Abu Dhabi—Mubasher: Mubadala Aerospace is looking to invest in “fourth industrial revolution” technologies, including 3D-printing and artificial intelligence (AI)-focused predictive maintenance, the head of Abu Dhabi's state-owned firm said.
Mubadala Aerospace will seek to partner with “technology-focused companies across the sector” in the near future in a bid to develop a competitive value proposition for its customers and generate sustainable financial returns for the shareholders, Badr Al Olama told Arabian Business.
“Consequently, we will be looking into 3D printing and robotics, advanced materials and predictive maintenance using artificial intelligence technologies,” said Al Olama, who doubles as the head of the organising committee of the Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit (GMIS).
These cutting-edge technologies will create further jobs and fresh “hybrid” roles in which skilled workers use technology to facilitate production, efficiency and decision-making, he said.
“The introduction of robotics to the manufacturing sector, for example, allows higher levels of work flexibility as monotonous or repetitive tasks are overtaken by machines, allowing workers to focus on creative or competitive thinking,” the head of Mubadala Aerospace added.
The additive manufacturing will boost further “local and community-led manufacturing”, Al Olama said, citing benefits including more precision and less waste, reduced CO2 emissions and fewer transportation miles by printing onsite.
By 2030, researchers believe that “the majority of private consumers in industrial countries will have additive manufacturing printers at home, which may shrink and scale down global supply chains,” he noted.
Al Olama affirmed that although the development of new technologies can create “unprecedented opportunities” for the manufacturing workforce, the dramatic shift has also led to a skills gap.
“To ensure the full scale of the [Fourth Industrial Revolution] is realised, particularly in the manufacturing sector, an international initiative to shift, train and retrain skills towards digitalisation is needed, urgently,” he said.
