A growing data footprint, and a compliance gap to match

Saudi manufacturers collect and process significant volumes of personal data like employee records, contractor identities, supplier contacts, and increasingly, operational data tied to individuals through connected systems and smart factory infrastructure. With PDPL fully enforced since September 2024, industrial organizations face compliance obligations that go well beyond IT security, covering how people data is collected, retained, shared with third parties, and protected across every site and function.

Key challenges

  • Large, diverse workforces, including contractors and migrant workers, generating high volumes of HR and biometric data subject to PDPL's sensitive data provisions
  • Supplier and contractor data shared across complex, multi-tier supply chains with limited visibility into third-party data handling practices
  • Smart factory and IoT systems capturing operational data linked to identifiable individuals, with no established consent or governance framework
  • Cross-border data transfers to parent companies, equipment vendors, and cloud-based ERP platforms without SDAIA-recognized safeguards in place
  • No designated privacy function or DPO to manage SDAIA interactions, employee data subject requests, or breach notification obligations

How RSM Can Help

We conduct a manufacturing-specific PDPL gap assessment covering your HR systems, contractor management processes, supplier contracts, and operational technology environment, mapping all personal data flows and identifying compliance gaps. We then develop the policies, consent frameworks, and data processing agreements your supply chain relationships require, and embed DPIA workflows into new system and vendor onboarding. For organisations without an internal privacy function, our DPO as a Service provides designated SDAIA contact, DSAR handling, and 72-hour breach notification coverage from day one.