Hong Kong–based Crystal Martin Group has announced plans to establish its own textile and apparel factory in Egypt under the free zone system, covering an area of 1.5 million square meters. The project is expected to create around 4,000 jobs, localise advanced manufacturing technology in Egypt, and develop a high efficiency, value added supply chain relying on 60–70% local content. Hossam Heiba, CEO of the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), and Hany Salam, Chair of the Spinning and Textiles Export Council, held discussions with Daniel Stockdale, Vice President of Crystal Martin's textiles and ready made garments division, to review the group's investment plans. Also attending were J.K. Ang, Group General Manager for Construction and Facilities, and Rasha Fahim, Executive Director of the Spinning and Textiles Export Council. Heiba highlighted that Egypt now possesses all the requirements to emerge as a global hub for manufacturing and trading ready made garments. He credited this potential to Egypt's production boom in textiles and garments, alongside major infrastructure improvements in roads and ports connecting factories to export markets at competitive costs. He added that GAFI has studied successful export processing countries and the requirements of leading global brands, expressing confidence that Egypt could become the Mediterranean's main centre for garment manufacturing and trade within two years. He noted that several factories located in free zones across Minya, New Alamein, 10th of Ramadan, Sadat City, and the Suez Canal Economic Zone are expected to commence production soon, benefiting from competitive production and service costs. The Chairman of the Spinning and Textiles Export Council emphasized Egypt's potential to become a regional hub for all textile industry products, particularly following significant infrastructure upgrades and reduced government processing times in free zones and customs clearance. He added that these developments will accelerate import and re export activities. The Council, he confirmed, will also support GAFI's strategy to attract international companies to open regional offices in Cairo and establish distribution centres under the general and special free zone frameworks tailored to the sector. Daniel Stockdale, Crystal Martin's Vice President for Operations, announced the group's intention to shift a substantial share of its global production to Egypt. The decision, he said, is driven by Egypt's tax and non tax incentives, streamlined procedures, and access to skilled labour. Production at the new facility is scheduled to begin within two years, focusing on export markets that have trade agreements with Egypt, notably the EU and the US. Stockdale also revealed that the company plans to apply for the golden licence, which is designed to accelerate construction and operational approvals for strategic projects. He noted that the investment aligns with all golden licence criteria, including labour intensive production, technology transfer, investment in workforce training, and an export-oriented business model that supports Egypt's development goals. Crystal Martin Group, with an annual turnover of approximately $2.5bn, manufactures apparel for leading global brands such as Levi's, Adidas, and Nike through its facilities in China and Southeast Asia.
