JEDDAH —

Al Nasser Trading and Import Company and the Saudi General Authority for Zakat and Income Tax ((GAZT) were named as among the most digitally-innovative organizations in the Middle East and North Africa.

Demonstrating the strong potential for Saudi digital transformation, the Kingdom’s ICT market is set to reach a record-high of SR128 billion in 2017, according to IDC. In the wider region, the Middle East’s cloud infrastructure services market is expected to more than triple to $7.5 billion by 2021, according to a recent report by Markets and Markets.

Recognizing regional innovators, global digital transformation enabler SAP awarded four organizations as gold winners in its annual SAP Middle East and North Africa Quality Awards.

Supporting Saudi Vision 2030’s smart government goals, the Saudi General Authority of Zakat & Tax (GAZT), with partner Invenio, received gold for replacing legacy systems with a digital core. By automating tax collection (ERAD), the Authority now provides 77 e-services for more than 350,000 taxpayers.

“Government-led digital transformation, aligned with the National Transformation Program 2020 and Saudi Vision 2030, can only be accomplished with real-time technology. For the General Authority of Zakat & Tax, operating in real-time has cut processing time and costs, enabled new digital payment methods, and driven a new level of taxpayer happiness,” said Fahad Al Mojel, Automation System Manager, Saudi General Authority of Zakat & Tax.

Saudi building materials and lighting products conglomerate Al Nasser Trading and Import Company, with partner ISYX Technologies, won the golden award for having improved its materials requirements planning by 40 percent thanks to real-time project sales and wholesale solutions.

“As the Kingdom’s construction and interior design industry accelerates, operating in real-time has provides a new level of competitiveness for Saudi firms. Real-time insights on supply chain and inventory have made Al Nasser Trading and Import Company’s operations more efficient, freed up employees to focus on customer needs, and enabled us to predict customer purchasing trends,” said Alaa Al Nasser, Managing Director and Board Member, Al Nasser Trading and Import Company.

Additional Saudi organizations recognized included Maadaniyah, the National Metal Manufacturing and Casting Company, Saudi Electricity Company, and the chemical and industrial company Tasnee.

“In line with National Transformation Program 2020 and Saudi Vision 2030 nationwide digital transformation, Saudi organizations are among the most innovative in the Middle East.

The strong showing by Saudi organizations at the MENA Quality Awards shows the power of a real-time digital core transforming the customer and citizen experience, and driving economic growth,” said Frank Forndron, Head of Customer Office, SAP MENA, and Quality Management, SAP Emerging Markets.

Aligned with Abu Dhabi Vision 2030, Abu Dhabi Distribution Company, with Clariba, won gold for delivering real-time e-government services to more than 300,000 businesses and consumers. Using Big Data analytics, Abu Dhabi Distribution Company is making faster decisions, enabling customers to access their utilities billing and consumption online, and improving performance while cutting costs.

Qatar Petrochemical Company, a global leader in producing low-density polyethylene, has been selected as a Gold Winner for backing Qatar National Vision 2030’s economic diversification goals. In partnership with IBM, Qatar Petrochemical Company digitized its operations in Spend Management with SAP Ariba, human resources with SAP SuccessFactors, and enterprise resource planning with the SAP HANA platform. — SG