As part of the coordination efforts between the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Industrial Development Directorate, in coordination with the Industry and Energy Committee, conducted a visit to the "Medal Cables Co. W.L.L." factory. The visit was attended by seven ambassadors from friendly countries (the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Kingdom of Morocco, the Russian Federation, the People's Republic of China, the Republic of Korea, the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, and the Republic of the Philippines) with the aim of introducing the Medal factory and its products and exploring new cooperation opportunities and expanding the factory's production horizons with friendly countries. The attendees were received by Mr. Rashid Hameed Al Zayani, Director and Member of the Board of Directors of Medal Cables company and Engineer Khaled Abdul Latif, Group CEO of Medal Cables.

During the visit, Mr. Khalid Salman Al Qasimi, Director of Industrial Development at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, expressed his appreciation for the factory's efforts and briefed the attendees on the most important initiatives of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce that are provided to factories, which are in line with the pillars of the Industry Sector Strategy 2022-2026. These initiatives include:

• "i Factories" initiative: This initiative aims to support the transformation of the industrial sector toward the "Fourth Industrial Revolution" by measuring factory readiness and its digital maturity in order to enable them to invest in technology infrastructure and automation using the Smart Industry Readiness Index (SIRI).
• "The integrated industrial partnership for sustainable economic development with the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, and Morocco" initiative: This initiative aims to achieve integration between the components, capabilities and expertise possessed by partner countries to create industrial opportunities that contribute to diversifying the economy and increasing the competitiveness and flexibility of the industrial sector. The importance of this initiative lies in strengthening partnerships between member countries aiming to feed this promising sector with growth and development boosters.
• "In-Country Value in Industry (Takamul) Program" initiative: This initiative aims to measure the contribution of factories to the national economy's development, where industrial establishments can obtain the In-country Value Certificate (Takamul) to be a preferred option in future government purchases.

Al Qasimi praised Medal's completion of the self-assessment to measure the readiness of smart factories with the support of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce. He also appreciated the factory management's interest in expanding its industrial and logistical operations, confirming the ministry's full support for the factory's efforts in this field.

This visit comes within the framework of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce's efforts to enhance Bahrain's position as a leading regional industrial center and to strengthen cooperation with friendly countries in this field.