Official inauguration of Saint-Gobain Glass Egypt plant by the Egyptian authorities

Prime Minister Dr. Ahmed Nazif, Eng. Rachid Mohamed Rachid Minister of Trade and Industry, General. Mohamed Seif El Din Galal Governor of Suez, announced the official opening of Saint-Gobain Glass Egypt Plant in Ain Sokhna, in presence of M. Pierre-Andre de Chalendar Chairman and CEO of Saint-Gobain, M. Yacine Mansour and M. Ali Moussa Chairholders and other honorable guests from Egypt, France and Turkey.

35th float line of Saint-Gobain group, the factory is the largest and the most modern float plant in the Middle East and Africa and for the group, a strategic investment in emerging countries.

Located along the banks of the Red Sea, at Ain el Sokhna, 120 kilometres East of Cairo and 40 kilometres South of Suez, this line started production in July 2010 after 28 months of construction work.

With capital expenditure amounting to €130 million, this is the highest sum ever invested by Saint-Gobain in this region of the world. An investment conducted under the auspices of Saint-Gobain Glass Egypt, a joint-venture between Saint-Gobain Glass, majority shareholder (51 %), and three other partners: the Egyptian holding MMID (Mansour-Maghraby Investment and Development) associated with M. Ali Moussa (34 %), and ?i?ecam (15%).

Spanning a surface area of 75 hectares, with a capacity of 900 tons / day, the Ain el Sokhna float line is the largest in the Middle-East. With this plant and its leading-edge technology, Saint-Gobain has set its sights on becoming leader on the Egyptian market.

This facility will essentially meet the domestic demand for flat glass which is growing in this country at a rate of 10% a year both in the building and automotive sector. The other half of its production will be exported, mainly towards the Middle-East (Lebanon, Syria, Jordan) and Africa.