Nadim Elias, President of the Chamber of Printing & Packaging Industries of the Federation of Egyptian Industries (FEI) revealed that the chamber will complete its strategy for developing the printing and packaging industry within a short span of six months in partnership with the Industrial Modernisation Centre and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ).
Through a press release it was stated that the new strategy includes promising opportunities available in the sector, the investment cost of each project, and how companies can take advantage of these investment opportunities, especially in the fields of flexible packaging and carton and corrugated packaging segments. It will also highlight the need to modernize production lines and book printing machines which helps to increase production and increase exports.
Elias added that integrating factories into the official system helps take advantage of all the incentives and benefits offered by the state to the industrial sector, such as the initiatives of the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) to support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) at 5% interest, which in turn increases its income thanks to the taxes and insurance collected on these projects.
The chamber is currently focusing on rehabilitating a number of industrial establishments operating in the printing sector during the new cycle to export their products to foreign markets through a number of training programmes and assisting them in obtaining international accreditation certificates required by major export markets such as International Organization of Standardization (ISO), Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series (OHSAS), and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) which assures that raw materials used to make paper come from forests which have evaluated and certified as being managed according to the correct social, economic, and environmental standards.
Elias, who also chairs the Export Council for Printing, Packaging, Paper, Literary and Artistic Works, reported that the sector’s exports increased by 52% in 2021, supported by several factors, including the high cost of international freight and global economic conditions that contributed to the increase in demand for the Egyptian products.
It was also pointed out that the volume of exports rose from $640 million in 2020 to $970 million last year, with paper and flexible packaging products ranked first among exports in 2021, followed by printed books and cartons.
He also confirmed that the council for printing is currently working to provide many services to its members, including updating the membership database to facilitate better communication between members, as well as Hajj and Umrah packages as part of social and religious services.
Elias indicated that a committee is currently preparing a plan to have training programmes to help companies and workers increase production efficiency and quality. He also briefed about forming committees to resolve issues for members of the chamber related to taxes, social security, and regarding other government agencies.
