Damietta bets on furniture born in the workshops of the ancestors
I read a long investigative piece about furniture manufacturing in Damietta, and what struck me was how a craft that craftsmen inherited from their grandfathers is turning into a complete industrial system. The Damietta Furniture City sits in the Shata area of the Nile Delta, where the international coastal road meets the Port Said–Damietta road. It covers about 331 feddans and is described as the first and largest industrial zone specialised in furniture and related industries in the Middle East.
The city has 54 hangars holding roughly 1,348 factories and workshops, along with a furniture technology centre, central workshops that serve small craftsmen, shops, administrative offices, a bank, a police station, a fire station and a medical clinic. The idea is that a craftsman can find most of what he needs in one place, from the workshop to marketing.
The spaces are sized to fit every scale. There are 75 specialised factories ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 square metres, while a small workshop covers between 100 and 150 square metres. Small and medium workshops occupy about 72.1 feddans, large factories about 50 feddans, the exhibition complex about 20.9 feddans, and the supporting industries complex about 9.76 feddans, which includes adhesives, paints, sponges and accessories.
According to the investigation, the vision rests on the economic and social development plan document presented by Planning Minister Ahmed Rostom and approved by both chambers of parliament. It aims at expansion and export, and at turning "Damietta furniture" from a famous name into an Egyptian brand that competes in regional and global markets. I am glad to see traditional woodworking getting this kind of attention, and I hope that the skill of the hand stays at the heart of this development.
Source: Youm7
The city has 54 hangars holding roughly 1,348 factories and workshops, along with a furniture technology centre, central workshops that serve small craftsmen, shops, administrative offices, a bank, a police station, a fire station and a medical clinic. The idea is that a craftsman can find most of what he needs in one place, from the workshop to marketing.
The spaces are sized to fit every scale. There are 75 specialised factories ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 square metres, while a small workshop covers between 100 and 150 square metres. Small and medium workshops occupy about 72.1 feddans, large factories about 50 feddans, the exhibition complex about 20.9 feddans, and the supporting industries complex about 9.76 feddans, which includes adhesives, paints, sponges and accessories.
According to the investigation, the vision rests on the economic and social development plan document presented by Planning Minister Ahmed Rostom and approved by both chambers of parliament. It aims at expansion and export, and at turning "Damietta furniture" from a famous name into an Egyptian brand that competes in regional and global markets. I am glad to see traditional woodworking getting this kind of attention, and I hope that the skill of the hand stays at the heart of this development.
Source: Youm7
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