Egypt's Minister of Industry and Transport Kamel El-Wazir conducted an inspection tour of three major factories in the food, building materials, and metal industries in Obour Industrial City, Qalyubia Governorate, as per an official report on Sunday. Obour Land for Food Industries El-Wazir began his tour at Obour Land for Food Industries, a 35,000-sqm facility with an annual production capacity of 170,000 tons of cheese, 70,000 tons of sterilised milk, and 50 million litres of juice. The company employs more than 2,500 workers and exports to over 33 countries, including the US, Russia, and the Gulf states. It also produces goods for other food brands and had $20 million in exports in 2024. He instructed affiliated regulatory bodies to inspect laboratories to ensure the quality of raw materials and equipment, and urged the company to increase white cheese output to meet local demand. Royal Ceramica The second stop was Ceramica Royal, a 70,000-sqm facility producing 15 million square metres of ceramic and porcelain tiles annually, exported to Europe, the Middle East, and the US, and employing 1,665 workers. The minister reviewed the full production process — raw materials prep, kilns, drying, pressing, sorting — and toured the company's product exhibition. He praised Royal Ceramics for being the only producer in Egypt and the Middle East manufacturing 2cm and 3cm thick porcelain tiles suitable for ports, airports, and roads, as well as large-format glazed porcelain tiles up to 60×120 cm. He noted the factory's zero-waste policy by recycling water and raw material waste. El-Wazir directed that tiles used in metro stations be sourced locally and reaffirmed the government's commitment to protecting domestic industry against dumping under the World Trade Organisation (WTO)rules. El Obour Metallurgical Industries (Galva Metal) El-Wazir concluded the tour at Galva Metal, part of Kandil Steel Group, a 46,300-sqm plant with total group investments of EGP3 billion. The factory produces 900,000 tons annually of cold-rolled, galvanised, and colour-coated steel coils, and exports to the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and the US. It employs 1,400 workers. The minister toured product exhibitions and key production lines, including pickling, rolling, polishing, galvanising, and zinc coating. He also inspected Egypt and the region's first multi-slit cutting lines tailored for the home appliances sector, which saw €6 million invested in 2024 alone. El-Wazir highlighted the need to develop a second tier of skilled factory workers to preserve industrial know-how across generations, boost exports of skilled labour, and provide technical training through the ministry's Productivity and Vocational Training Department. He reassured Egyptian workers that skilled and dedicated labour remains the backbone of real industry despite advances in automation, pledging to President El-Sisi that local industry will drive comprehensive and sustainable development. Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English Subediting: M. S. Salama
