The glass industry is becoming a sizable part of the country’s manufacturing and export-orientated industries, driven by significant investment momentum and localization directives from the government.

There are now many different types of glass being produced locally, including flat glass for building windows and facades, glass bottles and jars, medical ampoules, curved automotive glass, decorative glass, and solar glass.

The container glass industry is expected to register a compound annual growth rate of 6.4% between 2025 and 2030, reaching 1.5 k kilotons, compared to 1.1 k kilotons in 2025, according to a report from Mordor Intelligence. The country’s geographical location between Europe, Asia, and Africa gives local manufacturers an advantage to expand exports, according to the report. Companies are actively seeking a larger share of the Saudi market through strategies such as research and development, mergers and acquisitions, product innovation, and market expansion to gain higher market share in the country, according to Mordor Intelligence.

Just last week, China’sDeli Glass Co broke ground on a new USD 70 mn factory for glassware goods, according to a statement from the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone). The first phase of the factory in the China-Egypt TEDA trade zone is expected to kick off operations in 2H 2026.

Deli Glass joins a growing number of glass manufacturing projects choosing the SCZone as their base as a glass-focussed ecosystem steadily builds itself up. Other companies developing big ticket glass projects include China Glass Holding subsidiary CNG Egypt New Energy Glass’s under-construction USD 300 mn factory, Saint-Gobain’s plan to invest EUR 300 mn through 2026 in glass factories in Egypt, and Dr. Greiche’s EGP 500 mn automotive glass complex.

Looking ahead, the glass industry sector is expected to receive investments over the next two years of up to USD 200 mn, which will increase the sector's production capacities by 25-30%, Building Materials Industry Chamber’s glass division head Mohamed Khattab told EnterpriseAM. He added that Egypt has become an important exporting country for building materials on the back of its high-quality local raw materials.

Localizing key input production inputs can help enable the localization of more complete products later down the line, with glass being a key component of many high-value industries. Take the automotive industry, where the option of locally made, high quality, and competitively priced automotive glass and rear view mirrors can help persuade automakers to move assembly — and hopefully even production — to Egypt. The localization of solar glass had also been key in attracting a growing number of solar competent factories to the country, further building sector-specific ecosystems that fuel future expansions.

Certain types of glass have also been highlighted by the government as important localization targets. Those looking to invest in and produce automotive glass and solar energy components will be offered incentives and facilities as part of the state’s broader efforts to localize 23 priority industries, announced late last year.

Consumer preferences and a sustainability push in manufacturing is also opening up demand for glass. Environmental initiatives to reduce plastic packaging are boosting demand for glass packaging, especially in the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical sectors, Khattab told us.

But despite a growing sector and government support, rising energy prices are a concern for the industry, with rising electricity prices for manufacturers squeezing margins, a representative from a local glass manufacturer told EnterpriseAM.

Your top industrial development stories for the week:

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• Zhejiang Holding is planning to invest an initial USD 20 mn in Egypt’s garment and textile sector, with the goal of scaling up to USD 50 mn over the next five years and Jiangsu Haite Fashion wants to build a USD 20 mn garment factory, aiming to tap into the country’s freetrade agreements for exports to Europe and the US.
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