Mars, a global leader in the food industry, hosted a comprehensive tour within its advanced factory located in 6th of October City. The tour aimed to showcase the unique and integrated business model applied within the factory, as well as to monitor production lines and review the latest food manufacturing technologies.
\The tour, attended by a selected group of journalists and media professionals, aligns with Mars’ efforts to achieve environmental sustainability, support Egypt’s Vision 2030, and enhance transparency and communication with the media. Eng. Osama Hellal, the Plant Director of Mars Egypt Factory, Shams Aweis, Corporate Affairs Manager at Mars Egypt and North Africa, along with the factory management team warmly welcomed the visitors.
Mars factory (OCT) serves as a distinguished model for implementing cutting-edge production systems in the chocolate and confectionery industry worldwide. With an area of approximately 82,000 square meters, the factory currently occupies only 70% of the total land area. It employs around 500 workers and staff, providing indirect employment opportunities for 20,000 individuals in transportation and distribution sectors. The factory adheres to the latest safety and security standards, following global protocols to ensure a safe working environment for all employees.
During the tour, visitors inspected the advanced production lines inside the factory, witnessing the latest production methods, packaging systems, and modern technologies employed to ensure the highest global quality standards.
Osama Hellal, Plant Director at Mars, highlighted that Mars’ investments in the factory amount to approximately $200 million, with 6 production lines producing around 25,000 tons annually of high-quality confectionery and chocolate products. The company plans to inject an additional $250 million investment to increase the factory’s production capacity.
Mars Egypt exports its products to over 40 countries, including Australia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Saudi Arabia, with the Egyptian market serving as a major marketing hub towards Middle Eastern and African markets. There are plans to open more production lines by 2025 to enhance the company’s productivity and export capabilities.
Helal stated, “The company has intensified its efforts to achieve sustainable development goals in Egypt, evidenced by the LEED certification awarded to the factory as the first waste-free plant operating outside the United States and Europe since 2007, in addition to the company’s efforts to conserve water usage through the purification unit installed in the factory.
Mars places great emphasis on environmental protection and sustainability, implementing the latest technologies in production processes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, efficiently manage waste, minimize water consumption and reuse, as well as handle non-natural refrigerants, among others. Furthermore, safety and emergency systems are designed according to the latest global standards.”
Sally El Gendy, General Manager of Mars Egypt, emphasized that Mars implements a comprehensive strategy for growth and development, including strong financial performance, continuous quality improvement, and innovation, in addition to Mars’ commitment to making a positive impact on communities through its social programs.
El Gendy stated, “We are committed to meeting the local market’s needs for high-quality chocolate and confectionery products, as well as exporting to over 40 countries, significantly contributing to enhancing Egypt’s exports of food products and aligning with the state’s strategy to increase non-petroleum exports by 2030.”
It is worth mentioning that Mars began its investments in Egypt in 2001 and has become one of the leading companies in the confectionery and chocolate manufacturing sector. The company offers a wide range of well-known brands to Egyptian consumers, including Galaxy, Mars, Twix, Bounty, Maltesers, M&M’s, and sugar-free Extra gum and Skittles.
