The Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone) has signed a $175 million agreement with Turkey’s Eroğlu Global Holding to establish a large-scale cardboard and packaging manufacturing facility in the Qantara West Industrial Zone, reinforcing Egypt’s strategy to expand export-oriented industrial production. The project will span 70,000 square metres and is designed to produce 10 million one-litre aseptic cartons annually, 75,000 cardboard boxes per day, and 400,000 tonnes of corrugated cardboard sheets per year, according to SCZone statements.
The factory is expected to create around 2,000 direct jobs, with approximately half of its output allocated for export markets and the remainder serving domestic demand. The investment represents Eroğlu’s fourth project in Qantara West, consolidating its position as the zone’s largest industrial investor. The diversified Turkish group operates across textiles, energy, retail, and real estate, and already maintains multiple manufacturing facilities in the zone alongside a growing retail presence in Egypt.
SCZone Chairman Walid Gamal El-Din said the agreement brings the total number of signed projects in Qantara West to 52, with cumulative investments of $1.53 billion across 3.537 million square metres. Once fully operational, projects in the industrial zone are expected to generate $3–4 billion in annual export revenues, underpinned by approximately EGP 15 billion in government investments in infrastructure and equipment to enhance investor readiness.
Beyond its immediate employment and production impact, the project strengthens Egypt’s manufacturing ecosystem by expanding domestic capacity in packaging—an essential input for agri-food, FMCG, and pharmaceutical exports. The scale of the facility supports Egypt’s broader ambition to raise total exports toward $145 billion, improve foreign-currency inflows, and reduce import dependency for critical industrial inputs.
Regionally, the investment enhances Egypt’s competitiveness as a manufacturing and export hub linking Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. Qantara West’s proximity to the Suez Canal and major logistics corridors offers producers faster access to regional and international markets. The accumulation of Turkish and international investments in the zone also points to emerging industrial clustering effects, which could attract additional capital, suppliers, and downstream industries over the medium term, reinforcing SCZone’s role as a platform for regional production.
