🎙️ NextCycle – The Obsolescence Podcast | Episode #009

How is Egypt transforming from a traditional consumer market into an emerging hub for electronics manufacturing, R&D and digital infrastructure?

In this English episode of NextCycle – The Obsolescence Podcast Dominik Göttler speaks with Haitham Mohsen from FORTEC Egypt about the current transformation of the Egyptian electronics industry, the role of government initiatives, supply chain resilience and how Egyptian companies deal with obsolescence management today.

The conversation explores how Egypt is positioning itself between Europe, Asia and Africa to become an attractive location for manufacturing, engineering and supply chain diversification. At the same time, the episode compares German long-term engineering approaches with the agility and flexibility often seen in Egyptian companies.

Topics include:
 ▪ Egypt’s transition towards electronics manufacturing
 ▪ Smart infrastructure, IoT & energy projects
 ▪ Supply chain security & geopolitical advantages
 ▪ Government incentives for R&D & manufacturing
 ▪ Egypt Makes Electronics (EME) initiative
 ▪ Reactive vs. proactive obsolescence management
 ▪ Lessons learned from the global chip shortage
 ▪ German engineering culture vs. Egyptian agility

💡 Chapters/ Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction & first English episode of NextCycle
 00:33 Haitham Mohsen – background in electronics & government projects
 01:33 Egypt’s transition from consumer to manufacturing market
 02:27 Technologies currently booming in Egypt
 03:45 Smart infrastructure, IoT & energy projects in Egypt
 04:41 Egypt’s strategic position for global supply chains
 05:54 Biggest sourcing & supply chain challenges in Egypt
 07:53 How the Egyptian government supports electronics industries
 09:05 Egypt Makes Electronics (EME) initiative explained
 09:58 Building R&D centres & attracting international companies
 10:56 Building Knowledge City & international electronics ecosystems
 11:25 Train-to-Hire programmes for engineering graduates
 12:39 Obsolescence management in Egyptian companies
 14:03 Reactive vs. proactive lifecycle management
 14:59 What Egypt can learn from German engineering culture
 16:29 German precision vs. Egyptian agility & flexibility
 17:35 Lessons learned from the global chip shortage
 18:21 How companies should prepare for future shortages
 19:14 Safety stock, diversification & proactive strategies
 20:33 Financial flexibility & reducing supply chain risk
 21:30 Why avoiding single-source strategies matters
 21:58 Final thoughts on Egypt’s electronics future
 

🔗 Links & Recommendations

🌐 Dominik Göttler Consulting GmbH: https://dominikgoettler.de/
🤝 Guest on this episode: Haitham Mohsen
https://www.linkedin.com/in/hmohsen/
🌐 Fortec AG – Fortec Group: https://www.fortecag.de/
🔗 Recorded in Egypt at Fortec Egypt: https://www.fortec.eg/
🔗 Interview by Dominik Göttler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominik-goettler/
Podcast Homepage: https://nextcycle-podcast.de/episodes

💬 About NextCycle

NextCycle – The podcast for the obsolescence management of tomorrow.

How can companies future-proof their products and supply chains?

On NextCycle, decision-makers, engineers, and data experts discuss strategies, tools, and mindsets that help manage risks and design resilient products.

Host Dominik Göttler leads conversations with thought leaders from the electronics and industrial sectors—from brokers and OEMs to tool providers.

👉 New episodes every three weeks, on Fridays.
🎧 Produced by Dominik Göttler Consulting GmbH.

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