Industry News

CAIRO, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Inside a tightly packed warehouse along Egypt's Red Sea coast, Kareem Gaber, logistics manager at Jushi Egypt Fiberglass Co., Ltd., stands by a forklift, carefully inspecting bundles of fiberglass.

"We can load up to more than 160 crates of fiberglass products a day," Gaber told Xinhua. "These versatile products, spanning applications from transportation and construction to petrochemicals, flow continuously from this facility to major global markets including Europe, the United States, and India."

Gaber started out doing translation work for this Chinese company, and now manages a team of over 60 people.

"I have learned a vast amount of technical experience and management methods from my Chinese colleagues," he said.

His personal trajectory mirrors the growth of the company.

When Gaber joined the company in 2013, the factory consisted of little more than a cafeteria and dormitories. Today, it has expanded into a modern industrial plant covering over 430,000 square meters.

Benefiting from the company's initiative that sends Egyptian personnel to the Jushi headquarters in China for training, Gaber has completed three separate study trips to China.

"At first, I was not quite used to the fast-paced, highly efficient working style of my Chinese colleagues," Gaber recalled with a smile. "But after spending time together, I gradually caught up with the rhythm, and I also shared Egypt's good working habits with them."

This profound cross-cultural synergy has been experienced firsthand by Jin Yiqun, a product technology engineer who joined the company's Egyptian subsidiary in 2016.

Upon arriving, Jin was struck with a swell of pride when he noticed that the workshop's top two supervisors were former apprentices he had personally mentored back in China.

"Today, they have all become core pillars capable of holding their own. This instantly gave me a deep sense of familiarity and warmth while working side-by-side with my Egyptian colleagues thousands of miles away from home," Jin told Xinhua.

Having worked together for a decade, the team has achieved seamless communication, Jin said. "Sometimes just a few simple words, or even a single glance, is enough to grasp what the other person means."

Jushi Egypt is located within the China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone (TEDA Cooperation Zone), a landmark project under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative. By the end of 2025, the industrial zone had attracted over 200 enterprises, directly creating more than 10,000 local jobs.

While driving the modernization of Egypt's manufacturing sector, Chinese enterprises have simultaneously cultivated a massive talent pool for the country's future industrial needs.

In the industrial zone, the dishwasher production workshop of Midea (Egypt) Kitchen & Water Heater Appliances Co., Ltd. hums with activity. Maryam Ibrahim, an Egyptian quality control specialist, guides her team past rows of operating machinery during a weekly routine training session.

"A world-renowned enterprise has opened right on my doorstep," said Ibrahim, who joined Midea Group in 2022 after studying Chinese at Egypt's Suez Canal University.

Ibrahim has scaled the professional ladder alongside the factory's rapid expansion. She watched the first dishwasher roll off the assembly line in March 2023. Today, the workshop boasts an annual production of 350,000 units, and Ibrahim has risen to head of the quality inspection department.

"A rigorous work ethic, an emphasis on teamwork, and putting the customer first... these are all things I learned from my Chinese colleagues," Ibrahim said.

With no local quality inspection standards for smart dishwashers in Egypt, Ibrahim went to Foshan, Guangdong Province, China, for training in 2023. Over two intensive months, she mastered machine testing, drafted technical standards, and honed other essential skills.

In her spare time, Ibrahim gives language lessons to her Chinese colleagues, fostering mutual learning. She notes that the cross-cultural environment has broadened her perspective.

"By learning about different cultures and histories, a person becomes more confident, and it has allowed me to achieve better personal growth," she said.

Yang Yang, director of operations and human resources at Midea Egypt, said the company currently employs more than 580 local Egyptian workers.

"Over 85 percent of the management executives in the company have grown step-by-step from frontline positions," Yang said.