“The Chemical Industries is considered one of the largest industrial sectors in Egypt; it includes 7 main subsectors, which are Plastics, Rubber, Paper, Detergents, Paints, Miscellaneous, Chemicals, Fertilizers and Glass. The petrochemicals sector represents about 12% of Egypt’s total industrial production and is worth around US$7 billion annually. While this figure is equivalent to just 3% of Egypt’s total GDP, international industry experts and national industrial strategists alike believe that the country is set to become one of the region’s leading players, especially with the implementation of the National Plan for Petrochemicals (2002-2022).

​Chemical manufacturing creates products by transforming organic and inorganic raw materials with chemical processes. Chemicals generally are classified into two groups: commodity chemicals and specialty chemicals. Commodity chemical manufacturers produce large quantities of basic and relatively inexpensive compounds in large plants, often built specifically to make one chemical. Commodity plants often run continuously, typically shutting down only a few weeks a year for maintenance.”