GE is set to deliver a transformational shift in localized innovation and manufacturing through a new partnership with the Global Manufacturing and Industrialization Summit (GMIS), a joint initiative by the UAE Ministry of Economy and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) that is co-hosted with the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development. The Summit will be held in Abu Dhabi under the patronage of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and it is the world's first global gathering for the manufacturing community, bringing together leaders in business, government and civil society to shape a vision for the sector's future. The Global Manufacturing and Industrialization Summit will be held at the Paris-Sorbonne - Abu Dhabi on March 27- 30, 2017. Around 1,200 delegates including heads of state, government leaders, ministers, policy makers and C-Suite executives from Global 2000 companies are expected to attend. GE joins the Summit as a founding partner, introducing the company's revolutionary industrial Internet and additive manufacturing technology and capability. GE will also launch the ‘micro-factory' model as part of its founding partnership; working with partners to build the region's first additive manufacturing micro-factory. Jeffrey Immelt, GE's Chairman and CEO, described the partnership of GE with the Global Manufacturing and Industrialization Summit as strategic in supporting the digital transformation of industry and economies. "Manufacturing is key to realizing the vision of sustainable and diversified economies, and it is important we work with partners to progress the future of manufacturing. GE's additive manufacturing and industrial internet enable us to support governments and industry in transforming economies through localized manufacturing and SME supply chain development thereby accelerating the goals of job creation and human capital development. "Through our partnership with GMIS, we are promoting a culture of innovation and exploring the co-creation of digital industrial solutions to address global challenges and boost the competitiveness of the manufacturing sector." Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Affairs Authority, and Chairman of the Global Manufacturing and Industrialization Summit Advisory Board, said: "We are at a critical juncture in the global economy, where new technologies and processes are changing the working environment. In manufacturing, many traditional and established roles are vanishing and, as a result, new industries and new jobs are being created." "In this disruptive environment, we must look at innovative and unconventional ways of working – industry with industry, small businesses with global corporations, challenger brands with market leaders. GE's initiative to promote the co-creation of products is exactly the kind of innovation that will drive growth and opportunity for the benefit of the global economy." Li Yong, Director General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), said: "GE's partnership with GMIS makes a big contribution to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development - and in particular Sustainable Development Goal 9 on building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization and fostering innovation. This Agenda is currently being implemented by a global partnership which includes governments, the United Nation system, and the private sector, amongst many others. It is thus important that we nurture new technologies and promote small and medium-sized enterprises to become partners in global value chains so that we can harness industry's full potential to contribute to lasting prosperity for all." The Global Manufacturing and Industrialization Summit is globally focused and participating corporations will learn from best practices from all across the world. This unprecedented global gathering will spark new ideas and set the stage for debate and action - addressing ways in which manufacturing can shape and reshape the world, integrating activities between developed and emerging markets, and delivering on social responsibility towards future generations. The Summit will emphasize the role of manufacturing in reconstructing economies and restoring global prosperity. Leaders from the public and private sectors, along with representatives from civil society organizations, will gather together to discuss global challenges within the manufacturing sector, looking specifically at six themes: technology and innovation; global value chains; skills, employment and education; sustainability and environment; infrastructure; and standards and stakeholder alignment.
