Mohamed Shaheen, Cluster President at Schneider Electric, welcomed attendees and emphasised the firm’s strategic vision of integrating energy management with supply chain optimisation. Shaheen highlighted the company’s commitment to carbon reduction and digital transformation, aligning operations with global sustainability frameworks.
Gartner’s Dipak Guha, VP for EMEA Supply Chain, underscored the need for enhanced agility in the face of geopolitical and climate-related disruptions. He pointed to recent research showing that enterprises with digitally enabled supply chains recover from shocks 30 per cent faster. Noha Samara, Senior Director Analyst, provided further context, referencing Gartner’s 2025 report that positions sustainability not just as a compliance issue but as a competitive differentiator.
A showcase of Schneider’s Ecostruxure platform illustrated real‑time energy, asset and data management across production lines. Haitham Afifi, Industrialisation Director, described a pilot in Europe that reduced energy consumption by 18 per cent and achieved a 12 per cent increase in throughput. This demonstration served as a tangible example of how IoT and analytics yield performance gains while reducing carbon footprints.
Gartner presented case studies spotlighting corporations that have pioneered sustainable supply chain initiatives. One highlighted example involved a consumer goods conglomerate that achieved zero‑waste production through a closed‑loop materials strategy and circular design principles. Another case involved a manufacturer that slashed 25 per cent of logistics emissions by deploying AI-driven route optimisation.
Delegates engaged in roundtable discussions addressing three core challenges: decarbonisation, digital ecosystems, and workforce transformation. Schneider’s Mohamed Waheed, VP Global Supply Chain, MEA, noted that talent shortages in supply chain roles—particularly in analytics and digital maintenance—remain a critical bottleneck. He advocated for regional upskilling programmes and strengthened partnerships with local academic institutions.
Riyadh attendees also examined the implications of emerging regulations, including Saudi Arabia’s increasing environmental standards and the evolving corporate social responsibility mandates across GCC markets. Industry leaders cautioned that regulatory complexity could overwhelm smaller suppliers, emphasising the importance of collaborative frameworks and shared technology access to bridge gaps.
A forward‑looking panel discussed the role of renewable energy integration within manufacturing. Schneider’s team advocated for modular solar and storage systems tied directly to factory automation, enabling flexible manufacturing schedules that align with grid dynamics and optimise energy use. They noted this could reduce reliance on fossil‑fuel‑based peak power and support a broader shift towards decentralised energy solutions.
Networking sessions fostered collaboration among supply chain executives from industries spanning oil and gas, consumer goods, pharmaceuticals, and automotive. Many echoed a common ambition: to reconfigure regional supply chains into more resilient, circular and data‑centric systems. Some reported experimentation with digital twins and supply chain control towers to coordinate transactions across multiple countries in real time.
Throughout the event, sustainability remained a central theme—not only in emissions tracking but in resource efficiency, waste reduction, and water management. The agenda also included visits to Riyadh Solar City, where delegations observed large‑scale clean energy deployment feeding industrial zones, underscoring how energy infrastructure and manufacturing are converging.
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