January 31, 2002 - Cairo in Egypt is the ninth link in the global Print Media Academy network. Heidelberg sees the Academy as a means of providing the graphic arts industry with more than just hardware and software – it also offers brainware. "In order to compete effectively on the market, our customers need the knowledge and expertise that will allow them to keep pace with technological changes and respond quickly to new developments", explained Bernhard Schreier, Chairman of Heidelberg's Management Board, on the occasion of the opening. Together with its Egyptian sales partner, Allam, Heidelberg can now also provide existing and prospective customers from the Middle East and Africa with on-the-spot product and management training. The Print Media Academy in Cairo will also provide a platform for exchanging information in the form of congresses and forums. It will provide guidance and highlight the opportunities that new technologies such as digitization and the Internet can offer. Egypt is Heidelberg's second largest market in Africa after South Africa. Measured against the number of printshops, Africa has the highest concentration of digital presses worldwide. The Cairo Print Media Academy maintains close contacts with universities and institutions in Cairo and Germany. The Goethe Institute is just one example. It is working alongside other members on a project which is sponsored by the European Union and aims to help raise the expertise and qualifications of Egyptian printers. The extensive range of seminars is geared to prepress, press and postpress specialists, professional users, owners of printing and media businesses, and technical and commercial managers. Experts from advertising agencies, designers, buyers of printed materials, students, teaching staff and professional associations will also profit from the courses on offer. "Print process, color management and quality assurance courses are very much in demand", explains Ahmad Khattab, Head of the Cairo Print Media Academy. "We are currently in the process of developing further seminars on, for example, how to manage a printshop, with particular focus on business management aspects". In devising the concept of the Print Media Academy and its worldwide network, Heidelberg has launched a unique initiative for both basic and advanced training. Greater closeness to customers and the market and a fast and structured exchange of information - these are the key principles upon which the Print Media Academy network is based. It applies the same quality standards throughout and yet also takes into account local and regional needs. The establishments in the USA (Atlanta), China (Shenzen), Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), Japan (Tokyo), Russia (Moscow), Brazil (Sao Paulo) and Australia (Sydney) are all playing their part in this process. The head office and largest Print Media Academy of all is based in Heidelberg. This was opened in April 2000, Heidelberg's 150th anniversary year.