Schneider Electric has opened a new production line in Riyadh to produce Schneider Electric’s intelligent Altivar Process Modular (APM) drives.

These smart, connected devices will be used in industrial processes, machines or building to improve energy efficiency.

Each unit will carry the ‘Made in KSA’ tag, strengthening Saudi Arabia’s position as a global exporter of intelligent digital products, it added.

The state-of-the-art production line will support Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 goal of positioning the kingdom as a global manufacturing hub, increasing opportunities to export energy management solutions to regional and global markets.

Announcing the launch, Mohamed Shaheen, Cluster President of Saudi Arabia and Yemen, said: "As a leader in energy management and digital transformation, Schneider Electric’s new manufacturing line will produce intelligent equipment that can empower companies to become more energy efficient, and fulfill their decarbonisation and sustainability journey."

The new production line is equipped with the latest automation technology and robotics. Jobs will be available and offered to the Saudi workforce, with priority to youth and women in technical roles. "Up to 10 per cent of the workforce on the assembly line will also be allocated to women," noted Shaheen.

The factory was inaugurated during Schneider Electric’s Saudi Arabia Innovation Summit 2023 in Riyadh.

The new assembly line reflects Schneider Electric’s commitment to diversity, digital transformation and the National Industrial Development and Logistics Program (NIDLP) – a blueprint to transform Saudi Arabia into a global logistics hub, said Shaheen.

The advanced production line will also contribute to the Kingdom’s National Industrial Strategy, which aims to triple industrial output and increase the value of Saudi Arabia’s industrial exports to approximately $149 billion by 2030.

Schneider Electric set up its first factory in Riyadh way back in 1987. It is equipped with Industry 4.0 applications including machine learning, software-guided interlocks, AI-based inspections, robotics for flexible automation and robotic process automation, it added.