Key Takeaway
IT and business are increasingly interconnected, especially post-COVID-19, highlighting the need for digital transformation to maintain competitiveness. Abdulbary Atassi, CIO of Zamil Industrial, emphasizes the strategic value of IT in enhancing operations across various sectors. Zamil Industrial, a major player in HVAC and construction, prioritizes an IT-driven approach, fostering innovation and collaboration. With a focus on digital transformation, the company has integrated advanced technologies, including Oracle’s ERP and generative AI, to streamline processes. Abdulbary advocates for effective change management and partnerships, ensuring Zamil Industrial remains a leader in the global manufacturing landscape.
Today, IT and business are closely connected. Accelerated by COVID-19, this global shift has solidified the need for digital transformation to maintain competitiveness in both current and future markets.
IT serves as the cornerstone of this transformation. When leveraged effectively, it can provide unique strategic advantages to organizations across various sectors.
From selecting technology to implementation and monitoring, this value is realized only through effective and strategic change management—an area where Abdulbary Atassi excels.
Introducing Zamil Industrial
Abdulbary is the CIO at Zamil Industrial, a prominent provider of products, materials, and services for the HVAC, steel, construction, installation, and development sectors.
Founded in 1998 through the merger of several family-owned companies in Saudi Arabia, Zamil Industrial has become one of the nation’s most influential manufacturing giants, producing goods utilized in agriculture, aviation, military, industry, and public infrastructure.
Since going public in 2002, Zamil Industrial has expanded globally, establishing an international presence and supplying products to over 90 countries.
Abdulbary manages IT operations for the manufacturer and its clients across both domestic and international industrial sectors.
“I lead a team of around 100 consultants and technical specialists worldwide to ensure we deliver the best technology and services to our affiliates,” he explains.
“We have our core operations in Saudi Arabia, conduct business in Egypt with two steel fabrication plants, and have two more in Vietnam and one factory in India.”
With a BA in Computer Engineering from Alexandria University in Egypt and an MA in Computer Science from Northeastern University in Boston, Abdulbary began his career as a technical consultant.
Consulting for Oracle’s ERP & Business Suite, Abdulbary then worked across various industries, including manufacturing. He later earned a degree in Project Management and served as an application manager.
He soon became CIO at Enzyme Industrial, a chemicals manufacturer, where he developed the expertise he now brings to his role at Zamil Industrial.
“What I love about this industry is that the inventions and technological advancements never stop,” Abdulbary says.
“Every time we create something new and experiment with new technology, we discover better ways to enhance products and improve customer satisfaction, and we see the benefits.”
Abdulbary plays a vital role at Zamil Industrial, an organization that is highly IT-driven rather than merely IT-augmented. He recognizes the importance of this, stating that for businesses today: “Staying the same is not an option. It’s either change or die.”
Not IT augmented, IT driven
Alongside the significance of change management in Abdulbary’s role is the nature of Zamil Industrial as a manufacturer. Many manufacturers—especially in heavy industry—still prioritize operational technology (OT) over IT in their planning and operations. This contributes to the ongoing challenges of siloed data and projects.
In contrast, Zamil Industrial adopts a different strategy. The company prides itself on its ability to provide a comprehensive construction engineering package. With operations spanning construction, steel, AC/HVAC, insulation, and concrete, the company offers a portfolio capable of delivering complete turnkey solutions.
What truly enables this capability is Zamil Industrial’s self-perception as IT-driven.
“We view ourselves in terms of IT, not merely as a service center,” Abdulbary explains.
“We’re moving away from the traditional IT service center model, where we simply respond to business requests. Instead, we are delving deeply into business processes and operations, understanding their needs and the technological opportunities available in the market.
“We position ourselves as innovators, guiding the adoption of new technologies.”
This approach is deeply rooted in the company’s legacy.
While Zamil Industrial was formally established in 1998, the industrial companies it encompasses have been in operation for much longer.
Zamil Steel was founded in 1977 and remains a global leader in the engineering design and manufacturing of various steel products and components.
Similarly, Zamil Air Conditioners was founded in 1974, significantly impacting the development of the air conditioning industry in Saudi Arabia.
This legacy brings insight and adaptability. The company recognizes that the needs of industrial clients across these sectors are nuanced and constantly evolving. Solutions must be future-proofed and tailored individually, with the approach to achieving this grounded in assessment.
“We always begin with assessment,” Abdulbary explains.
“We evaluate our current processes, identify areas for improvement, measure our progress against KPIs, and then explore the market for the best technology to enhance them.
“We develop a plan, use benchmarks to determine our goals, and then initiate implementation. After going live and stabilizing, we measure the outcomes to see if we’ve achieved our return on investment.”
A prime example of this is Zamil Industrial’s digital transformation of its HVAC and AC sector offerings. This initiative began with a project to enhance, connect, and streamline the company’s in-house applications.
This was accomplished by expanding its use of Oracle’s ERP and MES applications from just the core modules to 40.
Following this, Zamil Industrial assessed its design software—PTC Windchill—used for creating central AC and larger-scale units.
“We made significant improvements, enhanced the overall process, and migrated to the cloud,” Abdulbary continues.
“Then we began discussing how to achieve seamless integration between both applications for a fully automated process.
“With both applications in place, we started reaping the benefits of implementing our analytics platform.
“Thus, the primary ERP and design software were connected, allowing all relevant data to be extracted and sent to the platform for analysis.”
Additionally, Zamil Industrial has recently launched a new e-commerce platform and is expanding services for its PC and B2B customers.
The company is also pursuing broader integration with its trading partners regarding banking facilities, leveraging technology to automate and streamline various processes.
Thanks to these advancements, Zamil Industrial is experiencing increased productivity, efficiency, and cost reductions.
As the leading producer of AC and HVAC systems in the Middle East, Abdulbary highlights the innovation achieved in this area as a significant accomplishment for Zamil Industrial, one likely to inspire others.
The success of this project is already shaping further transformative initiatives at the manufacturer.
Zamil Industrial is also pursuing an ambitious program to comprehensively implement Industry 4.0 in its steel division, which will include transitioning to Tela, an advanced detailing solutions software.
“We’re planning to invest in new machinery, robotics, a new MBS, and also pursue that same integration with our Oracle Fusion, ERP, and analytics applications,” Abdulbary adds.
“Within Saudi Arabia and internationally in India, Egypt, and Vietnam, we have steel fabrication companies where we are also exploring automation.”
Another area Zamil Industrial is investigating, which Abdulbary identifies as the most significant emerging trend in the company’s industry, is generative AI.
“We’ve begun exploring how it can fit into our business processes,” he explains.
“We have started utilizing some of the new AI features introduced by Oracle Fusion.
“Oracle has incorporated numerous artificial intelligence and machine learning features within their modules and financial purchasing.”
AI could complement Zamil Industrial’s strong focus on IoT, which is essential for their plants and the integration of their machinery and backend systems.
This aligns with Abdulbary’s belief that the next step for Zamil Industrial in its digital transformation journey is to enhance automation, extending technology beyond design, engineering, and the supply chain to the physical shop floor.
Valuing partnership & people
Digital transformation is seldom a solitary endeavor. Collaboration is crucial—among companies, providers, and individuals—to ensure strategic alignment, technological quality, and business harmony.
IT is rarely perceived as a people-driven field. However, technology, in its application and development, ultimately fosters greater human connectivity.
Abdulbary, who asserts that his role is 90% communication, certainly agrees with this.
“We operate in a large company with many stakeholders, many of whom have been in the business for a long time,” he explains.
“It’s challenging to shift their mindset and encourage them to embrace new trends or standard business processes.
“Thus, a significant part of my role involves resolving conflicts and facilitating dialogue between those of us focused on technology and those on the business side.”
Abdulbary is well-equipped to mediate these conflicts, as he adopts a collaborative and balanced approach to management.
“I don’t believe in micromanaging; I think delegation is crucial,” he says.
“I truly believe in providing everyone with the freedom to share their opinions and generate new ideas.”
In this context, he references the now-iconic quote by former Apple CEO Steve Jobs: “It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.”
This openness to others’ insights and expertise is part of why Zamil Industrial continues to thrive within its partnerships.
The manufacturer has collaborations across various technological domains, including CAD software and cybersecurity. However, it has several key partners that support its industrial digital transformation efforts.
These include Oracle, the company’s primary ERP provider, with whom the manufacturer has collaborated since 1998, initially on their E-Suite and databases and later on their Fusion cloud application.
There’s also PTC, which provides Creo, the company’s main CAD design tool and the primary PLM for its central AC and chillers.
“We previously used their on-premise Windchill application, and last year we transitioned to their Windchill plus SaaS application,” Abdulbary explains.
“We’re utilizing Creo for design, which plays a significant role in this.”
Zamil Industrial also partners with MasTec, an infrastructure leader that serves as its main system integrator, and Incorta, a start-up offering a cutting-edge data analytics platform.
Abdulbary commends the strength of these partnerships, noting their critical importance in light of rapid technological evolution.
“Technological change is challenging these days,” he says.
“We must ensure that when we pursue implementation and invest significantly, this solution will serve us for at least ten to fifteen years.”
With Incorta, the organization recognized the opportunity to adopt a data analytics solution that surpasses alternatives available in the market.
“Incorta offers exceptionally unique features that convinced us to move away from traditional business intelligence and analytics technologies to embrace their offerings,” Abdulbary explains.
“The partnership is progressing well, and we have high hopes for its future development.”
These partnerships, along with Zamil Industrial’s commitment to digital innovation, will ensure it remains a competitive leader in the global construction and manufacturing sectors.
As CIO, Abdulbary Atassi will continue to drive this competitiveness, leveraging IT to lead his team and the company toward greater growth and success.
Explore the latest edition of Technology Magazine and join the conversation at our global conference series, Tech & AI LIVE.
Discover all our upcoming events and secure your tickets today.
Technology Magazine is a BizClik brand
Leave a Comment