In September 2007, Cairo will play most to the first Glassman Middle East exhibition. The show, to be held at the Intercontinental CityStars hotel, will debut on the 4th and 5th of the month. Industrial scale glassmaking is expanding rapidly in the region thanks to increased demand, low-cost skilled labour and ample supplies of raw materials and energy. It is estimated that the Egyptian market consumes 190,000/t of glass containers per year, which is set to rise with demand for containers growing at around 8%/pa. Glass tableware and ovenware are becoming more popular too. Developments in the automotive and construction industries are expected to increase demand for flat glass. In total, there are around 19 industrial scale glass plants in Egypt (excluding hand production).
