The partnership with GMIS shows private sector stepping up to join global alliance following the adoption of the Abu Dhabi Declaration, say industry experts.
Aerospace multinational company Thales Group has joined the Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit (GMIS) as an industry partner. GMIS is a joint initiative of the UAE and the UN Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO).
The partnership will see GMIS and Thales collaborate to explore applications of the latest Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies in space, with the aim of developing a concept to pilot an Internet of Things (IoT) space project that can be expanded globally.
The partnership was announced following the global adoption of the Abu Dhabi Declaration, an outcome from the 18th session of the UN Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) General Conference.
In an unprecedented move, UNIDOs member states, who had gathered in Abu Dhabi for the General Conference, agreed to join forces in calling on the global private sector to form a coalition to advance inclusive and sustainable industrial development.
A 2018 report on the state of the satellite industry, published by the Satellite Industry Association (SIA), estimated the size of the global space economy in 2017 to be $348bn and growing fast. Morgan Stanley forecasts that this will more than double by 2040, estimated to reach more than $1.1tn.
Thaless expertise in space stems from decades of experience designing, operating and delivering satellite-based systems that drive connectivity and help optimise the use of the planets resources. This expertise is now backed-up by assets coming from Thales Digital Identity and Security unit (from Gemalto acquisition), with an end-to-end security approach based on data encryption and mutual-authentication between connected devices.
Meanwhile, the Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit unite manufacturers, governments and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), technologists, investors and civil society in a mission to harness the 4IR transformation of the manufacturing sector to enable the regeneration of the global economy and to deliver prosperity to societies across the world.
The third edition of the GMIS was held virtually on September 4-5, 2020 under the theme Glocalisation: Towards Sustainable and Inclusive Global Value Chains. Discussions focussed on the major issues facing the manufacturing sector and explored how the adoption of 4IR technologies, localising production capabilities and capacity building, and spreading inclusive and sustainable development are critical to the future of global value chains.
There was also a series of working group sessions which involved subject matter experts from industry and world-renowned organisations to discuss the development of a number of new initiatives the summit plans to launch in the near future.
Commenting on the development, Patrice Caine, Chairman and CEO of Thales said: “The space sector is at the core of how we communicate, how we travel, and how we help to keep people moving safely thanks to. New technologies enabled by the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Having a complete understanding and experience of complex environments such as Space and IoT, dramatically helps us thrive in this new revolution. Our partnership with GMIS will contribute to unleashing the full potential of this revolution in a sustainable way.”
Badr Al-Olama, Head of the GMIS Organising Committee, added: We are very excited to welcome Thales on board as our partner at GMIS. This partnership is a testament of the enabling role of the private sector to advance inclusive and sustainable industrial development in support of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through a global alliance and answering the call for action by the Abu Dhabi Declaration. GMIS aims to bring leaders together from multiple sectors to engage in a dialogue around the future of the manufacturing sector, and we believe that Thales can make a significant contribution in shaping a future that is bright and resilient.
