RIYADH: In a bid to push digitization efforts in Saudi Arabia, the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources has launched a program to implement basic digitization solutions in the industrial sector Part of the Factories of the Future program, it falls under the umbrella of the “Stimulating Local Industry” initiative, which is aimed at enhancing investment in the industrial sector, raising the percentage of local content, and increasing the operational efficiency and production capacity of local factories, as reported by the Saudi Press Agency. According to Jarrah bin Muhammad Al-Jarrah, the official spokesman of the ministry, the “track of applying basic digitization solutions” aims to monitor the performance of factories by providing communication systems and offering operational data. The program will also monitor performances by boosting the level of digital maturity, competitiveness and operational efficiency of national factories in addition to creating job opportunities that can attract national talent, Al-Jarrah explained. Furthermore, he pointed out that the path also includes providing digital solutions in communication systems as well as controlling production lines and material handling such as cranes and warehouse management systems. In addition to software and Internet of Things sensors, the new program will also offer other products that contribute to enhancing the basic digitization of industrial facilities, Al-Jarrah highlighted. “The Stimulating Local Industry will be an umbrella for many initiatives, including the Future Factories and Promising Factories launched today, in addition to other initiatives that will be announced later,” Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef said in a press note in December. At the time, the ministry clarified that the Factories of the Future program plans to transform 4,000 facilities into trailblazers of the fourth industrial revolution by using automation and modern technologies. According to the ministry at the time, the program plans to finance up to 75 percent of the project cost and offer financial incentives for the rest. These include a maximum of SR10 million ($2.66 million) granted when the factory is fully operational, the ministry revealed at the time. The other benefits of the scheme include a loan repayment of seven years and an application review process not exceeding eight weeks.