The Dubai Department of Economic Development (DED), in coordination with the Gulf Organisation for Industrial Consulting (GOIC), Qatar, and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (Unido), held an Industrial Subcontracting and Partnership Exchange (SPX) seminar in Dubai to strengthen networking between industries.
Representatives from several industrial corporations and establishments in Dubai attended the seminar organised under the patronage of Dr Mohammad Khalfan Bin Khirbash, Minister of State for Finance and Industry (MoFI), and held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel.
SPX, a Unido initiative, has been specifically designed to boost technical information systems and networking potential to facilitate production linkage between small, medium and large manufacturing firms. It is a matching mechanism that brings together main contractors and subcontractors.
“The Department of Economic Development seeks to enhance the growth of the industrial sector, which is regarded as one of the key components in building a stable economy by attracting foreign investment and improving the overall investment climate of Dubai,” said Khalid Al Kassim, deputy director general for planning and development at DED. “The department is keen to provide industrialists with a high level of value-added services in addition to offering them consultation, and ensuring that all their needs for basic services are met.”
DED had signed an MoU with Goic last year to provide services including establishing a subcontracting, partnership and exchange function in Dubai, aimed at strengthening the capacity of small and medium industries (SMI) to encourage import substitution and promote the exports of manufactured goods.
Goic signed an agreement with Unido for establishing a subcontracting facility on its premises. This subcontracting facility has focal points in each of the GCC countries.
“The organisation will provide necessary support for the creation of the subcontracting function, which will be linked to some 60 subcontracting and partnership exchanges established by UNIDO in more than 30 countries worldwide,” said Ahmed Hasan Dhaif, assistant secretary general for information technology, GOIC.
“As a result, participating SMIs will have access to the global market and global production systems to promote their industrial products and services in national and international markets,” added Dhaif. SPX’s objective is to reinforce the capacity of local industries to increase production, upgrade technological processes and products and improve their international competitiveness. SPX contributes to finding new investment opportunities through linkage between different industries.
