirati and Slovak industries, and indeed with manufacturing partners across the globe."

Badr Al-Olama, CEO of Strata Manufacturing and member of the GMIS Organising Committee, said, "Slovakia has been a rising star in the global manufacturing sphere, having experienced substantial growth and development in a relatively short period of time. The automotive sector in Slovakia is especially strong, and emerging economies have considerable lessons to learn from the way in which Slovakia has attracted world-leading automotive brands to establish a base for manufacturing in the market. By adopting next-generation technologies, such as those that are powering the Industry 4.0 revolution, the manufacturing sector in Slovakia will unlock great value that have been seen in other parts of the world, from automotive to food production, from pharmaceuticals to aerospace, in both developed and emerging economies."

Anton Ondrej said, "Signing an MoU with the Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit is more than just a confirmation of our support for this world-first event, it symbolises Slovakia’s progressive approach to developing manufacturing and industry to become more efficient and in line with the rising technological capabilities of Industry 4.0. The Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit is the ideal platform for us to launch forward into a new era of industrialisation, which will lead to greater contributions to Slovakia’s economy and the creation of more employment opportunities throughout the country."

In addition to being co-hosted by UNIDO and the UAE Ministry of Economy, the Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit has partnered with leading entities such as PwC, Siemens and Tawazun Holding. The Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit will be the definitive knowledge-sharing platform for the manufacturing sector, gathering the world’s foremost experts to discuss the issues that are affecting manufacturing today, as well as in the future.

It is planned that GMIS will be held in leading global cities every other year after the inaugural GMIS in Abu Dhabi in March.