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.