Articles

The acceleration towards digitalization has occurred against the backdrop of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, or Industry 4.0, which is fundamentally altering every aspect of the way we live and work, and how our economies can sustainably and inclusively develop and grow. The scale, scope and complexity of these shifts are unlike anything humankind has experienced before. 
The convergence of heightened competition for FDI, digital transformation and Industry 4.0 can create many opportunities, challenges and changes for attracting and retaining FDI. 

Industry 4.0 (IR 4.0), defined by the trend towards automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies and processes, continuous to revolutionize the way we live, work and do business as well as disrupt industries. Conway has been keeping up with the trends to better comprehend how IR 4.0 changes the competitiveness of countries FDI in specific industries and how it impacts the future of Free Zones.

It may be time to rethink – and disrupt – the entire concept of foreign direct investment and its place in the world, argues FDI consultant Douglas van den Berghe.

As professionals in the field of investor attraction we may be too focused on finding the ‘holy grail’ of FDI and need to turn our attention to these NFIs as they may over time also create similar economic development effects as typical greenfield FDI projects. In fact the increased appetite of companies for NFIs is also a sign of economic maturity of an economy.