Texas A&M at Qatar, a Qatar Foundation, in partnership with AIN Holdings, hosted the Forum for Industrial Repair and Maintenance (FIRM). Almost 100 participants, including representatives from government agencies and industry, attended the forum, which was sponsored by Qatar Technical International Metal Industries.
This forum was a platform for exchange of expertise and knowledge in the important field of industrial repair and maintenance. Qatar is developing mega industrial facilities and plants, and has recently placed strategic emphasis on developing a manufacturing sector that relies on an efficient supply chain system of components and tools.
During his welcome address, Dr. César Octavio Malavé, dean of Texas A&M at Qatar, said that collaboration among all stakeholders, including government and industry, is key to ensure resilience for the country.
He said, “As Texas A&M at Qatar continues into its 20th year in Qatar, we are committed to developing engineering leaders who can have a direct positive impact on Qatar’s economy. We are delighted to host experts in the field to explore opportunities and challenges facing the industrial repair and maintenance sector in Qatar. Texas A&M at Qatar looks forward to receiving feedback from the participants so we can develop the educational and training programs needed to elevate knowledge in Qatar and worldwide in this important field.”
The forum brought experts and other stakeholders together to share ideas among the educational, technical, and business sectors regarding opportunities and challenges facing industrial repair and maintenance sector in Qatar. It served as a platform for developing partnerships that enhance expertise and advance capabilities in industrial repair and maintenance. The participants also discussed educational and training programs that are needed to elevate knowledge and introduce state-of-the-practice in this field.
During the event, Chilamparsan Chinnapandi, Territory Manager, Castolin Eutectic Middle East FZE, gave the keynote presentation, “Value and Impact of Repair and Maintenance on the Economy” where he highlighted some of the challenges faced by the industry and identified business opportunities for the local manufacturing sector.”
Dr. Marwan Khraisheh, Chair of the Mechanical Engineering Program at Texas A&M at Qatar, also gave a keynote talk, “Technological Advances for On-Demand Manufacturing and Supply of Engineering Components.” He stressed on the importance for Qatari-based manufacturing companies to adapt recent technologies to stay competitive and grow their businesses. He added “Texas A&M University at Qatar has leading experts and state of the art facilities that are eager to support the local manufacturing sector. I invite all the participants to join the TAMUQ Manufacturing Consortium, and work with us across various platforms ranging from R&D projects to student training.”
The event was concluded with a panel discussion featuring leading government and industry experts who explored the role of repair and maintenance sector in national resilience, the current approaches for repair and maintenance in Qatar, the role of the repair and maintenance sector in advancing Qatar’s manufacturing sector and strategy, and the role of the education sector in preparing qualified engineers in this repair and maintenance sector.
Dr. Eyad Masad, Texas A&M at Qatar mechanical engineering professor who led the organization of this event, said, “I would like to express our gratitude to all the participants who made this a fruitful and successful event. We need to leverage each other’s expertise and skills to ensure the best result for Qatar, and such forums play a key role in bringing all the stakeholders to the table. We look forward to hosting more collaborative events in the future. I would like to thank AIN Holding for being our co-organizers and Qatar Technical International Metal Industries for their sponsorship.”
Source: Texas A&M University at Qatar