​On the sidelines of the Qatar-US Economic Forum in Raleigh, North CarolinaH.E Qatar’s Minister of Economy and Commerce attends signing ceremony of MoU between Qatar Industrial Manufacturing Company and Stewart Engineers to produce float glass in Qatar
 
H.E Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al-Thani, Qatar’s Minister of Economy and Commerce and H.E Ambassador Anne Patterson, President of the U.S-Qatar Business Council, attended the signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding between Qatar Industrial Manufacturing Company and Stewart Engineers to produce float glass in Qatar
The signing ceremony took place on the sidelines of the Qatar-U.S Economic Forum in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Mr. Abdulrahman Al Ansari, CEO of Qatar Industrial Manufacturing Company, and Andrew Stewart, CEO of Stewart Engineers, co-signed the MoU.
The MoU aims at producing float glass in Qatar for use in buildings, cars, solar panels among other applications. Qatar uses large quantities of glass panels, which are currently imported from abroad.
The project’s production capacity is about 600 tons of float glass panels per day at an investment cost of 700 million Qatari riyals. The project, which spans an area of about 50,000 sqm, requires natural gas to melt raw materials. Thus, Qatar is well positioned to house the project due to the availability of raw materials among other supportive elements that ensure the success of the project.
Mr. Abdulrahman Al Ansari, CEO of Qatar Industrial Manufacturing Company, praised the signing of the MoU on the establishment of a project to produce float glass panels, which he said would serve the strategic vision of Qatar in terms of developing the national economy by expanding the industrial base and supporting projects that foster productive sectors.
 
“The project will be the first of its kind in Qatar and will contribute to the diversification of the industrial sector and will create new investment opportunities in projects and industries that requires such products. It will also contribute to supporting the national economy by exporting a large share of glass products to international markets,” he said.
Al Ansari added that Qatar Industrial Manufacturing Company and Stewart Engineers are conducting a detailed study of the project, drawing on the U.S firm’s operational and marketing expertise, which has proved successful in many projects it has implemented over the past years.
Andrew Stewart, CEO of Stewart Engineers, said the signing of the MoU with Qatar Industrial Manufacturing company is an important deal for his firm because it bolsters the float glass industry in Qatar and the region.
Stewart said Qatar’s natural resources, namely natural gas and sand as well as the country’s strategic location and deep water – are an excellent environment for the transfer of technology to manufacture products that add value to the Qatari economy and the region’s economy.
Stewart added that the MoU motivates his company to enter the Qatari market.
“We are excited to enter the Qatari market and we were further encouraged when we learned from the delegation of the economic roadshow about the investment environment in Qatar. This will be a productive project and we are pleased to sign the MoU,” he said.