Glass World 2008 offers opportunity for glass machinery companies in Middle Eastern markets

Misr Glass Manufacturing of Egypt plans new plants in Algeria and Libya following its acquisition by MGM Holding and the private equity investment company Citadel Capital. The new owners also plan a major investment programme in Misr Glass' Egyptian plant to increase its annual production capacity for glass containers from 110,000 tonnes to 225,000 tonnes by 2009.

Cairo Glass is a new production plant for figured glass in Egypt. The plant production capacity is 240 tonnes per day on 2 lines, with total investment of 180,000,000.0 LE. The plant will produce a figured glass and the wired glass. The Egyptian owners expect that production will be sufficient for the internal local consumption and also export to the closer countries. The plant construction is almost completed and trial period will start on the last quarter of 2008, for the first line.

Pyramid Glass, a new born glass factory in Borg El Arab, Alex., backed by the Kedaung Group, Indonesia, the world's largest in production ( 10 mln pcs daily ) . It is supposed to be the major household glass industry in Egypt, with main goal to export its products.

'Smart Glass' is a new plant for structure glazing glass, located in the industrial zone, in El Fayum with total volume of investment 20 Million Euro . This plant will start the production by the beginning of 2009. About 40: 50 % of the production will export to the Arabian countries to keep up with the booming in construction & reconstruction in the region.

According to the World Investment Report 2007, published by UNCTAD, Egypt was ranked as the top African nation in terms of FDI flows. In Egypt inflows exceeded $10bn in 2006. With an eye on the massive glass investments in the region, the very high technology of hollow and flat glass machinery are required and focused on the quality and the design.

'Being the Middle East's leading exhibition on the glass industry, Glass World 2008 has received a good response from the world top's glass leaders to exhibit in the next edition of 2008 to promote their products and book their market share in the fast growing market,' said Mr. Alaa Shaalan, General Manager of Nile Trade Fairs.