Riyadh, December 3, 2025

Roland Berger Middle East, in collaboration with Saudi Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, Microsoft Arabia and Shurfah Holding, announced the winners of the Middle East Edition of the Microsoft Intelligent Manufacturing Award (MIMA) 2025 , recognizing the most impactful and innovative manufacturing companies across the Kingdom.

Launched for the first time in the Middle East earlier this year, MIMA aims to accelerate the transformation of regional industrial ecosystems by spotlighting organizations that are redefining manufacturing through digitalization, data intelligence and advanced technologies. The Middle East edition builds on the success of the award’s EMEA flagship program, which has become one of the industry’s most respected recognitions for operations excellence and intelligent factories.

The inaugural Middle East edition attracted a strong and diverse pool of applicants across Saudi Arabia’s fast-growing industrial sector. Participants were evaluated across dimensions including technology implementation, operational excellence, sustainability impact, digital blueprint and revenue enablement.

After a rigorous multi-stage review process, winners were selected across five award categories, along with one overall grand winner whose transformation stood out for its end-to-end impact.

The winners are:

Add Value!

United Technology of Electrical Substations & Switchgears (UTEC) | Industry 4.0 Transformation (From Batch Production to Smart Flow Manufacturing)

Honored for deploying AI-powered optimization tools that significantly enhance efficiency, forecasting accuracy, and cost competitiveness.

UTEC’s Industry 4.0 flow transformation turns a batch-driven Substations & Switchgears factory into a lean, connected line, delivering double-digit gains in productivity, labor and material savings and showing how smart layout and data unlock substantial value from existing assets with minimal modifications.

Disrupt!

Obeikan Digital Solutions Co. for Obeikan Flexible & Film | O3OZONEai: The Smart Factory Operations Platform

Celebrated for redefining industrial value chains through breakthrough digitization technologies.

Obeikan Flexible & Film Co. reimagine factory management with O3OZONEai, a smart industrial lean co-pilot solution that connects every machine, process, people and systems, transforming daily operations into a data-driven cockpit for entire industrial value chains.

Innovate!

EXA Alfanar | Enterprise Manufacturing Intelligence system

Recognized for pioneering the integration of advanced automation and real-time data intelligence to transform production workflows.

EXA alfanar combines advanced analytics, energy and water optimization coupled with full recycling process into an Enterprise Manufacturing Intelligence platform, proving how AI-driven insight can turn the plant into a smart, self-learning benchmark for production.

Scale!

LG Shaker Co. Ltd | Smart Manufacturing Transformation: Advancing Efficiency, Quality, and Sustainability

Awarded for successfully scaling an intelligent manufacturing platform across multiple plants and sites, delivering productivity improvements and cross-site standardization.

LG Shaker has built a showcase smart factory for HVAC production, integrating robotics, IoT, quality analytics and energy management across more than 120 machines, setting a scalable blueprint for high-volume manufacturing fully aligned with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030.

Sustainability!

City Cement Company | City Cement's Factory White-Box: Real-Time Insight and Action Through Intelligent Manufacturing

Recognized for embedding sustainability at the core of industrial operations, using intelligent, data-driven systems to reduce emissions, cut waste, and advance circular economy practices.

City Cement’s Factory White-Box unlocks deep process visibility and prescriptive insights across production lines and utilities, cutting downtime and energy waste while enabling greener cement at scale – a compelling example of sustainability as a direct outcome of intelligence.

Overall Winner – MIMA Middle East 2025 Champion:

Nommas.ai for Saudi Can Company | The AI Factory Brain

Awarded for an exceptional end-to-end transformation that delivers innovation, scalability, operational impact, and measurable sustainability results, setting a new regional benchmark for intelligent manufacturing excellence.

Nommas.ai deployed a closed-loop, cognitive AI system that not only automates visual quality but adds a real-time reasoning layer that explains, predicts, and prevents failures. The solution lifts yield, cuts scrap and maintenance cost, empowers operators, and reduces environmental footprint— a cross-cutting lighthouse showcasing innovation, value, scale, disruption, and sustainability.

Kenan Nowailati, Head of Operations, Roland Berger Middle East, said:

“Manufacturing in the Middle East is undergoing one of the fastest and most profound transformations worldwide. Through MIMA Saudi Arabia, we have seen how the Saudi industrial sector is not only adopting advanced technologies, but reshaping operating models, unlocking new economic value and building resilient, future-ready organizations. These winners embody the spirit of intelligent, data-driven operations and set a high standard for the region.”

The launch of MIMA Middle East supports the Kingdom’s national transformation agenda, including the goals of Saudi Vision 2030, the National Industrial Strategy, and the efforts to expand high-value manufacturing, localize production, strengthen global competitiveness and drive sustainable growth.

• Photos sakkmesterke / iStockphoto; archy13 / iStockphoto; CTRd / Getty Images