Egypt to become key player in glass making sector
Cairo, March 2, 2010
Egypt will be a major player in industrial glass manufacturing sector in the next 10 years, thanks to its abundant natural resources and continued investments in manufacturing technologies, said an industry expert.
“Looking at the current state of the glass manufacturing sector and the steady growth it has enjoyed over the years, we see an opportunity for the sector to develop substantially in the coming years,” said Mohamed Khattab, managing director of Sphinx Glass.
This will be largely through stronger investments in advanced manufacturing technologies and equipment that not only raise the sector’s capacity potential, but also raise the quality benchmark to international standards, Khattab said speaking on the sidelines of 'WinDoorEx 2010,' the region’s largest specialist trade show for doors, facades, technologies and equipment.
Sphinx Glass in its role as official sponsor and a leading participant at the WinDoorEx, presented an analysis of the industrial glass manufacturing industry. The presentation was made by the company's commercial director, Seppo Lautamaki.
Sphinx Glass is a subsidiary of GlassWorks, a company established by Citadel Capital and a group of leading co-investors to pursue investments in the glass industry in Egypt and the Mena region.
GlassWorks currently owns a 35 per cent stake in Misr Glass Manufacturing, a leading manufacturer and exporter of glass containers in the Mena region.
Sharing the vision for future evolution of the sector, Lautamaki said, “If we look at Turkey for comparison and its glass processing and manufacturing boom in last 20 years, we see similar opportunities and growth possibilities in Egypt.”
Lautamaki pointed out that Sphinx Glass was in the process of commissioning a new world-class facility with licensed production technologies from PPG Industries, a global market leader in high-quality float glass technology.
When complete, the 220,000 sq m state-of-the-art facility will have a production capacity of 200,000 tons per annum, making it a leading float glass manufacturer in Egypt, he added.-TradeArabia News Service
