ABU DHABI, 28th April, 2026 (WAM) — EDGE Group will participate as an Enablement Partner at Make It in the Emirates (MIITE) 2026, spotlighting its landmark achievements in supply chain localisation, smart manufacturing, talent development, and technological advancements. The Group’s participation underscores its pivotal role in advancing the UAE’s industrial defence sovereignty and its full alignment with Operation 300bn and the MIITE initiative.
Hamad Al Marar, Managing Director and CEO of EDGE, said, “Building a sovereign defence industry is a long-term commitment, and EDGE has honoured every part of it. Our ironclad focus over the years ensured that we were ready to protect the nation when it mattered most, and that we were resilient enough to ramp up manufacturing to meet sovereign defence needs at scale. More than 80% of our systems are today manufactured in the UAE, and we continue to expand our local and global partnerships to bring more critical capabilities and key subsystems to the UAE and secure our supply chains.”
“Our people are designing, engineering and delivering products that international customers around the world are choosing to procure, as reflected in a record USD 7.96 billion order intake in 2025. The results are clear and they are measurable. MIITE is not where we announce what we plan to do. It is where we stand behind everything we have already built and commit to going even further.”
EDGE has also made significant progress in embedding artificial intelligence across its manufacturing operations, positioning the Group at the forefront of next-generation defence production. In 2025, EDGE delivered over 68 Industry 4.0 transformation projects, doubling production capacity across 13 entities. The award-winning BRIDGE, EDGE’s function for innovation, operational excellence and industrialisation, has also upskilled 5,276 individuals in Industry 4.0 technologies and launched more than 57 programmes that are directly reshaping how EDGE designs, builds and delivers its systems.
During the event, EDGE will contribute to the forum’s high-level programme, with H.E. Faisal Al Bannai, Chairman of EDGE Group, taking part in a strategic session on ‘Navigating Disruption: Safeguarding Supply Chains and Industrial Resilience’, and Hamad Al Marar, Managing Director and CEO, participating in a fireside chat on ‘Strengthening the UAE’s National Security’.
EDGE will also launch ‘Innovate to Defend by EDGE’, a challenge aimed at encouraging innovation and solution-oriented thinking in support of national security priorities. The initiative will provide a platform for individuals to contribute ideas that address key national security challenges, offering prizes and clear pathways to develop selected concepts into practical solutions, with opportunities for integration into the Group’s industrial ecosystem.
Additionally, EDGE is launching a new project-based engineering talent platform, inviting professionals from across the country to register their interest. Through the platform, engineers can access flexible, contract-based opportunities aligned to high-impact programmes, enabling them to apply their expertise where it matters most across leading technologies and groundbreaking projects. EDGE’s Talent Acquisition team will be present at the event to share further details and guide individuals on joining the platform.
Source: Emirates News Agency