Morocco opens $5.62 million FlowPipe facility to cut imports and boost water infrastructure

Wednesday 06 - 10:00

By: Dakir Madiha

Morocco opens $5.62 million FlowPipe facility to cut imports and boost water infrastructure

Morocco has inaugurated a new industrial production unit dedicated to fiberglass-reinforced pipes, marking a concrete step in the country's drive to reduce dependence on imported materials for its water infrastructure and key industrial sectors. The FlowPipe facility, located in Mohammedia, was launched by Minister of Industry and Trade Ryad Mezzour and represents a MAD 52 million investment, equivalent to $5.62 million, under an agreement signed in December 2024.

The unit was developed by Plastima Canalisations group, a Moroccan firm specializing in the production of fiberglass-reinforced polyester pipes, known in the industry as GRP or FRP pipes. The facility has an initial production capacity of approximately 200 kilometers of pipes per year. Its products can reach diameters of up to three meters and withstand pressures of up to 32 bar. The unit holds the Health Compliance Certificate, a certification that qualifies its output for use in drinking water infrastructure projects and positions it as a direct supplier for national water network development programs.

The project has already generated 83 direct jobs and aligns with Morocco's broader industrial sovereignty model, which prioritizes local manufacturing and the mobilization of national private capital in strategic sectors. At full production capacity, the facility is projected to generate approximately MAD 250 million, or around $27 million, in annual turnover. Minister Mezzour used the inauguration to call on leading Moroccan companies to move beyond technology transfer and build autonomous innovation capacities with international reach, framing the FlowPipe unit as a model for what the national industrial ecosystem should pursue. He stressed that expanding exports and securing stronger positions in global markets remain central challenges for Moroccan industry in the years ahead.

Plastima Group CEO Yassine Benmlih described the launch as a direct response to Morocco's water scarcity challenges, stating that the initiative aims to strengthen production capacities, improve the quality of water networks, and drive industrial investment in both domestic and international markets. The facility's certification for drinking water use gives it particular strategic value at a time when Morocco is executing a national water transformation strategy designed to modernize aging infrastructure and close the gap between supply and demand in a country increasingly exposed to drought and climate-related water stress. The FlowPipe unit's combination of industrial scale, technical certification, and domestic capital backing positions it as one of the more substantive examples of Morocco's import substitution push in the infrastructure materials sector.