Print products are in growing demand in the
emerging markets and developing countries of the MENA (Middle East & North
Africa) region. For one thing, there are more consumer goods to be labeled and
packaged. For another, there is a need for all kinds of advertising materials
in the private sector and for security printing for documents and securities in
the public sector. As a result, print shops in these markets are increasingly
investing in cutting-edge technologies. While the printing sector in
industrialized nations is being shaped by growing consolidation and lean,
efficient production, the MENA region offers growth potential as a result of
the new print shops being set up there.
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg)
has been active in this region for over 50 years. It now has independent
agencies in all the various countries and a subsidiary in both Saudi Arabia and
the Gulf region. There are over 400 Heidelberg specialists working in the MENA
region, over half of them in service-based roles. Thanks to its knowledge of
the market and a portfolio that covers everything from prepress, press, and
postpress to training opportunities at the Print Media Academy (PMA) in the
Egyptian capital Cairo, Heidelberg can offer the necessary support to a growing
customer base.
"The countries of the MENA region have
highly diverse technical and economic requirements. Despite a difficult
political and economic climate, there are successful print shops supported by
technology and services from Heidelberg and its distributors. We are proud that
the leading print shops work with our equipment," explains Wolfgang Roth,
who is responsible for distributors at Heidelberg. "And, we are seeing a
general increase in the amount spent on digital and packaging printing,"
he adds. With a market share of over 30 percent for CtP, over 60 percent for
presses, and over 40 percent for postpress equipment, Heidelberg is the
industry's leading supplier in the MENA region. It is even seeing impressive
sales of highly complex adhesive binder lines such as the Eurobind Pro. A total
of over 7,500 one-, two-, and multi-color presses from Heidelberg covering all
formats are installed in MENA countries. "Thanks to our long-standing
presence in the region and our close cooperation with customers there,
Heidelberg is the partner of choice for many new projects and significant
expansions," sums up Roth.
Tunisia
- new company Medpack seeking to become one of the best packaging print shop in
North Africa
Located near Tunis, the newly founded
packaging print shop Medpack is just one of the companies to decide on a
complete solution from Heidelberg. It has invested in a Suprasetter A106 CtP
platesetter, a Speedmaster CD 102-5+LX, Tunisia's first Speedmaster SX 74
four-color press with coating unit, a Stahlfolder Ti 36 and Ti 52, a Varimatrix
105 C die cutter, and a Diana 115 X folding carton gluing machine - the first
in the whole of Africa. Medpack specializes in packaging for the
pharmaceuticals industry and employs 30 members of staff on a site covering
5,000 square meters, making it Tunisia's biggest ever new print shop project.
Founders Mustapha and Amir Messaoudi and Ridha Charfeddine are looking to
become one of the best print shop in North Africa and supply international
pharmaceutical companies with high-quality end products. They appreciate the
consulting service offered by Heidelberg and its representative Comptoir
Tunisien des Papiers, the high quality and productivity of its equipment, and
the reliability of its service activities.
Jordan
- first Speedmaster XL 106 at Central Press and further expansion at packaging
print shop Al Shurook
Early this year, Heidelberg Jordan installed
the country's first Speedmaster XL 106-5+L at Central Press. Yousef Hammad,
Marketing Manager at Central Press, explains the thinking behind the purchase,
which was concluded at drupa 2012, as follows: "The Speedmaster XL 106 is
an important investment for us to take our business to the next level. The
cutting-edge technology of Heidelberg presses now enables us to meet the
demands of even the most discerning customers and respond to future
trends." The new press joined a Speedmaster XL 105, a Speedmaster CD 102,
and a Speedmaster CD 74 already in operation in the pressroom.
Central Press Managing Director Maher Hammad
is convinced that the new Speedmaster XL 106 will significantly boost
productivity. "The press is ideal for the many different materials and
long runs at our company and also for the frequent job changes we need to
perform. The machine's highly efficient consumption of energy and materials was
also a key factor in our investment decision," he says. A further plus
point is the excellent service from Heidelberg Jordan.
The Al Shurook print shop in Amman is
expanding once again and investing in a Speedmaster XL 105-6+L, a Speedmaster
SM 52-5-L, and a Suprasetter A105 platesetter with a Glunz & Jensen online
processor. Both presses are designed for UV and water-based printing. Al
Shurook specializes in packaging printing, with the main focus on foodstuffs
and detergents. "Our aim with this investment is to strengthen our
position as a premium printer in the local packaging printing sector while also
opening up new opportunities on the export market thanks to an increased
production capacity," underlines owner Mamoun Al Kotob. He has been quick
to see positive results from the investment and is highly satisfied with the
exceptional print quality, the increased production capacity achieved thanks to
the high level of automation of Speedmaster presses, and the excellent
collaboration with Heidelberg Jordan.
Egypt
- market launch of the Linoprint C digital printing system for shorter and
variable runs
Digital printing volumes are also growing in
Egypt and North-East Africa, with customers expecting a quick turnaround for
shorter and variable runs. In response to these requirements, the Youssef Allam
Group, a long-standing Heidelberg agency, held a three-day open house event at
the Print Media Academy in Cairo to launch the Linoprint C digital printing
system. Sales and service activities for these systems will be the
responsibility of the newly founded company Aim, a subsidiary of the Youssef
Allam Group. "We are keen to advise customers and ascertain the best options
for their particular business models. We can now do so using both offset and
digital printing," stresses the Group's owner Adel Allam. Heidelberg used
the open house event to demonstrate the possibilities for integrating offset
and digital printing - especially with Prinect Digital Print Manager, which
paves the way for a seamless workflow between the two technologies. A number of
customers were so impressed by the digital printing system's productivity,
color quality, and efficiency - not to mention the Youssef Allam Group's
excellent service and reliability - that they signed a purchase contract for
the Linoprint C then and there.
