The Chairman of Project Watan’s Executive Board, MP Neemat Frem, took part in the Beirut One Conference, organized by the Government on November 18 and 19, which brought together the country’s true engines of growth: the private sector, the Lebanese diaspora, and international partners. Speaking on the conference’s second day during the “Made In (and By) Lebanon—Lebanon’s Productive Sectors” panel, Frem said: “There is no doubt that this conference allows us to glimpse a world we hope is not just theoretical, but real – a world we want and believe in. It is the world of the creative Lebanese, those who seek to resist death and hold fast to the culture of life that is far stronger than the culture of death.” He added: “Many insist on portraying Lebanon as unlivable. But this conference, this government, His Excellency the President, and the serious work we witness today all send one clear answer: No. Lebanon is capable of life; it is a project of success. And ‘by their fruits you shall know them’ – this conference is one of this government’s first major achievements.” He continued: “As for the INDEVCO Group, and for those unfamiliar with its background, it is essentially the Industrial Development Company. Sixty-five years ago, its founder Georges Frem established a fundamental motto: ‘What is good for society is good for the company.’ This forward-thinking motto preceded the contemporary concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) by many years, and became the driving force behind INDEVCO’s growth, as it met society’s needs with innovative industrial products. Our values are clear and unwavering: the family spirit that unites our employees, and the concept of the servant-leader – because we believe that a leader serves the institution, not the other way around. This creates genuine commitment, while the values of diligence and precision reinforce professionalism across the group.” Turning to Lebanon’s industrial landscape, Frem said: “Lebanon is an industrial country by the numbers before anything else. We produce nearly ten billion dollars’ worth of goods, as reflected in VAT data. When the Lebanese economy collapsed and the GDP shrank to half its value, industrial output did not decline to the same extent – proof that Lebanon remains an industrial country par excellence. The blow that hit the Lebanese economy did not strike the industrial sector with the same depth as it struck other sectors. This confirms what we have always said in the Industrialists Association: industry is resilient, capable of withstanding a hundred times more than other sectors. Industrialists cannot close their doors at every security incident, explosion, or shelling – they must continue. That is why industry is the flywheel of the economy; without it, no solid economy can stand.” The lawmaker explained that he sees Lebanon “as an interconnected chain for attracting capital – starting from industry and flowing into real estate, media, and other sectors. Every dollar that enters the industrial sector pulls in three more into other sectors, because industry creates jobs and activates all that surrounds it: banks, restaurants, tourism, and services.” He then addressed the audience in English: “At INDEVCO, about six years ago, we needed to introduce a new slogan. We chose ‘We Listen to Change.’ This slogan carries two meanings: first, that we listen to the changes happening around the world to understand what is taking place; and second, that before we change, we listen – we listen in order to obtain the right assessment. This has helped us to be proactive and to take initiative. This is the magic word for every executive, businessperson, entrepreneur, or successful industrialist: be proactive, because the world is changing quickly. We forced ourselves to become proactive; otherwise, we would have disappeared.” He continued: “In Lebanon, as we know, we must be proactive to the point of performing not only our role, but also that of the government, society, and the economy. That is why we had to think about generating our own power, controlling manufacturing costs, and securing our own healthcare coverage. The biggest challenges we face today as industrialists and Lebanese employers are the paralysis of social security for years and the effective absence of end-of-service benefits, while medical care now requires dual insurance: costly private coverage for proper healthcare, in addition to mandatory social security contributions that we cannot opt out of.” Frem went on: “Because we decided to be proactive at INDEVCO, we felt the need to build a small ‘magic house’ … and thus Phoenix was born – a space where we possess the ability to design, engineer, and manufacture machines, employing the highest levels of mechanical and electrical technology. This is how we were able to respond to the greatest crisis of our generation: the COVID-19 pandemic. We can say with humility that Lebanon was the only country in the Middle East and the Mediterranean that succeeded, just two months after the collapse, in producing its own ventilators. We provided hospitals with high-quality machines because we had both the proactivity and the capability.” He concluded: “We harnessed CNC capabilities to produce components supported by deep automation and mechatronics engineering, enabling us to manufacture our own machines. Today, for example, we can speak of a machine that produces 1500 sanitary pads per minute – powered by 80 motors operating in perfect harmony. These are the capabilities we were compelled to develop to continue advancing in a world entering a new phase of singularity… and there is more to come.”