Cairo (The Palestine Telegraph Newspaper) 28 January 2026 – ABB Egypt showcased its advanced solutions for sustainable industrial transformation at the Swiss-Egyptian Economic Forum held in Cairo. Company executives presented technologies supporting Egypt's green industrial goals under Vision 2030. The event gathered Swiss and Egyptian business leaders to advance bilateral trade in electrification and automation.
ABB Egypt participated prominently in the Swiss-Egyptian Economic Forum on 27 January at the Four Seasons Hotel Nile Plaza, emphasising its role in Egypt's sustainable industrial development. The company's managing director delivered a keynote address outlining ABB's contributions to energy efficiency and digitalisation across manufacturing sectors. Forum delegates explored opportunities in renewable energy integration and smart factory implementations.
The event, organised by the Swiss Business Council and Egyptian Ministry of Trade and Industry, attracted 300 executives from 50 companies. ABB's exhibition booth demonstrated automation systems reducing industrial carbon emissions by 30%. Discussions focused on Egypt's national strategy targeting 42% renewable energy capacity by 2030.
Forum Keynote and ABB Presentations
ABB Egypt's managing director highlighted the company's electrification portfolio, including medium-voltage switchgear installed at 15 Egyptian industrial complexes since 2023. Technologies featured Ability platform software optimising energy use in cement and steel production, achieving 25% efficiency gains per client reports. Collaborative robots and predictive maintenance systems showcased reduced downtime by 40% in automotive assembly lines.
Swiss Ambassador to Egypt inaugurated the ABB session, noting bilateral trade reached CHF 1.2 billion in 2025, with ABB contributing 15% through local manufacturing. Egyptian Investment Minister announced incentives for green tech imports, including 5-year tax holidays for automation equipment. ABB committed to expanding its 6th October City factory, creating 200 engineering jobs by 2027.
Panel discussions addressed industrial decarbonisation, with ABB engineers presenting case studies from Suez Canal Economic Zone factories. Hydrogen-ready power systems and EV charging infrastructure drew interest from Egyptian Holding Company representatives. Forum outcomes included three memoranda of understanding signed for joint ventures totalling EGP 2 billion.
ABB's Sustainable Technology Portfolio
Company literature detailed ABB P900 modular systems deployed at Ain Sokhna port, handling 1.2 million container movements annually with 20% less energy. DCS5000 control systems regulate processes at Egyptalum smelters, cutting natural gas consumption by 18,000 cubic metres daily. IoT sensors monitor 500+ assets across client sites, transmitting data to ABB cloud analytics.
Electrification products included EcoStruxure architecture powering 12 solar farms contributing 1.2 GW to Egypt's grid. Medium-voltage EcoSecured switchgear complies with IEC 62271 standards, serving Sadat City industrial cluster. ABB Ability Genix platform integrates AI for predictive maintenance, extending equipment life by 25% in oil and gas applications.
Local content reached 65% in 2025 per Egyptian Agency for Partnership for Development figures, surpassing 50% mandate. Training centre in New Cairo graduated 1,500 technicians since 2022, certified under ABB University programme. R&D collaboration with Egypt-Japan University developed dust-resistant inverters for desert conditions.
Egyptian Industrial Transformation Context
Egypt's Ministry of Industry reported 1,200 factories adopted automation since 2020, generating EGP 150 billion exports. National Industrial Strategy targets 20% energy cost reduction through efficiency measures by 2030. ABB systems operate at 35 cement plants producing 55 million tonnes annually, representing 95% market coverage.
Suez Economic Zone hosts ABB-equipped facilities processing 40% petrochemical exports. Automotive sector integrated ABB robotics at 8 assembly plants, boosting output to 180,000 vehicles yearly. Textile clusters in Mahalla al-Kubra utilise ABB drives, enhancing competitiveness in EU markets under trade agreements.
Government incentives include EGP 10 billion green fund allocating 30% to automation upgrades. Swiss-Egyptian Business Association facilitated 25 technology transfers since 2023. Forum surveyed 200 firms projecting 15% growth in bilateral green tech deals for 2026.
Bilateral Swiss-Egyptian Economic Ties
Swiss direct investment in Egypt totalled CHF 800 million across 45 companies employing 12,000 locals. ABB's regional hub coordinates 20 African markets, shipping 3,000 tonnes equipment yearly from Cairo airport. Forum trade exhibition featured 40 Swiss firms showcasing pharmaceuticals, precision engineering alongside electrification.
Egyptian exports to Switzerland grew 12% to CHF 450 million, led by apparel and agriculture. Swiss Re insurance underwrote EGP 5 billion industrial policies. Forum working groups established digital trade corridor reducing customs clearance to 24 hours via blockchain pilots.
President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi sent message commending forum contributions to balanced trade reaching CHF 1.7 billion target. Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs committed CHF 50 million technical assistance for SME digitalisation.
ABB Egypt Operational Expansion
6th October facility expanded to 25,000 square metres, producing switchgear for Middle East export. Localisation hub manufactures 80% components for 132kV grid substations. Service contracts cover 400 industrial sites, dispatching 150 technicians daily via fleet of 60 service vehicles.
Partnerships with Engineering Authority of Armed Forces delivered SCADA systems for 10 hydropower stations. ABB Power Grids division supplied transformers for Egypt's 500kV ring feeding 20 million households. Marine electrification retrofits completed on 15 vessels at Alexandria Shipyard.
Corporate social responsibility invested EGP 20 million in vocational training for 2,000 youth from Upper Egypt. Women empowerment programme trained 500 female engineers since 2024. Sustainability report verified Scope 1&2 emissions reduced 28% against 2018 baseline.
Industry-Specific Implementations
Cement sector deployments at Titan and Sinai White factories yielded 22% energy savings, equating to 150 GWh annually. Steel producer Ezz Steel integrated ABB arc furnace optimisation, increasing yield 8% to 7.2 million tonnes. Fertiliser plants at Damietta utilised ABB mass flowmeters accurate to 0.1%.
Food processing facilities adopted ABB safe motion technology, complying with EU hygiene standards for 50 export lines. Pharmaceutical automation at EIPICO achieved FDA validation for 12 production suites. Water treatment plants in New Cairo treat 1 million cubic metres daily under ABB control.
Solar tracker systems installed across 5 GW Benban complex track 2.3 million panels. Wind farm at Zafarana upgraded with ABB converters boosting output 12% to 545 MW. Grid stabilisation systems prevent blackouts serving Greater Cairo's 22 million residents.
Government and Regulatory Support
Egyptian Electricity Holding Company tendered EGP 15 billion smart grid contracts, ABB prequalified for 40% scope. Industrial Development Authority approved nine new ABB client factories in Suez zones. Ministry of Environment certified 25 installations under green industry protocol.
Swiss Embassy commercial section facilitated 18 B2B matchmaking sessions yielding EGP 800 million pipelines. Egyptian Exporters Association integrated ABB solutions into 50 SME upgrade programmes. Federation of Egyptian Industries chapter on automation reports 35% member adoption rate.
Public-private partnership framework allocated EGP 3 billion matching funds for electrification projects. Swisscontact training modules upskilled 3,000 managers in Industry 4.0 methodologies. Forum digital platform connects 1,200 firms for ongoing collaboration.
Future Collaboration Initiatives
ABB announced Egypt Innovation Challenge awarding EGP 10 million to five startups developing AI energy apps. Joint venture with Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories targets microgrid solutions for 50 remote sites. Memorandum with Cairo University establishes electromobility research centre graduating 100 engineers yearly.
Swiss-Egyptian task force schedules quarterly forums monitoring 20 priority sectors. ABB leads working group on circular economy, targeting 15% recycled content in manufacturing by 2028. Export development programme trains 500 SMEs in ABB certification standards.
National roadmap projects 25% industrial GDP contribution through digital transformation. ABB forecasting EGP 5 billion revenues from 2026 contracts across 200 client sites. Bilateral investment treaty negotiations target 50% FDI growth over five years.