Research and development (R&D) activities and the establishment of science parks as the main drivers for industry growth and a sustainable economy was one of the main points highlighted during the 8th Global Conference on Sustainable Manufacturing, which started today at Abu Dhabi University (ADU).

The conference, held under the patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, UAE Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, saw more than 150 regional and global academic and industrial experts, including research institutes and industrial partners. Presented by the International Academy for Production Engineering (CIRP) and hosted by ADU and Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, the delegates gathered in the UAE capital to discuss significant issues, innovations and international researches related to the area of sustainable manufacturing.

According to Hamad Al Hashemi, Director of Dubai Technopark, during his presentation, ’UAE 4 Innovation’, he explained that Arab states must play an important role in enhancing outputs from R&D. He also emphasised the creation of an ecosystem that support Science and Technology as well as innovation in the society.

Among the VIP speakers at the conference were Dr. Nabil Ibrahim, Chancellor of ADU; Prof. Fred Moavenzadeh, President of Masdar Institute; and Prof. Dr. Ing Gunther Seliger, Berlin University of Technology (TU Berlin). Other keynote presentations were from Prof. Nabil Nasr of Rochester University, who presented ‘A Framework for Sustainable Production’ and a case study by Dominik Rohrmus, Corporate Research and Technologies of Siemens about Sustainable Manufacturing at Siemens AG.

Together with Dr. Holger Kohl, Head of Department of Business Excellence Methods, Fraunhofer Institute for Production Systems and Design Technology (IPK), Al Hashemi also highlighted the importance of building Science Parks for the development of national innovation systems in resources-driven economies. This also included Intellectual Capital Management for Sustainable Manufacturing. In their presentations, both speakers focused on the so-called ‘knowledge revolution’ as a dynamic factor of sustainable manufacturing and a powerful driver of human capital and productivity.

In addition, according to some recent studies, there was a serious shortfall on the Arab region’s R&D capabilities in knowledge generation, acquisition, and absorption. Al Hashemi and Dr. Kohl explained that Science Parks are one of the important factors to support knowledge development as well as Intellectual Capital Management in a resources-driven economy like the UAE.

The three-day conference also featured a series of parallel sessions on management and technology topics relating to sustainable manufacturing. Masdar Institute presented and examined the development of a Solar Innovation System in the UAE, wherein they applied the sectoral innovation systems (SIS) approach to analyse the emergence of a solar energy sector in the country. Headed by Dr. Georgeta Vidican, together with Lisa McElvaney, Diana Samulewicz and Yasser Al-Saleh, the session tackled the current dynamics in the emerging solar system of innovation (SI) in the UAE and the main factors that could sustain the transformation process or potentially undermine the development of supporting SI locally.

Among the main focus of the conference were value adding by sustainable manufacturing in the UAE, potentials of renewables, education for sustainability engineering, green supply chain and efficiency, technology driven start-ups, and sustainable products and manufacturing processes. Some of the sessions presented new technologies on areas such as optimisation of superplastic forming and the effects of interfacial friction on variable strain rate forming paths; sustainable drilling processes in metals using peripheral drills; a new FlexDie implementation for sheet metal manufacturing; and innovative bipolar plates design for increasing fuel cell efficiency among others.

The 8th Global Conference on Sustainable Manufacturing, supported by Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), the conference’s exclusive destination partner, also included company and factory visits to Masdar Institute of Science and Technology; Emirates Aluminium (EMAL); Anabeeb Pipes Manufacturing Factories; and Emirates Steel Industries (ESI). For more information about the event, please visit www.8th-gcsm-abudhabi.com.
 

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