Forum successfully engages stakeholders in developing the Center’s roadmap
March 25, 2018 – Emerson Automation Solutions recently hosted a workshop at the Collaboration Center in its new headquarters in Dhahran Techno Valley with more than 50 representatives of its regional stakeholders –including partner educational institutions, key customers, and government representatives — to identify their needs and priorities for applied research in the processed industries.
Organizations represented at the workshop included King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM); Saudi Aramco Process & Control Systems Department; Saudi Aramco Exploration and Petroleum Engineering Center – Advanced Research Center (EXPEC ARC); Dhahran Techno Valley Company; and the Ministry of Education and Small & Medium Enterprise Support Group for Eastern Province.
The workshop discussed the roadmap for the development of the Collaboration Center, in addition to strategies to ensure that all stakeholders obtain maximum benefit from the center’s facilities. The forum that began with a tour of the Collaboration Center, featured fruitful discussions on potential areas of research; project selection criteria; project support and mentoring; and key performance indicators required to ensure the investment time and resources delivers results to the stakeholders and the country. The output from the workshop will help align the center’s operations with the needs of the stakeholders and ensure its beneficial use moving forward.
Emerson’s Collaboration Center is equipped with modern technology-enabled capabilities including five research pods (for individual and team initiatives) fully equipped with a distributed control system and simulation panels, a collaboration and brainstorming space for creativity and
idea sharing, a solutions theater for exploring a wide range of solutions in the process automation field with full 3D capabilities, and an advanced teleconferencing room for connecting to Emerson’s network of centers, experts and consultants or any external site.
Liam Hurley, Vice President and General Manager of Emerson Automation Solutions in Saudi Arabia said: “This workshop was successful in engaging all stakeholders in exploring the roadmap for further development of the Center. We are pleased to provide our technology expertise to all stakeholders, thereby facilitating the role of technology as a major driving force to boost economic development activities.”
The new headquarters with its focus on technology and collaboration, aligns with Saudi Arabia’s National Transformation Plan and the Saudi Vision 2030 development agenda which looks at technology as a key enabler for boosting job creation and economic activities in the non-oil sector. The project is also in line with the In-Kingdom Total Value Add (IKTVA) program, the initiative created by Saudi Aramco to baseline, measure and support increased levels of localization in the Kingdom.