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In a strategic move that reflects its commitment to Oman Vision 2040 for sustainable industrial transformation and keeping pace with the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Oman Flour Mills Company, in cooperation with the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, launched the "Empowering Smart Factories" initiative. This initiative aims to integrate the latest technologies in artificial intelligence, automation, and digital systems into manufacturing processes to enhance efficiency, productivity, and sustainability.

The "Empowering Smart Factories" initiative represents a qualitative shift in the industrial sector. Over the past five years, the company has developed a strategic roadmap that includes developing production lines by introducing a modern machine that has contributed to providing rapid services, increasing production capacity, and other related activities. It has also analyzed operational performance, studied the causes of production declines and monthly shutdowns, and analyzed spare parts consumption in the main engines of flour and feed factories. This has led to the development of a comprehensive short- and long-term plan for the gradual transformation to an integrated "smart factory."

Engineer Adel bin Nasser Al-Sabqi, Innovation Director at Oman Flour Mills Company, said: "Over the past five years, the company has witnessed an exceptional transformation thanks to our strategy based on lean management, digital transformation, and the implementation of the smart factory concept. This has resulted in annual savings exceeding half a million Omani riyals, in line with the national drive to modernize the industrial sector." He emphasized that the transition to smart production plants based on modern technology contributes to improving productivity, reducing costs, and enhancing operational efficiency.

He added: "As part of the smart transformation plan, the company has installed nine robotic systems at various production sites, including flour packaging lines with different weights (10 kg, 25 kg, 40 kg, and 50 kg), in addition to the new feed mill (C-Mill), the mix plant, and warehouse stacking systems. This has contributed to improving packaging accuracy, reducing reliance on labor, reducing downtime, reducing maintenance and spare parts costs, and enhancing public safety." He explained that the new FAWEMA packaging machines are capable of packaging four different weights, which has contributed to increased flexibility in responding to market needs and better supporting sales promotion activities. He explained that the new machines boast a filling speed of up to 65 bags per minute, compared to only 25 bags in the old machine, significantly increasing production capacity, reducing breakdowns, and improving operational efficiency. These machines also come with a 15-year quality guarantee and were selected for their immediate compatibility with the sales team's requirements. The team underwent a comprehensive training program, and a final acceptance test was conducted in Germany, confirming the new system's readiness for efficient operation from day one.

Engineer Adel Al-Sabqi confirmed that Oman Flour Mills Company has developed an advanced bag counting system powered by artificial intelligence, which has contributed to reducing human error, improving data quality, and enhancing operational control. He noted that the company has achieved another milestone by automating the 50 kg bag filling line, increasing daily production capacity from 500 kg to 4,320 kg. This project was entirely implemented by internal Omani personnel, reflecting the company's technical expertise.

The Director of Innovation at Oman Flour Mills explained that, as part of empowering Omani national talent, the company launched the "Task Book" initiative to train employees on artificial intelligence technologies and automated systems. This initiative has facilitated the integration of new employees, tracked and continuously improved performance, enhanced operational knowledge within teams, and reviewed equipment.

Engineer Adel Al-Sabaqi explained that at the beginning of 2020, the company implemented a proactive maintenance plan, conducting a comprehensive review of its old equipment. This resulted in a plan to replace outdated OCMEL stacking systems with modern robots, saving spare parts costs, and developing a two-year proactive plan to reduce future breakdowns.

He emphasized that the company has gone through three clear strategic phases during its transformation journey: “Lean Management,” which focused on reducing waste, improving process flow, and adopting key performance indicators; “Smart Factory,” which integrates robotic systems and smart monitoring tools to modernize production lines; and “Digital Transformation,” which involves adopting artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and internal digital tools to support cross-departmental collaboration, predictive maintenance, and data-driven decision-making. These initiatives have contributed to the institution’s continued position as a leading national company in industrial innovation and a role model in aligning technology with sustainability to enhance food security and raise the efficiency and competitiveness of the Omani industrial sector locally and regionally.