Al-Wazir was accompanied by Dr. Nahed Youssef, head of the Industrial Development Authority, and Engineer Alaa Moustafa, head of the 10th of Ramadan City Authority, along with other senior officials from the Ministry of Industry.
The Minister's tour began at El-Gallad Steel, a factory
specializing in cold-rolled steel sheets. The facility spans 25,000 square
meters with an investment of EGP 5 billion and a monthly production capacity of
8,000 tons. With a local component of 30%, the company exports 15% of its
output and employs 125 workers. El-Wazir was greeted by the factory's chairman,
Ibrahim El-Gallad.
During the visit, the Minister inspected the pickling lines,
furnaces, rolling mills, warehouses, and a mini-exhibition of the final
products. He praised the factory's products and the expertise of its staff,
noting that all furnaces were locally manufactured by the factory's engineers.
Officials informed the minister of their plans to invest $3 million to upgrade
production lines and increase capacity to between 13,000 and 15,000 tons per
month.
Next, Al-Wazir visited Ataya Company, which produces various
types of bridge bearings and expansion joints. The factory, covering 2,400
square meters, has a monthly capacity of 6,000 elastomeric bearings, 300
mechanical bearings, and 2,000 rubber expansion joints. The factory has a 79%
local component and employs 103 workers. The minister was welcomed by the company
chairman, Mohamed Samir Ataya.
Al-Wazir toured the production lines, CNC machines, quality
control lab, and the research and development department. He praised the
factory's advanced technical capabilities and its role in strengthening local
industry and exports, urging the company to continue seeking new markets for
high-quality Egyptian products.
He then toured the Kama Metals industrial complex, which
includes a factory for rolling, coating, and galvanizing steel sheets. The
factory, covering 77,000 square meters, has an annual capacity of 900,000 tons
of cold-rolled steel coils (galvanized and colored) and employs 984 engineers
and workers. The minister was received by the company's chairman, Amr Qandil.
At the complex, Al-Wazir inspected the Steel Fiber
production line. The product is a concrete additive used to reinforce various
surfaces, including roads, airports, ports, and factories.
The Minister also visited the Kama Metalworking factory,
which spans 22,000 square meters with a capital exceeding EGP 155 million. With
a 98% local component, it has an annual production capacity of 95,000 tons,
exporting 20% of its output. The factory employs 465 engineers and workers.
El-Wazir toured production lines for colored steel, galvanizing, slitting,
cutting, punching, laser cutting, pipes, cladding, electrical transformers,
special paints for electrical panels, cable trays, and metal furniture.
Al-Wazir inaugurated a new production line at the factory
for aluminum and iron sheets used for building facades, metro stations, and
trains. He directed the General Authority for Roads and Bridges to explore
using these sheets as a cost-effective alternative to aluminum cladding.
He praised the complex's advanced manufacturing
capabilities, noting its use of technology that reduces gas consumption by 70%.
Company officials explained that the complex recycles all manufacturing waste
to produce clean alternatives to rebar, which helps reduce carbon emissions and
production costs. The complex's products are used in a wide range of
industries, including automotive, home appliances, electrical, and
construction.
During the tour, El-Wazir emphasized that the goal of the
visits is to foster integration between industries to deepen local
manufacturing and reduce reliance on imports. He highlighted metal forming as a
core pillar of local industry, supplying essential components for engineering,
electrical, home appliance, automotive, and infrastructure sectors. He noted
that Egypt has a competitive advantage in metal forming due to the availability
of raw materials, advanced technology, and a skilled workforce.
Al-Wazir's tour continued at the Pyramids Metal Forming
factory, which covers 16,000 square meters with a capital of EGP 5 million and
annual sales of EGP 675 million. The factory has an annual production capacity
of one million square meters of steel panels and 500,000 tons of colored and
slit steel sheets. With a 35% local component, it exports 10% of its output and
employs 300 workers. The minister was welcomed by company chairman Mohamed
Tawfik.
He toured the steel, foam, slitting, and coloring lines. He
approved a request from the company's officials to build a new
20,000-square-meter factory to produce steel sheets for automotive and home
appliances.
The Minister also called for a study on establishing a
loading platform on the 10th of Ramadan-Bilbeis railway line to facilitate the
transport of goods to consumer areas and export ports. He stressed the
importance of the Industrial Development Authority's role in training skilled
labor through partnerships with factories, ensuring graduates have the skills
and technology required by the job market. He confirmed the authority's
readiness to provide training to existing factory workers to update their
skills.
Al-Wazir concluded his tour at the production lines of Egy Denim Textiles, a factory with a capital exceeding $3 million. With a 100% local component, it exports 10% of its production and employs 130 workers. El-Wazir was received by the company's chairman, Fawzy El-Salamouny.