ME Printer January -February 2021 (Issue 180)

VOL. 17 ISSUE 178 MF-02-1824692 JANUARY- FEBRUARY 2021

IN HINDSIGHT AND FORESIGHT

TOP INDUSTRY PLAYERS’ PREDICTIONS ABOUT 2021

2020 IN REVIEW

GREEN SHOOTS OF RECOVERY- AL - EBTEKAR INVESTS IN A NEW HEIDELBERG XL 106

‫زيروكس السعودية تقيم شراكات‬ ‫قوية ودائمة مع الشركات ذات‬ ‫التوجه المماثل لتوجهاتها‬

LET US BE THE FUEL

Industrial Textile

MIS Systems

Hybrid Superwide

Wide Format

Roll-to-Roll Superwide

Soft Signage

Thermoform Printing

Web to Print Solutions

Fiery Servers

Ceramic

EFI offers you the broadest choice of products across the widest range of applications to TM

fuel your success. From superwide LED inkjet, to ceramic printing, to powerful Fiery print ÂŽ

servers. From the lowest cost per print, to soft signage textile printing, to delivering peak performance by running your business through EFI Productivity Suites.

Visit products.efi.com/me-printer or scan the QR code below.

Nothing herein should be construed as a warranty in addition to the express warranty statement provided with EFI products and services.

EFI, FabriVU, Fiery and VUTEk are trademarks of Electronics For Imaging, Inc. and/or its wholly owned subsidiaries in the U.S. and/or certain other countries. Š2018 Electronics For Imaging, Inc. All rights reserved.

THE WORLD OF PACKAGING IS YOURS.

Explore it with Heidelberg and MK Masterwork.

As the world’s largest supplier of machines for packaging printing, our portfolio is the most comprehensive in the industry.

And one that offers complete confidence: MK Masterwork is the only supplier whose machines are all GS certified. heidelberg.com/en/world-of-packaging

Heidelberg Middle East FZCO P.O.Box 34133, Dubai, UAE Phone +971 4 347 77 20, heidelberg.com

Contents News News

2021 in Review

Traditional Typography is Making a Comeback in Egypt

4

HP and KSA Authorities Fighting Against Counterfeit Goods

5

Preserving the Documents of the Ottoman Empire

5

HP Appoints New Managing Director for the Region

6

Publishing Challenges for Young Emirati Writers

7

Egypt Steps up Efforts to Export Paper Products to KSA

8

A Raft of New Arabic Literary Gems Released

9

19

2021 Year in Preview (Report)

Interviews 20

23

Green Shoots of Recovery

Epson’s Ethos Has Always Been Deeply Rooted in People

Success Story 2020 in Review 2020 in Review- Was is it as Bad as They Say?

24

Saudi Xerox Builds Robust and Lasting Partnerships with Like-Minded Companies

10

Report

Cover Story Naoki Nishikimi- Roland DG

14

Nour LABIDI- BOBST Area Sales Manager -Business Unit Web-Fed

14

Costanza Cerutti- CEO, Gruppo Cerutti

14

Mohamed HASSAIRI- BOBST Regional Marketing & Communications Manager

15

Graham Norris- Managing Director, Tech ni Fold

15

Giuliano Bianchet, VP sales Director, Kodak EAMER

15

Ayman Aly- Senior Marketing Manager, Canon Middle East

15

Joanna Kruszewski- PR & Communications Manager, EFI GmbH

16

Zahir Hassan- CEO, Power Print

16

Som John- General Manager, DE Agfa ME Inkjet

16

Danna Drion- Senior Marketing Manager EMEA, Mimaki Europe

17

Katrin Hoffmann- Public Relations, DTM Print

17

Mehmet Sezer – General Manager, Saudi Xerox

18

Lisa Milburn- Managing Director, Gulf Print & Pack & Labelexpo Global Series

18

26

BOBST Reflects on 2020 and Focuses on 2021 and Beyond

Vol. 17 Issue 178 MF-02-1824692 January - February 2021

Editor's Note Is This a Good Time to be a Printer?

MF-02-1824692 ISSN 2304-117X The Comprehensive Monthly Magazine Dedicated To The Graphic Arts Industry Print Professionals Professionals In InThe TheMiddle MiddleEast East

Vol. 16 17 / Issue 178/ 172/ July - August 2019 January - February 2021

ME Printer FZE L.L.C P.O.Box: 502183 UAE Tel: +971 4 391 1210 E-mail: info@meprinter.com

Group Publishing Director

Year 2020 is gone but it’s bitter taste will be with us for many years to come. Now we all deposited our hope on year 2021 and the end of coronavirus. In these trying time one wonders if this is a good time to be a printer. Some might argue that considering the ongoing pandemic the premise of this question is rather ill-funded. Ok, let’s ask the question in a different manner. “Is this a good time to be in any business?” with exception of Jeff Bezos of Amazon, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and few others, the pandemic and the economic and political uncertainty have wreaked havoc across entire industries and most of businesses, so it is fair to say that entire industries went sideways due to pandemic and they are still struggling. So how printers are doing? During times of crisis usually printers are the first ones who feel the pinch and are adapting to the situation faster than anybody else. They are also the first ones who reap the benefits when economy rebounds.

During past two decades specially with the advent of digital printing and Internet, printers are kind of got used to bad news.

They learned how to embrace unfavorable situations and use them to their advantage. Although the situation is more complicated this time around but solutions are the same. The core concept of printers do is to apply the ink on a substrate. It doesn’t matter if it is a banknote or a beer can or flexible packaging or folding carton or a corrugated box. So whether they are printing a box, a book or an ID card the core concept of what they are doing is the same. So maybe it is time to jump on packaging or security printing or web to print wagon. Some will not be able to adapt and unfortunately have no other choice but to leave the printing industry scene. However, most printers are able to diversify into more relevant and lucrative fields.

The important thing is to go back to basics and ask why you entered printing business in the first place. If you were intrigued and amazed by the core concept of putting ink on paper, then you most probably overcome Coronavirus challenges. Now to my original question; is this a good time to be a printer? Well, it is as good as any.

Morteza Karimian E-mail: karimian@meprinter.com

ME Printer Editorial Team Editor - English Alex Jahanabani Email: alex@meprinter.com

Editor- Arabic Fayza Ebrahim E-mail: arabic@meprinter.com

Technical Editor - English Section

The very first regional printing industry specific survey was conducted by Canon and ME Printer. You can read all about it in this issue of ME Printer. Our special coverage also includes informative tables and graphs.

Rod Hayes Email: rod.hayes@me.com

Specialist Contributing Editors USA Frank Romano E-mail: fxrppr@rit.edu

UK - Laurel Brunner E-mail: lb@digitaldots.org USA - Dr. Nicholas Hellmuth E-mail: nhellmuth@flaar.org

Advertising Manager

Reji Matthews E-mail: meprinter@meprinter.com Classifieds & Subscription Tel: +971 4 391 1210 E-mail: info@meprinter.com

Printed by United Printing & Publishing LLC

Correspondence and advertising materials to be sent to meprinter@meprinter.com

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher. Whilst every care has been taken in the preparation of the editorial content, the publishers cannot be held responsible for any errors or omission. Readers are requested to seek specialist advise before acting on information contained in this publication, which is provided for general use and may not be appropriate for the reader’s particular circumstances.

ME Printer Media Partner

News

Traditional Typography is Making a Comeback in Egypt

Sitting Idle for thirty years the massive Foucher Typecaster, which was built in 1902, is back in service

A typecasting machine, nearly a hundred years old, prints hieroglyphs using molten lead types, and provides an opportunity for research by calligraphers and publishers.

Sitting Idle for thirty years the massive Foucher Typecaster, which was built in 1902, is back in service as part of the heritage revival effort.

The French Institute of Oriental Archaeology in Cairo, or IFAO, recently showed off the machine which allows the printing of ancient Egyptian inscriptions.

"We succeeded in restarting it in September after several repairs and the replacement of necessary spare parts," says Matteo Gousse, the IFAO's publishing director, of the typecaster.

Heritage

ME‌Printer January - February 2021

The first letter reprinted in September was The Egyptian Key

6

to Life (the Ankh). Gousse said that the moment the typecaster started working again was "extremely moving" and full of emotions.

In order to complete the project, the retired typecaster operator Hussam Saad, 63 came out of retirement to operate the machine and train the new generation of operators. According to Hussam this is a unique machine that probably cannot be found anywhere else.

"We are at a defining moment. We will be able to transfer knowledge and skills to new generations.

In addition to preserving the heritage, the project will allow us to collaborate with calligraphers or publishers, and possibly with artists." comments Gousse.

Hani Moawad, 37, one of the apprentices, was impressed by the

device dating back to an age long before modern offset or digital printing technology.

"I've never seen anything like this before, from that era," he marveled.

"And it actually still works perfectly fine."

The director of the institute, the Egyptian archaeologist, Laurent Colon, believes that bringing this ancient machine back to life is a way "to preserve all this history that was formed with the establishment of the institute and its printing press."

The institute boasts a library that contains 92 thousand books and is a reference in the field of Egyptian archaeology. The institute is currently conducting archaeological excavations at 35 sites in Egypt and continues to publish the work of its researchers.

HP and KSA Authorities Fighting Against Counterfeit Goods Inks are life blood of any printing operation and during the recent period. HP’s anti-counterfeiting and fraud teams in the Middle East continue to seize and confiscate counterfeit print supplies, and in August 2020, Saudi Customs stopped an illegal cross-border trade in counterfeit HP printer cartridges, as the Saudi authorities seized a shipment of counterfeit supplies that was about to enter the Kingdom through A port on the Red Sea coast.

As a result, some 6,000 counterfeit ink cartridges ready for sale have been confiscated. More than 65,000 counterfeit ink cartridges were seized during the summer of 2019, and HP, in cooperation with the local authorities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, succeeded in disrupting three other main sources of illegal products. During the months of October and November 2019, the Saudi authorities raided a number of secret facilities in Riyadh and Jeddah where counterfeit products were stored. The authorities managed

to confiscate 50,000 of counterfeit products and prevent them from entering the Saudi market.

Counterfeiting is a crime and illegal counterfeiting can cause a number of problems for users which negatively affect performance and reliability of print operation. stop illegal operations that produce counterfeit print components from HP. On the other hand, the HP Planet Partners program has so far succeeded in recycling more than 875 million original HP ink cartridges.

By purchasing and recycling original ink cartridges, both customers and partners participate in HP’s closedloop process and contribute to the company’s efforts. To create a more sustainable future for printing, more environmentally friendly and free of carbon emissions, and support a circular economy. The recycling process in HP’s Planet Partners program relies in part on plastics captured from ocean water that are collected and recovered in Haiti.

HP has been working to reduce

ocean-related plastics in Haiti since 2016, and these efforts have already diverted some 771 tons. A metric range of plastic materials, equivalent to more than 60 million plastic bottles, to prevent this plastic from reaching waterways and oceans.

Since then, more than 220 metric tons of ocean-bound plastic have been converted for use in Original HP ink cartridges.

Preserving the Documents of the Ottoman Empire

– some of which are from as early as the 16th Century – the archivists in Istanbul use Bookeye scanners.

In a huge installation of Bookeye 4 V1A® scanners, already more than 30 millions of those historic,

fragile and unique documents have been digitized.

Image Access looks forward to supporting this ongoing historic project together with our partner in Turkey Limeks Teknoloji.

ME‌Printer January - February 2021

The Ottoman Archives in Istanbul are a collection of historical sources related to the Ottoman Empire and among the largest archives in the world. They cover a total of 39 nations whose territories were at one time part of the Ottoman Empire. The archives contain a vast collection of unique documents pertaining to the administration of one of history’s largest empires. After more than a century in the center of the old city, the Ottoman archives were relocated in 2013 to the Ka??thane district of Istanbul. They also hold the central State Archives of Turkey.

Preserving history in the Ottoman Archives in Ka??thane with Bookeye 4 V1A book scanners from Image Access For the digitization of the enormous number of documents

7

News HP Appoints New Managing Director for the Region

HP Inc. Middle East, Turkey, and East Africa, today announced Vishnu Taimni as new Managing Director for the region effective February 1st. Mr. Taimni will be responsible for managing and growing HP’s Personal Systems, Printing, industrial graphics and 3D printing businesses in the Middle East, Turkey and East Africa, as well as focusing on numerous education activities that HP drives in the region. Mr. Taimni replaces Mathew Thomas, who has made

the personal decision to leave the company to focus on personal and then other professional pursuits.

Speaking about the announcement, Charl Snyman, VP and Managing Director of HP Inc. in the Middle East, Africa and Eastern Europe, said, “We are pleased to welcome Mr. Taimni to the new regional role. Vishnu has been at the firm for the past 20 years and has an exceptional understanding of the organization, our business strategy and approach

to sustainable development.”

“Over the last year technology has proven to be essential, keeping people productive and allowing us to continue working, learning, entertaining and communicating.

I’m excited to lead HP business in the region of huge potential”, – commented Vishnu Taimni on his new role.

With over 20 years’ experience in the technology industry, Vishnu has held a series of progressively senior management roles, including most recently Print Category Lead for the Middle East, Africa and Eastern Europe markets, and before that, Head of Home Printing Solutions in EMEA region.

Earlier in his career Vishnu was General Manager for HP’s Personal Printing Systems Group in Middle East, Mediterranean and Africa. He has also served as HP’s Consumer Channel Director in India, and between 2008 and 2010 he held various management roles and responsibilities in South and East Africa.

Vishnu’s career began with Compaq’s Computing Category division in 2000, which later merged with Hewlett-Packard in 2002.

ME‌Printer January - February 2021

“House of Wisdom” Opened in the Emirate of Sharjah

8

On an area of more than 12,000 square feet, the “House of Wisdom” library was inaugurated in the Emirate of Sharjah; The library offers a new experience for readers and researchers in the United Arab Emirates and the Arab region since it boasts hundreds of thousands of books and documents. It is also an ideal location for social and cultural meeting.

Reinterpreting the library as a social platform for learning supported by innovation and technology, the House of Wisdom represents a new moment for Sharjah as an international cultural capital. This concept transforms the “House of Wisdom” into a social platform for learning and knowledge, reinforced by innovation tools and advanced technologies, within the vision of Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme

Council and Ruler of Sharjah, who inaugurated the library on December 9, 2020, accompanied

by Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Sharjah Investment Authority.

Inspired by an ancient scroll design that represented the lasting power of books and how reading shares a strong purpose of uniting people together, the

“House of Wisdom” was built as an architectural masterpiece that relies on natural lighting in its interior. The visitor wanders in a living garden surrounded by bookshelves, and lives the reading experience in open interactive spaces, and moves in lobbies and halls equipped with the latest modern technologies, through which he can print and package any

book in Just a few minutes.

The library will be home to 305,000 books, of which 200,000 are in the digital format and 11,000 comprise of books in various languages. The children’s section, ‘The Little Reader’, houses more than 2,000 books, while another section has been set aside for youth with 3,000 titles.

The “House of Wisdom” also embraces the “Al-Jazari laboratory,” whose name came in recognition of the scientific contributions made

by Badi al-Zaman al-Jazari (11361206) AD, and includes the latest advanced printing and graphic arts

technologies including 3D printers, laser cutters, as well as a small CNC machine, which enables visitors to create prototypes.

The “House of Wisdom” has also been allocated specialized halls dubbed as “Diwan” and “The Little Reader” for women and children.

At the House of Wisdom, Dr. Shaikh Sultan also toured Iraqiborn, New York-based artist Wafaa Bilal’s major solo exhibition titled ‘168: 01’, showing for the first time in the Arab world. The exhibition is an expression of “the historic loss of a priceless cultural heritage” that occurred when a fire destroyed

more than 70,000 books at the library of the College of Fine Arts at University of Baghdad in 2003. The Ruler of Sharjah was briefed on the artist’s exhibit featuring a makeshift library filled with empty white books. Visitors to the exhibition are invited to replace the blank books with real ones to restore the collection of destroyed libraries in Iraqi universities and institutes. The donated books will be dedicated to the libraries of universities in Baghdad, Mosul, Babylon, and the Iraqi National Museum.

Publishing Challenges for Young Emirati Writers There are a number of challenges facing Emirati young writers when it comes to publishing their books, including high costs of publishing and distributing locally as well as the lack of interaction and engagement with veteran writers and literary critics, mainly due to poor promotional activities from publishers’ side. Other factors such as long delays in obtaining approvals from several governmental bodies as well as unenthusiastic publishers contribute to disillusionment of young writers.

Unified platform Emirati writer Adel Abdullah Hamid pointed out a number of challenges facing young or emerging writers,

Junior writers The young writer, Amal Ismail says the challenges facing the novice writers are different in nature compared to veteran authors. Usually, beginners search for publishers who believe in them and are willing to take risk by publishing their works and introducing them to readers.

However not many publishers are willing to take up the challenge and young authors have to pick up the tap themselves, which is unfortunate.

Free printing Young writer, Hamdan Muhammad says that many local publishing

houses have been launching youth literary works for free in recent years, but recently they are imposing fees for printing, publishing and distribution that vary between 5000 to 6000 thousand dirhams for a work of 40 thousand words.

Regarding his experience with the world of publishing, he says that he had no prior knowledge of printing, publishing and marketing process of books by publishing houses, so he contacted the Ministry of Culture and Youth, which looked after the printing and publication of his first work, a clear sign of ministry’s commitment to support young talents.

ME‌Printer January - February 2021

The Role of Publishing House The founder of Medad Publishing House, Hassan Al Zaabi, begs to differ.

He says that the publisher is always the vital link between the writer and the reader and it is responsible for publishing the book. According to Al Zaabi Medad Publishing House always keep an eye out on Emirati writers and emerging pens as well.

85% of books launched by Medad are works of Emirati writers especially young authors.

chief among them, long and difficult approval process which involves a number of local authorities. He suggests launching a unified local and publication approval platform that brings together all stakeholders.

Adel also is wary of high cost of printing and distributing of literary works. Some publishing houses also impose their own set of distribution fees on writers. While at the same time other publishers take care of all the costs and also provide opportunity for writers to display their works at local and international level.

9

News Al-Manar Premiers Xerox Versant 180 in its New Branch New year for Al-Manar stationery coincided with the opening of its new branch in “Wadi Al-Sail Complex” in Bahrain. This branch is considered the largest in the Kingdom for “Al-Manar Stationary” and the third shop, after its two other branches in Al-Qudhaibiya and Al-Riffa.

Executive Director of “Al-Manar Stationery” Ahmed Al-Salhi explained that the new branch in Wadi Al-Sail is the largest in Bahrain, and that Al-Manar stationery is the largest supplier of stationery in the Kingdom. The chain of shops offers books and stationary supplies catering for adults and children, of all age groups as well of painting and art works, office and home furniture, sewing tools, and electronics.

Al Manar also installed an all new Xerox Versant 180 printer in the

new branch. Ahmed Al-Salhi says the new digital machine which is first in Kingdom of Bahrain to print 11 different colors, including gold, silver and fluorescent colors thanks to the new Adaptive CMYK Plus Kit that Xerox offers with the Versant 180. Al Manar also offers specialty printing services to printing on garments, cups and everything

that companies and individuals need in record time, and at an attractive and competitive price.

On the occasion of the opening, Saad Abdullah, Marketing Director at Al-Manar Stationery, said that AlManar announced major discounts on all stationery products without exception, up to 21%, and the offer is valid until January 9, 2021.

ME‌Printer January - February 2021

Egypt Steps up Efforts to Export Paper Products to KSA

10

The Egyptian Export Council for Printing, Packaging, Paper, Books and Artistic Works signed a cooperation protocol with a Tabseer company to facilitate the access of the Egyptian graphic arts companies into the Saudi and the Gulf markets.

He explained that the control measures imposed by Saudi Arabia are mainly to preserve the best quality. The process ensures the imported goods conformity to the Saudi market standards and enhances the safety of these products in order to maintain consumers’ trust which is a significant key for high competitiveness in the market.

This agreement paves the way for Egyptian exporters of printing, packaging, paper and books products to tap into lucrative markets of Saudi Arabia and other

Gulf countries. Tabseer is a certified company by the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO) which works mainly on the issuance of regulations that ensure the assessment procedures of goods, products, and services under approved standards. the engineering products, including machines, appliances and electrical equipment are the top imported products by the Saudi Arabian market that reach SAR 30 billion monthly, which acts as a promising opportunity for

manufacturers and exporters in Egypt to access the market.

The council said that the strategic relations between Egypt and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the highest political and economic levels represent an ideal model for joint cooperation, and the clear manifestation of benefits of this fruitful cooperation is increasing volume of trade exchange between the two countries which in 2016 amounted to 4.279 billion US dollars. Saudi Arabia is the first in the Arab region in terms of investments in Egypt, with more than 2,900 projects at a cost of $ 27 billion, while at the same time Egyptian investments in Saudi Arabia now includes more than 1,300 projects, valued at $ 2.5 billion. Last but not least Saudi tourism constitutes 20% of total Arab tourism in Egypt.

A Raft of New Arabic Literary Gems Released There is no doubt the outbreak of the Corona virus disrupted our normal daily lives around the world but regional printing industry is soldiering on. Recently a raft of Egyptian and other Arab publishing houses released dozens of new titles and publications that ranged from novels to short stories and poetry collections as well as books about science, literature, Politics and history.

The Egyptian Lebanese publishing House released the novel “leabon’s companionship”

by Hisham El-Khishen, in which he presents seven characters whose destinies intersect, attract and repel, separated by life for thirty years.

In “The Heirs of the Al-Sheikh” the young writer Ahmed Al-Qarmalawi, builds a self-contained world, its characters, the lives of its people, their sorrows and their joys, their aspirations and dreams, whether they were acquired, or others that were aborted by life and their destiny.

The novel “The Last Mass” by the young writer Walaa Kamal, whose previously published books “My Days with Cairokee” and “A tale of a generation that wanted to change the world.” Revolves around a man who after a violent shock, is deported to several European countries, and every time the plane

lands, he tries to reconstruct the past as pieces of a puzzle that are difficult to comprehend, as if he has been living in a coma all his life.

He is unaware of who he is and the truth of the people closest to him the Moroccan poet and novelist Aisha Al Basri’s latest book, “As a corpse in a police novel” was written during the quarantine of the city of Rabat and it is dedicated to the people who lost their lives during the Corona epidemic. The novel is about death in the time of Corona, when the narrator opens her eyes, the world has already disappeared, and she finds herself inside a feverish body chained to a bed in a white room, and subject to interrogation and an investigation by a military man who presented himself as a reporter working on a report about her life.

Other than new books recently a number of classic literary masterpieces were also reprinted including “The Nest of the Wattawit” by the great writer Ihsan Abdel Quddous.

Dar Al-Karma Publishing House, launched the novel “All the Months are July” by the journalist Ibrahim Issa as well as I was “A young man in the eighties: a cultural and social biography by Mahmoud Abdel Shakour” and “Stories from the Book of the Nation” by Salah Issa.

Dar Al- Shorouk also released a number of outstanding works including “Doctor of Aryaf” by Muhammad Al-Mansi Qandil’s novel and “Al-Ghumaida” by Walid Ala Al-Dinas well as Musa’s Crucifix

by Haitham Dabour, and ” Women Writers and Loneliness ” by Noura Naji.

Saudi Ministry of Education: 62 Million Textbooks Printed curricula for the second semester amounted to 307 titles and all have been printed, in coordination with the education departments, using finest paper and modern printing and finishing process.

ME‌Printer January - February 2021

The Saudi Ministry of Education announced that it has completed the printing operation of more than

62 million books for all stages of general education and is working to distribute them to the schools throughout the Kingdom for the second semester.

Assistant Minister of Education, Dr. Saad bin Saud Al Fahid explained that the ministry has completed designing, reviewing, approving and printing of 24,456,807 textbooks for the elementary stage, 14,349,606 textbooks for the intermediate stage, and 29,154,986 books for the secondary stage. All text books for the secondary stage have been distributed among high school students.

According to the Assistant Minister of Education the total school

11

2020 IN REVIEW

2020 IN REVIEW- WAS IS IT AS BAD AS THEY SAY? Webinars mushroomed in the virtual world and it has become the de facto mode of communication in our industry

When we look back at 2020 all we see is Coronavirus, some sort of dystopian world that until now only existed in movies or sci-fi novels. So far 1.5 million people have died of Coronavirus and around 70 million people have been infected. Many countries around the globe are at the brink of recession and millions of workers have been furloughed due to pandemic. So there are many good reasons for all of us to be depressed at best and to be hopeless at worst. But 2020 was more than a tragic year or a nightmare for so many people. It can be considered a catalyst, a transitory juncture that accelerated many trends that were already existed but their pace was too slow to be able to take the world by storm.

For our industry 2020 brought mixed results. For magazines and newspapers which were already facing a steep decline

in readership and dwindling circulation the situation got worse.

Many publications switched to online subscription models and stopped print editions altogether.

The demand for printing dropped and printers all over the world felt the pinch. However, package printing became a super vital

element in the supply chain during pandemic and a savior of printing industry. Online shopping went through the roof and with it the demand for safe and corrugated packaging rose dramatically.

Printers realized in order to survive they have to adapt and try other avenues in order to survive.

(I mean the predictor could have been a woman). But it happened and even if the Coronavirus is resolved one way or another the culture and habit of webinar will be with us for many years to come.

It won’t be a question of bad habit anymore. Companies now found out that they can do many things virtually. It is cheaper and hassle

free. But for their customers, webinar is more convenient as well.

During 2020 many companies in our region sprang into action and quickly set up all kinds of live webinars as a way of maintaining contact with their existing and potential customer. Perhaps the most talked about webinar was Canon Middle East (CME) state of printing industry webinar which was hosted in partnership

ME‌Printer January - February 2021

The age of webinars

12

With the cancellation of major trade events and B2B exhibitions in 2020 companies opted for webinars to showcase their products and galvanize their relationship with the customers.

Webinars mushroomed in the virtual world and it has become the de facto mode of communication in our industry.

Major manufacturers launched webinars loaded with information, new technologies and meaningful discussions and panels. For its part drupa also introduced drupa Preview, which offers a series of presentations and live web sessions from industry experts.

In 2019 if somebody would have predicted that face to face and in person meeting in printing industry would vanish overnight everybody would have called him a mad man or a mad woman

with ME Printer Magazine. The webinar revealed the study’s results which was also conducted jointly with ME Printer magazine.

The Canon ME Printing Industry Market Study 2020 has revealed that the print industry is at a turning point and the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the need for print service providers to transform their objectives and operational model, and to look toward new avenues to diversify their offerings.

There were other important

virtual events including Gulf Print & Pack First Virtual Industry Round Table. Six panelists,

representing leading MEA suppliers took part in the lively discussion,

New technologies The year 2020 cannot be considered a year of major product announcement or disruptive technologies. It is more likely a year of progression and upgrade of existing hardware and new software. Many printers are now trying to rely on software and workflow rather than people.

Web to Print solutions are also becoming very popular. Printers are now opting for prepress automation tool that allows their operators create workflows and manage the business process of prepress online. A number of Web to print solutions were introduced in 2020 that can help printers enter in this lucrative

The year 2020 is a year of progression and upgrade of existing hardware and new software for most printers

market. When it comes to web to print solutions one product that stands out is Customer’s Canvass

by Aurigma. This technology also won Intertech Technology Award.

This technology is customizable and enables printers to design and introduce online store fronts for their products. It supports third party software and provides an opportunity for printers to get a solution that is better tailored to their internal workflows and give their customers a more unique and intuitive experience.

ME‌Printer January - February 2021

Heidelberg, Koenig and Bauer, RMGT and other sheetfed manufacturers also introduced new sheetfed presses during 2020.

By new I mean the enhanced and more automated version of their existing sheetfed presses.

Heidelberg introduced new plateto-unit technology and added yet another component to its Push to Stop concept. Other enhancement included FoilStart Cure, which is used to print metallic finishing effects with cold foil on inmold labels (IML) with LED UV on a Speedmaster XL 106. Koenig and Bauer introduced a new and good looking Rapida 106 X which is equipped with a wide range of automation tools and can be monitored and controlled via a mobile app. Now how cool is that!

Koenig & Bauer also made headlines by launching Evo line range of CI flexo presses. The new presses are designed for short, mid-sized, and long runs and can run up to over 600 m/min. with web widths up to 2,000 mm. RMGT also introduced a new enhanced version of its 10 series.

13

2020 IN REVIEW

During 2020 the company which perhaps implemented a radical change in its infrastructure was Bobst

During 2020 the company which perhaps implemented a radical change in its infrastructure was Bobst. In spring of 2020 the company announced new industry vision which is based on four pillars: Connectivity, Digitalization, Automation and Sustainability.

Bobst also a host of new equipment based on these four pillars including die-cutter MASTERCUT 106 PER and TooLink, connecting tooling with the machine, the new ACCUCHECK – an in-line solution to inspect carton blanks for defects and VISIONCUT 145 PER, the latest edition of large format flatbed die-cutter. The company also launched MASTERSTAR, sheet-tosheet laminator, suitable for both folding carton and corrugated board. In flexible packaging, the new MASTER CI flexo press is Bobst newest solution for converters who are looking for a fast and sustainable flexo press.

ME‌Printer January - February 2021

Regional Developments

14

Printing industry trends during 2020 in our region are more or less similar to other regions around the world. Some believe we were less affected by the Coronavirus than other parts of the world. I don’t know how to interpret this. Does this mean we were less affected because we are less developed or because we took preventive measures early on? During 2020 there were investments in new equipment and printing facilities in

our region. So it wasn’t all bad news.

The Public Authority responsible for the printing and distribution of the Holy Quran and Prophetic Sunnah (traditions) and sciences in Kuwait recently announced the Authority’s plans for printing and distribution of Holy Quran. The Authority will invest 14 million dinars for this project which includes construction of a new modern print house.

There were another announcement regarding printing of holy Quran during 2020. The Minister of Islamic Affairs, Advocacy and Guidance, the General Supervisor of King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Qur’an in Madinah, Sheikh Dr. Abdul Latif bin Abdulaziz Al Al-Sheikh, recently announced a

number projects for production and translations of the Noble Qur’an.

The projects included the printing of Qur’an in 13.5 x 3.19 cm and 35 x 24.5 cm formats, with the new improved script, and the translation of the Noble Qur’an into the Tagalog (More than 50 million Filipinos speak Tagalog) as well as 14 other languages including Tamazight, Bassa, Tagalog, Dagbani, Tajik, Malay, Mandarin, Anko, Turkish, Telugu, Farsi, Vietnamese, Malabari, and Nepali as well as sign language.

Caretaker government of Yemen is planning to rebuild Bakathir press. The first phase includes complete repair and overhauling of three web presses to print the

official November 30th weekly newspaper.

Estimated repair cost is around $ 297,000. During The second phase commercial sheetfed presses will be restored.

On a separate development the Yemen Ministry of Education in the temporary capital of Aden and the Kuwait Humanitarian Society for Relief signed an agreement for supplying 3 CTP (Computer to plate) equipment to Yemen. The CTP systems are yet to be delivered but the new prepress equipment will contribute to the modernization of the printing industry in Yemen.

Xerox sold a number of machine in 2020 including to Egypt, Saudi Arabia and RAK. Xerox Versant 180 and Xerox Iridesse Digital Production Press proved to be popular choices among printers in our region.

There were lots of developments in 3D printing sector in our region.

Many startup companies are offering 3D printing services to regional markets. An exciting and successful knowledge based company is Innotech, a leading Omani company established in 2013, specialized in modern manufacturing technologies

and 3D printing. It is the first company in Oman that provides a wide range of services including 3D printing, artificial intelligence applications and modern education technologies. The company was established by a group of Omani engineers interested in the manufacturing sector and education, ambitious young people who seek to bring about technological progress at the industrial and social level. The company also supports other institutions operating in the same field by supplying 3D printers, manufacturing equipment and devices, and providing maintenance services and spare parts for 3D printers.

On the other hand, Immensa Technology Labs, the region’s leading additive manufacturing (3D Printing) company, has announced its foray into the Saudi market through the acquisition of two leading 3D- printing companies in KSA, Shakl3D and LayLabs. The move is part of Immensa’s mandate to further extend its presence regionally and expand its reach and range of services to its clients in the Kingdom. The company is based in

Dubai Production City.

Surprisingly enough there were also investments in new offset presses, mainly in Saudi Arabia. Dammam based Shater AlEbtekar took delivery of an all new Heidelberg XL106 during 2020 as a sign of hope for the whole industry.

There were some milestone events during 2020, which didn’t make lots of noise but it is very important nevertheless. United Security Printing (USP) part of the United Printing and Publishing Company(UPP) recently obtained International Organization for Standardization (ISO 14298) certification, the level of the Central Bank. This International Standard specifies requirements for a security printing management system for security printers. Achieving this standard USP will be the second company in the Gulf region, and the thirty-second in the world to hold this certificate.

During 2020 Saudi Arabia and Egypt launched polymer banknotes with state-of-the-art security features. This is good news for our region and definitely will incentivize other countries in the region to launch polymer banknotes in different denominations.

During 2020 Saudi Arabia and Egypt launched polymer banknotes with state-of-the-art security features

And 2021?

ME‌Printer January - February 2021

2021 is still a mystery to all of us. We are entering the new year with a blend of hope and dread. Vaccination is under way in UK, Russia and soon hopefully other countries will join them. But we haven’t still fully recovered from 2020 and the Coronavirus shock. I believe the great lesson of 2020 is that things can get even worse so we have to be always prepared and plan for unexpected. Coronavirus did teach us few lessons including automation and end to end workflow should be a norm and not a luxury. We also have to believe what we see on the screen of our computers. In- person and face to face meeting is a thing of the past and now we have learned that we can do many things virtually. Also printing is still a very important element of our daily lives. Some areas of printing are becoming obsolete but other areas including packaging and label are thriving. So let’s be hopeful. I mean 2020 was awful in many ways but soon it will be gone and we can start a new beginning.

15

2020 in Review

IN HINDSIGHT AND FORESIGHTTOP INDUSTRY PLAYERS' PREDICTIONS ABOUT 2021 Regional and International industry players talk to ME Printer about their challenges in 2020 and their hopes for 2021 Year 2021 is upon us. While year 2020 will be remembered as an anomaly at best and a bad dream at worst we decided to ask

people at the heart of printing industry about their experiences in confronting the challenges of year 2020 and what they hope

to achieve in 2021. Their answers inspire us to self-reflect and stay hopeful for 2021. Here are the comments:

Naoki Nishikimi- Roland DG

Year 2020 will be remembered as an anomaly at best and a bad dream at worst

During the nine months ended September 30, 2020 (from January 1, 2020 to September 30, 2020), although the world economy faced an extremely difficult situation due to the spread of COVID-19, economic activities resumed gradually, and movements toward recovery were seen. However, the timing of a return to normal is still uncertain, and the situation remains highly unpredictable. The group is working toward the achievement of a medium-term business plan ending in the fiscal year under review.

Positioning the fiscal year under review as a transitional period toward a new growth stage, we are placing

emphasis on changing the business portfolio and enhancing operational effectiveness, with “expanding growing markets,” “stopping the down trend of sales of printers in the sign market,” and “improving profitability” as key issues. During the nine months ended September 30, 2020, owing to restrictions on economic activities due to the spread of COVID-19, the Company took

alternative methods utilizing the Internet, including the dissemination of information using SNS, websites and webinars, as well as by providing remote service support utilizing AR (Augmented Reality) technology.

After the lifting of lockdowns and states of emergency in various countries, the Company worked to strengthen online sales promotions and service support.

ME‌Printer January - February 2021

Costanza CeruttiNour LABIDI- BOBST Area Sales Manager -Business CEO, Gruppo Cerutti Unit Web-Fed

16

What I learned from 2020 is that there is always another way to do things with even more efficiency, we have just to admit and adapt quickly. I hope in 2021we all go back to the normal life and business style, without dropping down the good practices of COVID 19 period. One of the most important new habits is the online solutions (meeting, webinars, conference calls). I believe this will take an important place in our day to day activities in our professional life. COVID 19 accelerated the IoT world, and also gave us more time to spend with our family.

As you may know effective as of 01st January 2021, we have in Great Middle East, Africa, Turkey, Iran, a new organization, see our press releases (English and Arabic),

We would like to remove the uncertainty we have experienced in 2020: it has been one of the major impediment to investments. Uncertainty is coming both from global political stress and obviously from pandemic. In 2021 in my opinion we will have all what is needed to boost the world economy. Some major factors will be: a new President in the US, who will further inject funds to help the American economy; the “Recovery Funds” in Europe, aimed at a green economy for the future generations; the availability of a number of vaccines against Covid-19 for a large portion of world population. All this we hope will permit easier borrowing from banks, borrowing that was the bottle-neck in 2020.

In this scenario, companies like ours will have to act in order to grasp opportunities!

Mohamed HASSAIRI- BOBST Regional Marketing & Communications Manager 2020 was unexpected but it accelerated underlying trends and made decisions more obvious. It has confirmed that the industry vision we worked on is relevant and timely. Connectivity, Digitalization, Automation and Sustainability will be the four cornerstones shaping the future of the packaging world and we want to achieve this with meaningful innovations.

In 2020, we celebrated our 130th anniversary with three fully revamped sites, and we deployed a new company structure with an entrepreneurial spirit to be closer to our customers. 2021 will ultimately not be very different from 2020.

We will need to be resilient and at the same time we need to focus on what matters the most – meaningful innovations made to last.

We will continue to deliver best in class machines and services, but with added intelligence and software capabilities to make packaging production better than ever. All our machines and new products to come will illustrate this commitment. You can count on us.”

Graham Norris- Managing Director, Tech ni Fold My takeaway for 2020 from an economic point of view is how our company reacted to adversity to quickly find opportunities, not only to survive, but to begin to thrive.

There was this moment where customers and distributors stopped buying, and I felt numb, one major reseller returned all their stock and it could have really hurt us.

I held my head in my hands for the best part of a day as the first Lockdown hit, and knew there was a choice, either to be frozen like a rabbit caught in the headlights, or

face the new reality by “fishing in other ponds.”

We noticed the greeting card market was strong, with some individuals setting up to sell online, so we aligned our solutions to this wave of positivity and have done

really well. We sold all returned stock with even better profit returns and continued making global sales direct.

So next year we are launching at least 3 new products, including a card creasing/folding solution and setting up our showroom to accommodate product launches and demonstrations via Zoom. At the end of the day it is up to us how we react, and despite this being a very difficult period, and maybe continuing to be so for a while, a lot of our destiny is in our own hands through taking back control.

Giuliano Bianchet, VP sales Director, Kodak EAMER The pandemic is one of the biggest challenges that our industry has faced. Kodak, like all businesses around the world, has been impacted. We have had to find alternative ways to engage with customers and prospects.

One of the biggest takeaways from 2020 is that adaptability is critical. We've been using this unprecedented situation to identify new ways to engage with our customers. Through virtual product launches, webinars, and other communication methods, we have

continued to stay connected with and serve our customers. Despite all the challenges imposed by the global pandemic, Kodak introduced new innovative solutions to the market, including the KODAK

Companies believe year 2021 is a time to self-reflect and stay hopeful

PROSPER Ultra 520 Press, the UTECO SAPPHIRE EVO W Press, KODAK SONORA XTRA Process Free Plates, the KODAK PRINERGY On-Demand Workflow and the PRINERGY On Demand Business Solutions as well as new CTP solutions with cutting-edge speed and automation capabilities.

In 2021 we will continue to innovate, bring new products to market, actively engage with our customers, partners, and prospects to become more sustainable, profitable and efficient.

Ayman Aly- Senior Marketing Manager, Canon Middle East and will make all of us stronger, effective, and efficient will help us for a strong recovery when things will improve.

I hope for 2021 life will start to normalize, students are back fully to school, employee are

back to offices, economy to start recovering. I know that printing industry was heavily impacted, as forecasted Digital Printing will play bigger role adding value to personalized and customized communication in addition to more flexibility and faster turnaround for short runs, and then Canon Middle East will add value in printing industry recovery.

ME‌Printer January - February 2021

My take away from 2020 is to prepare yourself on how to be agile, resilient, and to stay focused during unusual circumstances. Covid-19 sudden impact of shifting live from normal to complete lockdown was so shocking and required quick adaptation to maintain continuity in both business and personal lives. The experience we all gained throughout 2020 is unprecedented

17

2020 in Review Joanna Kruszewski- PR & Communications Manager, EFI GmbH 2020 has been an unusual year for us all and it is difficult to find any part of our business and personal life that has not been impacted. The pandemic has changed the way we work, travel and interact with one another, but what remained strong was our connectivity – and how digital technologies have enabled us to move forward in a new way of living and working. We at EFI offered webinars, virtual experiences,

online meetings, remote assistance via augmented reality and much more to ensure that our customers continue their daily business from a safe place.

We want to further our commitment

Zahir Hassan- CEO, Power Print

I hope for 2021 life will start to normalize, students are back fully to school, employee are back to offices, economy to start recovering.

ME‌Printer January - February 2021

“Ayman AlySenior Marketing Manager, Canon Middle East

18

Year 2020 was a toughest year for the whole world let alone for business community. In fact, it is first of a kind catastrophe that affected the whole world which also is a first time experience for this living generation.

Never in their lifetime this generation experienced such a complete stop of life in every respect.

There were numerous bad effects that brought the Pandemic to the world in 2020. Almost every industry barring couple of digital based ones was taken to its lowest level performance as whole world was placed under lock down to

curb the pandemic restricting local to international travel which subsequently impacted people and goods movements.

As with any other industry printing industry was also badly impacted with the pandemic hence 2020 was a year no one would like to remember for business numbers. For printers 2020 had a double impact of shrinking business due to continued penetration

to our customers next year, so EFI will be kicking off the new year with EFI Engage, a virtual user conference, spanning 10 days and offering sessions covering a broad range of our solutions from EFI Productivity Suite MIS/ERP to EFI Display Graphics as well as corrugated packaging.

COVID-19 may have prevented many things but innovation does not stop, and neither do the conversations.

of digital activity in to marketing promotions for brands coupled with pandemic related business slow down.

It is this tough scenario which made every printer pushed to the corners to find solutions for survival and on how the future is holding for them.

However, there were few positives which made the industry to look beyond business numbers. It’s the first time in the history that printers were provided with ample opportunity to sit back, relax and think about what’s next for their business in terms of future of printing and how they can position in to it.

Possible scenarios printers would have pondered upon: - Cutting down cost of business operation by implementing automation in every area of business starting from digital files to final delivery. There are numerous platforms available to make this transformation a reality.

- Working along with digital platforms to create the synergy of using paper as a traditional and environmental friendly way to achieve futuristic marketing goals.

- Providing solutions to brands by creating short term packaging visibility which would enable them to do varied marketing on packaging, as frequently as required, as against the existing conventional one- time package design for a longer period of time.

This would open up opportunities

to compete with digitalised marketing activities.

- Careful evaluation of existing machinery and process systems to achieve quick printing solutions which would subsequently result in improving quick time print marketing solutions.

- Highlight the importance of traditional easy to use packaging which promotes green environment and conventionally traditional marketing activities

using paper products.

On a collective industry point of view efforts should be made to promote printing as the way of life for people with its unique 'convenience of use' factor for commercial print marketing purposes.

2021 is a challenging year for printers with an opportunity to utilise what they have learnt hard way in 2020 which mainly focused on reducing cost of business operation and transforming existing services to match to the competitiveness of the new requirements of the improvised market. The new year would bring along a renewed energy for printers to strengthen and transform basics of their business approach with new methods of process systems combined with futuristic marketing approach.

Som John- General Manager, DE Agfa ME Inkjet The year 2020 was a teacher year for Agfa ME from where we could learn many lessons particularly how to survive in crisis. Standing at the end of year, I could say, we successfully overcame the situation.

satisfied ourselves.

Honestly not to keep big hopes in Towards end of 2020 our target was 2021 beginning, but our confidence is to build up an fair order book of 2021 to reach at least 80% of our pre-Covid and I am glad to see we are somewhat performance by the end of 2021.

Danna Drion- Senior Marketing Manager EMEA, Mimaki Europe 2020 has been a tumultuous year, with the COVID-19 outbreak confronting companies from all industries with a tough challenge.

And the printing industry was no exception. While printing companies have been forced to promptly change their overall strategies in the constant quest to maintain revenue streams and support long term growth, they managed to bounce back from those adversities at an astonishing rate, by rethinking their business models and adapting their production and application range to the new circumstances. Many large format and textile printers repurposed their technology altogether and switched to manufacturing face masks to help the medical industry during the first lockdown, while simultaneously addressing emerging application requests. In fact, new trends have emerged throughout the year, with an increasing demand for wallpaper and floor graphics applications in the interior decoration space, and growing interest in the environmentally-friendly, which has consumers evaluating the

sustainability of purchased items.

Digital printing technology has been key in enabling printing company to swiftly address these changes and make that shift. As a provider of digital printing solutions, Mimaki has worked hard to ensure we maintained communication with our customers to support them through this difficult time. This thinking inspired us to hold a series of virtual events to help keep the industry connected and together explore ways in which printers, whether they specialise in textiles, large format, 3D or signage, can keep their business going and even be reinvigorated during these trying months. We have also kept innovating, and throughout 2020 we have launched new solutions, which include the super wide format solvent printer SWJ-320EA with the BOFA air purifier, the 3DGD-1800 printer, designed for large format printing and visual communication sector, as well as the 100 Series and the new 3D printer,

3DUJ-2207. Mimaki has also advanced its software to push on automation and Industry 4.0, which we consider key for those companies who are striving to take their businesses to the next level.

Looking forward to 2021, the future is still unpredictable, but there are lessons to be learned. A global crisis on this scale is something that companies can never properly prepare for, but we’ve certainly found that it helps to have a broader range of opportunities available, as applications fluctuate in and out of demand. At Mimaki, innovation has always been central to our vision and a constant strategic driver to grow our business. Therefore, we strongly believe that those companies who leverage both their expertise and technology equipment to diversify their offering and explore a new technology propositions for new markets - reassessing solutions offerings to lessen existing dependency and ensure all opportunities are seized – are ultimately better equipped to face and overcome tough times such as these.

Katrin Hoffmann- Public Relations, DTM Print

other. Imagine what it would be like if the pandemic hit us 20-3040 years ago.

And for 2021 I hope we can continue that path as it’s now clear that Covid-19 will be a part of our lives and hopefully with the vaccines available we can also meet again in person.

Because of course personal,

face-to-face contact is important and can’t permanently replaced by "digital" contact. But I also hope that we take with us the new ways we work, offering different ways of work and life by making home office opportunities a constant not an exception, making it easier to balance work and family.

In terms of business I hope for 2021 that the printing industry, in our case especially the label printing industry continues to thrive, continues to bring out amazing products that also support the more digital approach of work and implementing it in all kinds of industries.

Danna DrionSenior Marketing Manager EMEA, Mimaki Europe

ME‌Printer January - February 2021

2020 hasn’t been easy to everyone around the world. But what the year brought to me personally but also to our company are opportunities.

Opportunities to come closer together as an industry, opportunities to work with incredible and amazing people all around the globe and to learn that you can make business relationships work even though you’re not able to meet face to face, that you can close business deals and consult customers in ways that were already there but weren’t used as they are used now. I’m grateful to live in a time were we are all connected digitally, where we have the technology to do video calls and still get to see each

Looking forward to 2021, the future is still unpredictable, but there are lessons to be learned.

19

2020 in Review

Mehmet Sezer – General Manager, Saudi Xerox

We've learned the futility of making long-term plans to mitigate a disease is complex and poorly understood Mehmet Sezer – General Manager, Saudi Xerox

Throughout the pandemic, we have all learned a different way to think about the future. We've learned the futility of making long-term plans to mitigate a disease with symptoms, diagnoses, treatments, and prognoses that are complex and poorly understood. Most of us have learned that denial, and magical thinking are not effective ways to manage a pandemic. We have also learned the usefulness of considering scenarios and increasing our agility and flexibility. Scenarios help us anticipate alternative potential futures, so that we are prepared not only for what we might hope or dread but also for what actually happens. Agility and flexibility help us move quickly and adaptively as circumstances change and new information comes to light.

Now is time to consider how the overall business environment will emerge from the pandemic and how information technology can help.

There will be three phases for the anticipated change in business environment: Restore -We will be focused on figuring out what to do to get back to where we were before the Pandemic.

Evolve -We will be focused on adapting to the new normal.

Transform -We will be focused on redefining our organization and taking an active role in creating the innovative future of business environment.

new funding sources and ensure risk management.

Under these 3 phases our 15 top strategic priorities in 2021 will be: Restore Phase: a. Cost Management - Reducing costs, increasing workforce efficiency; b. Online Learning - Strengthening online & hybrid learning techniques; c. Financial Health - Revising budget models and IT governance; d. Affordability - Increased support for customers’ technical needs & technology availability; e. Digital Transformation – Workflow Automation & Information Security.

Evolve: a. Service Success - Customer support services for our customers to attain their financial and strategic goals; b Equal Access to Technology Providing technologies, support, and policies for diverse users; c. Remote access - Progressing from emergency remote access to online services; d.

Digital Transformation - Developing a cybersecurity operations and full workflow automation strategy; e. Financial Health - Developing

Transform: a. Corporate Culture - Contributing to a culture of transformation; b. Technology Alignment Applying digital strategies and innovations; c.

Technology Strategy Organizational architecture keeps pace with strategic change; d. Recruitment - Implementing creative holistic recruitment strategies; e. Cost Management - Focusing on digital transformation.

One of the obvious change following Covid-19 will be the offices, whether, companies move towards working from home or look to bring their teams back, we do not know. What we do know is that the ability to transition from the office to home working has been made possible through the Cloud and Remote Access Solutions built around this. The arrival of Covid-19 has changed all technology solutions from the top down and the change has been coming quickly because it was needed asap. What we would like to see this time next year is that the virus will be under control and a vaccination has been developed.

I wish, all organizations stop talking about digital transformation but at least start to execute their digital transformation journey. As Xerox we are ready to help all our customers to succeed in this journey.

ME‌Printer January - February 2021

Lisa Milburn- Managing Director, Gulf Print & Pack & Labelexpo Global Series industry back on track as we move

20

2020 has been a challenging year for everyone, and speaking to our friends in the printing industry, we know how much live shows and meeting face to face have been missed. Nevertheless, I’ve been truly impressed how much everyone has risen to the challenge at all levels – diversifying, adapting, going virtual, and working together to find solutions as essential businesses during the

pandemic. My take away themes from the year would therefore be adaptability and resilience. Looking ahead, I have every confidence that our shows in the US, Europe and Asia will go ahead in 2021 and play a vital role in getting our dynamic

into the post COVID-19 recovery phase. We’ve already seen from the huge success of our recent launch Labelexpo South China in Shenzhen in early December that it’s possible to run a high quality safe show, so I fully expect this to continue. The importance of live shows has never been greater than now; they are vital for fostering business, progressing industry and bolstering economic growth.

2021 tailored for printing industry professionals. The new vaccine meets with huge success. However, people who have been vaccinated by this Kodak product start to act weird, hoarding huge amount of Kodak processless plates.

2021 YEAR IN PREVIEW (REPORT)

offset press capable of printing on thinnest paper and thickest boards.

Koenig and Bauer calls the new press GOP (Gang Offset Press) and claims that with this new press in the market grand format digital printers soon will be vanished from the face of the Earth manroland sheetfed Following the successful launch of Evolution sheetfed press in drupa 2016, the company introduces Revolution sheetfed press in 2021. The people responsible for designing the new press at manroland sheetfed explain the concept behind the new press: “We all know that these two words, Evolution and Revolution, closely resemble one another, and yet they are constantly used in their social and political sense as though their meaning were absolutely antagonistic.” They also said in order to design and conceptualize the new press they had to study all works of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.

Gossmanroland web Well, nobody reads newspapers anymore, so go figure.

Komori and RMGT The clever Japanese press manufacturers which have already realized that COVID-19 makes many press manufacturers redundant decide to merge and create a new nimbler company called KRMGT. Following the huge success of 7 o’clock cylinder arrangement which Japanese claimed is their own idea they come up with 8 o clock cylinder configuration concept which creates confusion and chaos in entire global graphic arts industry.

Kodak The American company launches a Coronavirus vaccine during

Trends - End to end workflow is a huge buzzword and it will remain so during 2021 and perhaps years to come.

- Reshuffling top management team becomes popular among companies while some come to the conclusion that they are better off without management team.

- Sustainability becomes unsustainable.

- Zoom meetings become unbearable.

- Mergers and acquisitions among printing companies increase dramatically, which makes you wonder why there were so many companies in the first place.

Label Industry’s Big Event During 2021 despite ongoing pandemic anybody who is anybody in global label industry gather in Brussels to discuss and solve one of the enduring mysteries of label industry; hence why the heck self-adhesive label is also called pressure sensitive label and vice versa.

I could go on and on but I decide not to and let you ponder about a year that definitely will be full of surprises.

If nothing Coronavirus taught us that predicting the future is a futile enterprise, especially in a midst of pandemic

ME‌Printer January - February 2021

There is this hopeless tradition of predicting what the new year has in store for us. Magazines love to do this, so in order to uphold this noble tradition we at ME Printer have also decided to offer you our take on what will happen during next 12 months in our industry. However, if nothing Coronavirus taught us that predicting the future is a futile enterprise, especially in a midst of pandemic. So, I had to dig deep and use my feelings of anticipation and anxiety about 2021 to come up with some sort of prediction. A word of caution is in order here, all these so-called predictions are based on premonition rather than real analysis, so, you’ve been warned!

Drupa After cancelling Drupa 2021, Messe Duesseldorf management suffers deep feeling of guilt and loss of a beloved cash cow, so they arrange a series of ghost tours for visitors where they can visit empty halls of trade fair and meditate while fantasizing about crowded isles and company stands full of roaring printing and finishing equipment.

Ditto interpack!

Heidelberg For 7th consecutive time Heidelberg announces the Gallus divestment has been delayed and Mr. Corvi, benpac’s CEO, is nowhere to be found.

Wiesloch/Walldorf site turns into an amusement park and learning Chinese language will become mandatory for all Heidelberg employees across the globe.

Koenig and Bauer Now that Heidelberg has already pulled out of large format offset press market, the company ceases the moment and solidifies its position with introduction of a new large format 5-meter-wide

Xerox and HP Carl Ichan, the activist investor behind Xerox’s hostile HP takeover quest during 2019 and 2020 finally manages to do so in year 2021. The new company XHP is much smaller than sum of its parts and the new name is kind of lame. Meanwhile Konica Minolta is smiling Canon The company is still regretting why they didn’t enter packaging long time ago Landa Landa sells his company to XHP and starts a new project called Macroink. Based on this new concept a drop of ink will suffice for printing an entire B1 sheet.

21

Interview

GREEN SHOOTS OF RECOVERYAL - EBTEKAR INVESTS IN A NEW HEIDELBERG XL 106 Dammam based Shater Al- Ebtekar’s investment in an all new Heidelberg XL106 is a sign of hope

ME‌Printer January - February 2021

Dammam based Shater Al- Ebtekar print house has recently invested in an all new Heidelberg XL106 six color. This goes to show that the fragile post Corona economic recovery maybe already starting in Saudi Arabia. This is not just another investment; it is a sign

22

of hope and renewal following a devastating pandemic.

Nevertheless, Coronavirus is still wreaking havoc across the world but some businesses have been able not only to survive but also thrive.

Al-Ebtekar is a fully equipped

and modern print house focusing on packaging as well as commercial printing. The company was established in 1979 and at the moment it is catering to local and international market. To find out more about the company and the reason behind the new investment we talked to Khalifa Al Zahid, General Manager of the company.

Why you have decided to purchase an all new Heidelberg press?

The market demand for shorter delivery time and high-quality products, as well as reducing service costs of our old Heidelberg 5 color CD102 propelled us to invest in an all new six color Heidelberg XL106.

Choosing Heidelberg as a supplier was based on our long experience with Heidelberg CD102 which is a high-performance machine, as well as the quick availability of

spare parts and quality of service provided by Heidelberg.

The new XL106-6+L was delivered during the COVID-19 lockdown in KSA, and it was a challenge for us to install it, but Heidelberg Saudi Arabia service team has done tremendous job dismantling the old CD102 and installing new press mechanically and electrically, testing it, connecting it remotely, training our operators and commissioning the XL106 within relatively short time without the need for any engineer coming from abroad, and we are happy for this achievement.

The new Heidelberg XL106 six- color machine has proven is a highly automated machine and it will boost our productivity with faster delivery time. The machine is user friendly and offers fast makeready time.

What are your other equipment and devices, Prepress, press and post Press?

For Prepress we have Screen 8300 CTP, two Heidelberg CD102-5+L, CD102-6+LYL, and CD102-6+L UV and CD102+LY are running in our press room. For the finishing we have multiple Bobst diecutters, in addition to Diana and Bobst Folder gluers.

As far as I understand your main product is packaging, how many boxes do you produce per month?

We can produce 13 to 16 thousand tons per year with an average of 12 thousand tons per months.

How did you manage to mitigate the effects of Coronavirus

pandemic while at the same time invest in a new offset Press?

The decision to buy the new Press was taken prior to COVID-19. It was important for us to invest in the new technology which already has increased our productivity. So, it was a worthwhile investment.

COVID-19 had some effects on our business but we also found many new opportunities in food packaging for home delivery. It is a thriving market.

Are you planning to diversify in other promising areas of printing industry such as label as well?

Flexible packaging has high growth rate and we are planning to enter into this business.

How many employees do you have and were you forced to lay off people due to pandemic?

We laid off around 5% of our employees. The total employees are about 180 and the people discharged were mainly close to retirement age or non-productive.

Do you also export your printed products?

Export is about 10% of our production and our target markets are UAE, Yemen, and Egypt.

Who are your major customers?

Food companies are our main customers, as well as other sectors.

What are your plans for future expansion? Are you planning to invest in digital printing?

The market situation requires to be smart in our expansion and to do it in the right time and the

ME‌Printer January - February 2021

Tell us a little bit about yourself and how did you get involved with the printing industry?

Shater Al- Ebtekar was established in 1979 by Mr. Abdallah Al-Zahid who created the opportunity for his sons to manage the company and become partners. Al- Ebtekar’s first site was built in Dammam in an area of 4,000 SQM. The second jump was a new bigger site of 15,000 sqm located in 2nd industrial City, which started the operation in year 2000.

Al-Ebtekar is a fully equipped and modern print house focusing on packaging as well as commercial printing

23

Interview

ME‌Printer January - February 2021

Al-Ebtekar’s new investment shows that the fragile post Corona economic recovery maybe already starting in Saudi Arabia

24

right direction. As far as digital printing is concerned, we already have Xerox digital press for short run commercial jobs and we are also looking for a good solution to handle short run packaging jobs to cater to the growing demand.

What are trends in box making in Saudi Arabia? Do brands ask for special colors, special effects, attractive designs?

There is increasing demand for jobs with special colors. That was the reason for us to invest in a new six color XL106, which is capable of printing high gloss spot UV. We are specialized in offering this type of print embellishment since 2000 as well as supplying foil laminated board.

Did pandemic create more demand for packaging in a significant way?

Yes. As I already mentioned food packaging for home delivery is on the rise and this trend has created new business opportunity for us, an opportunity which will continue to expand in future.

Do you adhere to environmentally friendly practices, in which way?

Yes, we follow strict waste disposal guide lines, specially chemicals, which is done using certain processes. We only use FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified paper and board, ensuring a sustainable, consistent product which is also great for our environment. We comply with

“Codex Alimentarius”, General principles of food Hygiene and HACCP requirements.

Are you using a digital workflow for your day to day production activities?

We have homemade system for communication between warehouse, management, accounts, and production.

Coronavirus encouraged printers to opt for more automation and less reliance on operators? Do you agree with this assessment?

If yes have you invested in more automation and software recently?

Yes, I agree. Automation is a must nowadays, especially with the rise in cost of labor mainly due to government’s new regulations and taxes. On the other hand, in the midst of COVID-19 you have no other choice but to run an effective and profitable business.

Do you use MIS systems for estimating and other processes?

Not yet. But we are looking forward to implementing a software-based production communication system between Prepress, Press and Postpress to increase efficiency and shorten setup times. This will be the first step to implement MIS system in the future. For that we are considering Heidelberg Prinect solution.

EPSON’S ETHOS HAS ALWAYS BEEN DEEPLY ROOTED IN PEOPLE Jason McMillan, sales director of Epson Middle East talks about company’s challenges in 2020 and plans for 2021

In the Middle East, organisations are now looking at adopting innovative technology that can enable the socially distanced office to meet government guidelines

deeply rooted in not only creating technology that runs in a more sustainable way but in being aware of the environment, nature, communities, and people.

Our business inkjet printers for instance use less energy than laser printers, significantly reducing energy consumption. With this one simple technology switch small and large business alike can be more sustainable while protecting their bottom line.

We invest a lot of time and money into creating the right products to place into education environments. Technology has

played a pivotal role in supporting teachers through a year of great change - particularly when it comes to the way teachers are now required to deliver lessons.

Due to social distancing measures, spreading children further apart and some teachers needing to deliver lessons to students both in the room and connecting from home, Epson’s interactive display solutions and visualisers have meant that regardless of where a child is sitting in the classroom, they can still see what is being projected and fully interact with the lesson.

ME‌Printer January - February 2021

While it has been a challenging year for organisations around the world with the country lockdowns and people having to work remotely, like every other business, Epson has had to adapt to ensure the safety of its employees and to help meet customer demands.

We supported our resellers and channel partners as best we could, reassuring them that we were there to help them adjust to this new normal.

Take for example the e-commerce sector in the Middle East region. Online retailers became key sources of retail when the option or inclination to physically go into shops wasn’t there. Many businesses have shifted their business models to include an online aspect so that they are able to meet the changing demands of consumers.

In addition, offices have had to implement social distancing practices with reduced touchpoints and contactless interactions. In the Middle East, organisations are now looking at adopting innovative technology that can enable the socially distanced office to meet government guidelines and to maintain business continuity. At Epson, we offer businesses the opportunity to invest in innovative technology solutions that can help reduce touchpoints, support social distancing in meeting rooms, and reduce gatherings in offices. It also lowers the total cost of ownership and delivers new hybrid business models.

Two key areas of focus for Epson Middle East in 2021 are sustainable solutions for business and smart solutions for education. Our technology solutions can deliver both efficiency and cost savings, as well as support the growing demand for sustainability.

Epson’s ethos has always been

25

Success Story

ME‌Printer January - February 2021

Xerox partners have access to several resources and tools that they can use to streamline their business

26

SAUDI XEROX BUILDS ROBUST AND LASTING PARTNERSHIPS WITH LIKE-MINDED COMPANIES The Region’s premier document solutions company recently forged a channel partner alliance with Almaktaba Group It’s all about empowerment. The highly praised and award winning Xerox Channel Partner Program is designed to help Xerox partners to improve their best business practices and build sustainable recurring revenue. These are the most important things that any channel partner can do to truly future-proof its business. Xerox partners have access to several

resources and tools that they can use to streamline their business. These resources include Xerox knowledge sessions and professional trainings, shadowing, leads, special discount, branding, special offers, stocking facilities, channel club and much more. It is also an ideal opportunity for a local company to alter its vision from Customer oriented to Channel Oriented and expand the

range cycle of the customers in KSA with high quality and efficiency in services including managed print services across KSA. When did it all began?

Saudi Xerox introduced channel partner program 8 years ago, signing with their first channel partner agreement to expand coverage for Xerox equipment and

solutions in the Western region.

Since then, the Company have experienced exponential growth, creating a strong network of topnotch companies- all of them on the same wavelength- offering professional services and state-ofthe-art equipment. These partners expand the customer cycle, and provide the prompt service to Xerox clients.

Protection and Strong liaison with global partners.

Award Winning program During recent years Xerox bagged a number of awards and acknowledgments including the prestigious 5-Star Partner Program Award from CRN, bestowed on programs whose overall rating is among the elite. But that’s not all. Xerox also positioned as a Leader in the new Quocirca report on channels to MPS for fourth consecutive time. The report states “Xerox has long led the market by virtue of a scalable, cloud-based MPS platform and an expanded ConnectKey workflow solution portfolio.” According to the report Xerox retains its leading position in the provision of channel-led MPS programs which target the SMB and midmarket segments.

The company also offers a flexible service delivery model and integrated cloud platform which enables partners, regardless of their MPS maturity, to participate in the growing MPS market opportunity. Xerox continues to enhance its mature channel MPS offerings, with a strong focus on delivering a broader and more accessible solutions portfolio.

Xerox MPS platform is supporting a wide range of partners – from mature MPS partners to those that are just starting out. Last but not least as the SMB market becomes more receptive to MPS, channel engagement will be key to success.

About Saudi Xerox Saudi Xerox is the representation of Xerox in Saudi Arabia. It was established in 1986, with business lines that include providing solutions to improve business processes, automation and printing technology through an innovative vision of maximizing productivity and efficiency to create a better work environment.

Saudi Xerox offers the full array of Xerox products and services ranging from workplace assistants, workflow solutions and managed print services in the KSA market.

We address global and local market challenges consistently together in alignment with Xerox global standards.

Almaktaba is a trusted brand in KSA and a reliable partner for Saudi Xerox” Maher Qari, Channel and Commercial Director of Saudi Xerox

ME‌Printer January - February 2021

A New family member The newest Xerox partner in KSA is Almaktaba. The company has been a pioneer in introducing office supplies, stationery, office equipment, and office furniture to the Saudi market at large. For almost six decades, Almaktaba has served the needs of the business community, school children, and educational institutions with dedication and proficiency. A generation of Saudi architects and engineers have bought their first drafting tables from Almaktaba Stores, in addition to their day to day educational requirements.

Now, in this new Millennia, Almaktaba stands by its loyal base, supplying them with all their needs to take the challenges of the new Digital Age. “Almaktaba was founded in 1958 and since then we worked relentlessly to offer first class services to our clients. Almaktaba is now a household name, a respected brand synonymous with innovation. We are offering best in class stationary technology, office supplies and furniture to our clients in Saudi Arabia. Our branches, located in the main cities and across KSA, create an efficient network capable of offering quality and timely services to our customers.”

Enthuses Abdulla Al-Alweet, CEO of Almaktaba Group and adds,” in Saudi Xerox we found a perfect partner, attuned to our needs and our customers’ needs. We are now authorized to offer a wide range of Xerox equipment and solutions to customers in KSA. Xerox solutions empowers our customers by adopting a means of modernizing their systems while at same time creating and delivering high quality printed products.”

“Almaktaba is a trusted brand in KSA and a reliable partner for

Saudi Xerox. The company boasts the perfect infrastructure to offer our industry-leading portfolio of products and managed print services. Their extensive network of branches across KSA as well as their Information Technology experts provide comprehensive services to their customers,” comments Maher Qari, Channel and Commercial Director of Saudi Xerox and adds, “Our partners in Saudi play a crucial role in developing printing industry in KSA. Other than hardware they offer clients knowledge and software tools to be more efficient and productive.

One of the most important element of Xerox offerings to clients is ConnectKey. Maher Qari explains:” Xerox® Connect Key® technology is designed for the changing office environment based on cloud connectivity. It allows employees to be more productive while allowing them to operate with more structured processes and information.”

ConnectKey also helps streamline workflows so employees spend less time managing documents.

Employees are also able to make electronic documents and manage tasks through the ConnectKey apps.

As the digital landscape is changing in the region and fast adapting to new technologies, organizations in the Middle East are implementing intelligent workplace solutions enabling smarter and more efficient work processes. Security is a key concern in the region and the printing industry is susceptible to cyber threats similar to other industries.

Since all printing devices are now part of the Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem, they are receptive to IoT cyber-attacks and require enhanced security solutions. As security is always Xerox’s top priority, we constantly work towards enhancing security features of all our devices. That’s why every Xerox® Connect Key® Technology-enabled device is armed with our holistic fourpoint approach to security, ensuring comprehensive, allencompassing protection for all system components and points of vulnerability. Our security features include Prevention, Detection,

27

Report

BOBST REFLECTS ON 2020 AND FOCUSES ON 2021 AND BEYOND

ME‌Printer January - February 2021

In 2020, the folding carton and corrugated board industries were marked by an overall acceleration in e-commerce due to global online retail growth

28

2020 will be remembered as unexpected and transformational.

As we reach the end of it, we take time to look back at some of the important milestones that were achieved and key decisions that were made, and we reveal our expectations and predictions for the year ahead.

Throughout the pandemic, our key priorities have been caring for our employees, ensuring business continuity for our customers, and accelerating decisions to build a better future for all our customers.

Adapting to the circumstances, we deployed live streaming demonstrations from our Competence Centers, providing an immersive experience to discover the latest printing and converting technologies. We also hosted several webinars during the year to keep our customers informed on our new solutions and share our industry experience.

Brand owners face increased competition and pressures around shorter times to market, smaller lots sizes, optimal protection and color consistency. These factors, along with the rise of smaller companies, associated with new business models including e-commerce, and the need to fulfil sustainability

commitments, are leading the packaging industry into a profound transformation.

It is therefore an opportunity to drive more agility and sustainability. In spring 2020, BOBST announced a new industry vision aimed at connecting all packaging stakeholders throughout a new value chain to enable quality, efficiency, control, sustainability and proximity.

This vision, shaping the future of the packaging world, is based on four pillars: Connectivity, Digitalization, Automation and Sustainability. Within the vision we announced BOBST Connect, our software-based offering for digitalizing and connecting all products.

The vision is now becoming reality with new products & solutions and with a new company structure to be even more customer centric, less complex, and more agile, delivering more innovations.

The new company structure can also rely on three new revamped industrial sites which will help our employees to enjoy better working conditions and our customers to come and see our innovations.

The sites are San Giorgio in Italy for flexible packaging, Lyon in France

for corrugated board and Itatiba in Brazil for our local production of folding carton solutions.

Folding Carton and Corrugated Board In 2020, the folding carton and corrugated board industries were marked by an overall acceleration in e-commerce due to global online retail growth, where quality, waste reduction and goods protection are fundamentals. For folding carton, sustainability, increasing global regulation and demand for short runs and customization also grew in importance.

For folding carton, we launched two connected products: the die-cutter MASTERCUT 106 PER and TooLink, connecting tooling with the machine. Together, these solutions enable massive reductions in setup time & costs and increase profitability for unrivaled productivity. We launched the New ACCUCHECK – an in-line solution to inspect carton blanks for defects. In short, we made zero-fault packaging in folding carton a reality. We also launched the VISIONCUT 145 PER, the latest edition of large format flatbed diecutter, which has been a huge sales success.

We launched MASTERSTAR, the world’s fastest, most automated, most versatile and most ergonomic sheet-to-sheet laminator, suitable for both folding carton and corrugated board.

We celebrated 20 years since we launched POWER REGISTER – the ‘no contact’ sheet feeding system, which was an industry-first and remains unique in its capabilities today, demonstrating that true innovations can stand the test of time.

For corrugated, we hit a milestone with our VISIONCUT 1.6 flatbed die-cutter, selling our 300th machine. We continued to invest in our portfolio and made upgrades to our machines, including the EXPERTFOLD 145-165 folder-gluer range, which can now achieve a further 20% reduction in setup time and even greater flexibility and accuracy with corrugated packaging, and the FFG 924 NT RS, to which we added a dual slotter, enabling two boxes in one print repeat, significantly increasing flexibility and productivity to up to 40,000 boxes per hour.

Within a market fueled by the e-commerce growth, the FFG 8.20 EXPERTLINE continued to be the best seller. We added the Fluid Folding feature to the FFG 8.20, increasing the folding quality and guaranteeing folding tolerances above standard specifications. For High-Graphics packaging production, 2020 saw the THQ FlexoCloud technology gain further traction within key clients. The Extended Color Gamut – oneECG solution, which is able to reach 95% of the color gamut – is helping converters to expand the flexo technology to new markets, leveraging their

existing equipment, preserving their investments and bringing important sustainability benefits.

We continued our expansion in China, highlights of which included a key order for one FFG 8.20 DISCOVERY and two e-LINE die-cutters (designed and built in collaboration with Eterna) from Zhejiang Dashengda, one of China’s biggest manufacturers of corrugated and paperboard packaging. We also sold our first FFG 8.20 DISCOVERY in the UK – to a sheet-plant specialist called Manor Packaging, giving them a new level of automation that will bring a major competitive advantage in their market.

In 2021, we expect to see a continued increase of short production with higher value and premium packaging, meaning small volumes and cost efficiencies for converters, requiring greater automation. We expect significant growth in Asia, specifically China, propelled by increasing personal incomes and development of traditional retail and e-commerce products.

From a product perspective, we believe that the SPEEDPACK, the revolutionary fully automatic corrugated-box packer that gently bundles boxes as they exit the folder-gluer, will become a new industry standard.

Labels and Flexible Packaging Three key words best illustrate 2020: Digitalization, Automation and Sustainability In labels, 2020 will be remembered as the opening of a new chapter for the industry. BOBST did not participate in the first chapter of the digitalization of label production, but is now leading the second chapter, combining high-

quality, high productivity and low cost of ownership.

The Mouvent LB701-UV and LB702-UV, two label printers equipped with 6 colors plus white and capable of speeds of up to 100 linear meters a minute, now define the new standard. Aptech Graphics became the first company in the US market to benefit from this with its investment in the LB701-UV. The BOBST MASTER DM5 is setting a new standard for the digitalization of the label industry. Prime, print, embellish, cut – all-in-one, allinline, with digitally automated on-the-fly non-stop job change, an exceptionally high press uptime and outstanding repeatability regardless of the operator's skills. This press has already been installed within four European customers, and recently received a European Digital Press Association (EDP) award, which honors the best technological developments each year.

Looking ahead to 2021, the digitalization will be the main driver for labels – all converters will seek for complete end-to-end digitalized solutions to optimize their production floor. All that can be digitalized will be, enabling converters to deliver faster, with better quality and less waste, answering the growing demand for on-demand labels production.

In flexible packaging, the new MASTER CI flexo press, which combines advanced technologies and smart systems enables the highest productivity, process stability and flexibility independent of the operator’s skill level. This machine optimizes the core BOBST pillars of Connectivity, Digitalization, Automation and Sustainability.

To master all the production

Three key words best illustrate 2020: Digitalization, Automation and Sustainability

ME‌Printer January - February 2021

29

Report

ME‌Printer January - February 2021

Looking forward to 2021, we foresee an acceleration at the converter level for sustainable solutions

30

steps for flexible packaging, we continued to lead the way in vacuum metallizing with barrier/ sustainable applications, and established ourselves as number one in the Indian film market after Sparsh Industries utilized its new BOBST vacuum metallizer, an EXPERT K5 3300 mm with AluBond®, for an extremely successful entry into the Indian market.

We launched a revolutionary Extended Color Gamut management solution - oneECG - in rotogravure, bringing digitalization and more sustainability to gravure printing as well as allowing for shorter runs. Also in gravure printing, a tobacco packaging company invested in its third LEMANIC RIVIERA ILS, confirming this machine as a best in class solution for tobacco packaging with in-line printing and converting.

2020 also saw the launch of the NOVA SX 550 solventless laminator,

which is a plug and play machine designed to deliver cost-effective performance for all production lengths on a wide range of substrates and thickness. It is very fast to install and easy to use for the operator. We delivered a NOVA SX 550 to a company in Argentina, confirming its ease of shipping and installation with the simple plug and play design, with remote assistance provided from BOBST. In terms of coating, having previously announced new high barrier solutions, we continued to progress with our R&D projects for barrier coating applications on film and paper. We continued to collaborate with brand owners and material suppliers, testing and validating new solutions, leading to the sale of a new PVDC process coating machine to a customer in the US. Looking forward to 2021, we foresee an acceleration at the

converter level for sustainable solutions, leading to increased investments in printing and coating equipment – both vacuum and wet coating equipment. We strongly believe that plastic packaging, well produced and well recycled, has a future and we are committed to make it happen.

Services In 2020, experiencing disruptions and limitations in terms of travel, the word services resonated differently, and high-quality remote services has never been more important.

With Helpline Plus and Premium services, BOBST was able to provide support to customers remotely very effectively and making customer satisfaction a reality. Indeed, our NPS score, which measures our customers’ level of satisfaction for Bobst services, continued to grow in 2020 despite the challenging circumstances.

During April-September 2020, the number of remote sessions increased by 12% and the overall hours increased by 29% compared to the same period in 2019. In total, more than 40,000 hours of remote support has been provided to date this year. The increase is also an effect of more customers seeing the benefits of remote services, with the number of subscriptions to Helpline Plus and Premium increasing by 14%. Helpline Plus AR – the first ever remote assistance service in the packaging industry to incorporate a smart headset with augmented reality (AR) glasses

digitalization as a clear competitive advantage. The Large Format Digital Inspection Table has recently won an EDP award, demonstrating its ability to efficiently and accurately manage the proofing of printed sheets and blanks.

Tooling continued to be a major focus, and the number of BOBST certified die-makers reached 17 in 2020, across four continents, despite the travel disruptions this year. In cooperation with CITO-SYSTEM, the tooling consumables manufacturer acquired in the beginning of 2020, we developed High Performance Tooling, which is setting new standards for tooling and facilitate the run of die-cutters at optimal speed as well as increasing box quality for converters. TooLink was launched, making the first step into the digitalization of tooling a reality. It connects the tool with the die-cutter and provides a quick set-up of the recipe in the machine, allowing a saving of up to 15 minutes with the changeover time for repeat jobs, saving valuable time in daily operations.

For 2021, we expect remote assistance to grow further. Quality control solutions will also gain in importance as the best way to reduce waste, reduce claims and increase profitability. The BOBST oneINSPECTION offering is part of

the BOBST commitment to make zero-fault packaging a reality.

In summary 2020 was unexpected but it accelerated underlying trends and made decisions more obvious. It has confirmed that the industry vision we worked on is relevant and timely. Connectivity, Digitalization, Automation and Sustainability will be the four cornerstones shaping the future of the packaging world and we want to achieve this with meaningful innovations. In 2020, we celebrated our 130th anniversary with three fully revamped sites, and we deployed a new company structure with an entrepreneurial spirit to be closer to our customers.

2021 will ultimately not be very different from 2020. We will need to be resilient and at the same time we need to focus on what matters the most – meaningful innovations made to last. We will continue to deliver best in class machines and services, but with added intelligence and software capabilities to make packaging production better than ever. All our machines and new products to come will illustrate this commitment. You can count on us.

To watch the BOBST 2020 review video, click here www.bobst. com/2020review

2020 was unexpected but it accelerated underlying trends and made decisions more obvious

ME‌Printer January - February 2021

– was of particular use for many customers who utilized the service to help train operators remotely during the restrictions.

In addition, because we are increasingly focusing on proximity to our customers, our local technicians were able to maintain a significant number of essential on-site interventions despite travel restrictions. We were also able to maintain our service rate on parts availability at an excellent level thanks to our good stock management policy and continuous communication with our parts providers.

In 2020, BOBST launched oneINSPECTION – a comprehensive quality control offering for all packaging industries. It is an integrated and evolving set of quality control solutions that proactively meet the needs of brand owners and converters, making zero-fault packaging a reality in the labels, flexible packaging, folding carton and corrugated board industries.

The Large Format Digital Inspection Table, optimized for large corrugated board sizes and one part of the oneINSPECTION offering, was launched just days before the major lockdowns in Europe. The first table was acquired by the Italian converter ICO, a company that sees

31

‫تقرير عن عام ‪2020‬‬ ‫للصحافــة والطباعــة والنشــر‪ .‬وتشــمل‬ ‫المرحلــة األوىل تأهيــل وصيانــة وتشــغيل‬ ‫ثــاث آالت لطباعــة صحيفــة ‪ 30‬نوفمبــر‬ ‫األســبوعية الرســمية‪ ،‬بتكلفــة ‪ 297‬الــف‬ ‫دوالر‪ .‬فيما ستشــمل المرحلة الثانية إصالح‬ ‫وصيانــة وتشــغيل آالت العمــل التجــاري‬ ‫إلعــادة المؤسســة إىل وضعهــا الطبيعــي‪.‬‬ ‫وقــد أعــرب رئيــس المؤسســة عــن تقديــره‬ ‫للمحافظ البحسني لتوجيهاته باعتماد ‪550‬‬ ‫الــف دوالر إلعــادة صيانــة وتأهيل المرحلتين‬ ‫األوىل والثانية لمطابع المؤسسة‪.‬‬ ‫وعلــى مســتوى آخــر مــن االنجــازات التــى‬ ‫حدثــت خــال ‪ ،2020‬باعــت شــركة زيروكس‬ ‫عــددًا مــن األجهــزة خــال عــام ‪ 2020‬وذلــك‬ ‫داخــل مصــر والمملكــة العربيــة الســعودية‬ ‫ورأس الخيمــة‪ .‬حيــث أتضــح لنــا أن ‪Xerox‬‬ ‫‪ Versant 180‬و ‪Xerox Iridesse Digital‬‬ ‫‪ Production Press‬هــى حلــول شــائعة‬ ‫ومرغوبة بين دور الطباعة يف منطقتنا‪.‬‬ ‫كمــا شــهدت ‪ 2020‬الكثير مــن التطورات‬ ‫يف قطــاع الطباعــة ثالثيــة األبعاد يف منطقتنا‪.‬‬ ‫حيــث أن هنــاك العديــد مــن الشــركات‬ ‫الناشــئة التــى تقــدم خدمات الطباعــة ثالثية‬ ‫األبعــاد لألســواق اإلقليميــة‪ .‬ومنهم الشــركة‬ ‫المميــزة والناجحــة إنوتــك وهــي شــركة‬ ‫عمانيــة رائــدة تأسســت عــام ‪ 2013‬لتكــون‬ ‫أول شــركة عمانيــة متخصصــة ىف تقنيــات‬ ‫التصنيــع الحديثــة والطباعــة ثالثيــة األبعــاد‪،‬‬ ‫حيــث تقدم الشــركة مجموعــة من الخدمات‬ ‫منها الطباعة ثالثية األبعاد وتطبيقات الذكاء‬ ‫االصطناعــي وتقنيــات التعليــم الحديثــة‪.‬‬ ‫وقــد نشــأت الشــركة علــى يــد مجموعــة مــن‬ ‫المهندســين العمانييــن والمهتميــن بقطــاع‬

‫التصنيــع التعليــم‪ ،‬جميعهــم مــن الشــباب‬ ‫الطموحين الذين يسعون إىل إحداث التقدم‬ ‫التكنولوجــى علــى المســتوى التصنيعــى‬ ‫والمجتمعى‪ .‬كما تدعم الشركة المؤسسات‬ ‫األخــرى العاملــة يف نفــس المجــال من خالل‬ ‫توريــد طابعــات ثالثيــة األبعــاد وتصنيــع‬ ‫المعدات واألجهزة‪ ،‬وتقديم خدمات الصيانة‬ ‫وقطع الغيار للطابعات ثالثية األبعاد‪.‬‬ ‫مــن ناحيــة أخــرى‪ ،‬أعلنــت شــركة إيمنســا‬ ‫للتكنولوجيــا‪ ،‬الشــركة الرائــدة يف مجــال مــواد‬ ‫التصنيــع المضاف (الطباعة ثالثية األبعــاد) يف‬ ‫المنطقــة‪ ،‬عــن دخولها الســوق الســعودي من‬ ‫خاللاالستحواذعلىشركتينرائدتينللطباعة‬ ‫ثالثيــة األبعــاد يف المملكة العربية الســعودية ‪،‬‬ ‫‪ Shakl3D‬و ‪ .LayLabs‬وهذه الخطوة هي جزء‬ ‫مــن رغبة إيمنســا ىف توســيع وجودهــا إقليميا ً‬ ‫وتوســيع نطاقهــا ونطــاق الخدمــات لعمالئهــا‬ ‫يف المملكــة‪ .‬إقليمي ـا ً وتوســيع نطاقهــا ونطــاق‬ ‫الخدماتلعمالئهايفالمملكة‪.‬‬ ‫ومن المثير للدهشة أنه كانت هناك ً‬ ‫أيضا‬ ‫اســتثمارات يف طابعــات األوفســت الجديــدة‬ ‫وخاصــة يف المملكــة العربيــة الســعودية‪.‬‬ ‫حيث تسلمت شركة شطر االبتكار التى يقع‬

‫خالل عام ‪،2020‬‬ ‫أطلقت المملكة‬ ‫العربية السعودية‬ ‫ومصر األوراق‬ ‫النقدية المصنوعة‬ ‫من البوليمر بأحدث‬ ‫ميزات األمان‬

‫وخــال عــام ‪ 2020‬ايضــا‪ ،‬أطلقــت‬ ‫المملكــة العربيــة الســعودية ومصــر األوراق‬ ‫النقديــة المصنوعــة مــن البوليمــر بأحــدث‬ ‫ميــزات األمــان‪ .‬وبالتأكيــد فــإن هــذه أخبــار‬ ‫جيــدة لمنطقتنــا وســتحفز البلــدان األخــرى‬ ‫يف المنطقــة علــى إطــاق األوراق النقديــة‬ ‫المصنوعة من البوليمر بفئات مختلفة‪.‬‬

‫ومطلوبة‪ .‬لذلك دعونا نكون متفائلين‪ .‬حيث إننى أعني بذلك أن عام‬ ‫نواح عديدة‪ ،‬لكنه إن شالله سرعان ما سيختفي‬ ‫‪ 2020‬كان‬ ‫ً‬ ‫مروعا من ٍ‬ ‫وسنبدأ جميعا من جديد بآمال وطموحات جديدة‪.‬‬ ‫‪ME‌Printer January - February 2021‬‬

‫وىف النهاية ال يزال عام ‪ 2021‬لغزا بالنسبة لنا جميعا‪ .‬حيث اننا سندخل‬ ‫العــام الجديــد بمزيــج مــن األمــل والرهبــة‪ .‬التطعيــم جــاري يف المملكة‬ ‫المتحــدة وروســيا ونأمــل أن تنضــم إليــه دول أخــرى قري ًبــا‪ .‬ولكننــا لــم‬ ‫تمامــا مــن عــام ‪ 2020‬وصدمــة فيــروس كورونــا‪ .‬أعتقد أن‬ ‫نتعــاف بعــد‬ ‫ً‬ ‫الدرس العظيم المستفاد من عام ‪ 2020‬هو أن األمور يمكن أن تزداد‬ ‫دائما مســتعدين ونخطط لما هو غير متوقع‪.‬‬ ‫ســو ًءا لذا علينا أن نكون ً‬ ‫لقد علمنا فيروس كورونا القليل من الدروس بما يف ذلك األتمتة‪ ،‬وأنه‬ ‫يكون سير العمل من البداية إىل النهاية قياسيا وليس رفاهيا‪ .‬وبالنسبة‬ ‫لالجتمــاع الشــخصي وجه ـا ً لوجــه فإنــه أصبح شــيئًا مــن الماضي‪ .‬كما‬ ‫تعلمنا أن صناعة الطباعة ً‬ ‫مهما جدًا يف حياتنا اليومية‪ .‬فقد‬ ‫أيضا عنص ًرا ً‬ ‫حيث أصبحت بعض مجاالت الطباعة راكدة ولكن المجاالت األخرى بما‬ ‫يف ذلك مجال التعبئة والتغليف وصناعة الملصقات أصبحت مزدهرة‬

‫مقرهــا ىف الدمــام ماكينــة هيدلبــرج ‪XL106‬‬ ‫الجديــدة بالكامــل خــال عــام ‪ 2020‬كعالمــة‬ ‫أمل للصناعة بأكملها‪.‬‬ ‫كانــت هناك بعض األحــداث البارزة خالل‬ ‫عام ‪ ،2020‬والتي لم تحصل على الكثير من‬ ‫االنتشار أالصدى ولكنها كانت مهمة للغاية‪،‬‬ ‫مثــال علــى ذلــك‪ ،‬إعــان «المتحــدة للطباعة‬ ‫األمنية»‪ ،‬إحدى شــركات «المتحدة للطباعة‬ ‫والنشر»‪ ،‬عن حصولها على شهادة المنظمة‬ ‫الدوليــة للمعاييــر (اآليزو ‪ ،)14298‬مســتوى‬ ‫المصــرف المركــزي‪ ،‬والمعتــرف بهــا دولي ـاً‪،‬‬ ‫لضمان الوصول إىل أعلى مستويات الجودة‬ ‫يف عمليات الطباعة األمنية‪ .‬وبذلك أصبحت‬ ‫«المتحــدة للطباعة األمنية» الشــركة الثانية‬ ‫خليجي ـاً‪ ،‬والثانيــة والثالثيــن علــى مســتوى‬ ‫العالم التي تحصل على هذه الشهادة‪.‬‬

‫‪32‬‬

‫إطباعــة الملصــق من خاللها إىل ‪ 2000‬مم‪.‬‬ ‫باالضافــة اىل ذلــك قدمــت شــركة آر إم جى‬ ‫يت موديل جديد من مجموعتها العاشــرة‪.‬‬

‫بماكينــة ســبيد ماســتر إكــس إل ‪ .106‬كمــا‬ ‫قدمــت شــركة كوينــج & باوييــر ماكينــة‬ ‫الطباعــة رابيــدا ‪ 106‬إكــس وهــى تتمتــع‬ ‫بمظهــر جــذاب ومجهــزة بمجموعــة واســعة‬ ‫مــن أدوات األتمتــة‪ ،‬كمــا يمكــن مراقبتهــا‬ ‫والتحكم فيها عبر تطبيق يت تحميله على‬ ‫الجــوال‪ .‬والجديــر بالذكــر أن شــركة وكوينج‬ ‫& باوييــر قــد تصــدرت عناويــن الصحــف‬ ‫مــن خــال إطــاق ماكينــات خــط إنتــاج‬ ‫‪ EVO‬الخــاص بطابعــات الفليكســو مــن‬ ‫نــوع ســي آى‪ .‬كمــا إنــه قــد تم تصميــم هذة‬ ‫الطابعــات الجديــدة للعمليــات اإلنتاجيــة‬ ‫القصيــرة والمتوســطة والطويلــة المــدى‪.‬‬ ‫وهــذة الماكينــات يمكــن أن تصــل ســرعتها‬ ‫إىل ‪ 600‬متر ‪ /‬دقيقة‪ ،‬ويصل عرض نطاق‬

‫كمــا نــود أن نذكــر أنــه خــال عــام ‪2020‬‬ ‫قامــت شــركة بوبســت بعمــل تغييــرات‬ ‫جذريــة للبنيــة التحتيــة الخاصــة بهــا‪ .‬وقــد‬ ‫أعلنــت الشــركة يف ربيــع عــام ‪ 2020‬عــن‬ ‫رؤيــة جديــدة للصناعــة تقــوم علــى أربــع‬ ‫ركائــز‪ :‬وهــى االتصــال والرقمنــة واألتمتــة‬ ‫واالســتدامة‪ .‬وبنــاءا علــى ذلــك قدمــت‬ ‫الشــركة مجموعــة مــن المعــدات الجديــدة‬ ‫القائمــة علــى هــذه الركائــز األربعــة وهــى‪،‬‬ ‫ماكينــة قطــع المــواد المختلفــة التــى يتــم‬ ‫الطباعــة عليهــا “ماســتر كــت ‪ ،106″‬وأداة‬

‫” تــوول إنــك” لربــط األدوات واآلالت‬ ‫والعمليــات‪ ،‬وأدوات اإلتصــال بالماكينــة‪،‬‬ ‫وماكينــة آكيــو تشــيك الجديــدة التــى تعتبر‬ ‫حــل مدمــج لفحص فراغــات الكرتــون بح ًثا‬ ‫عــن العيــوب‪ ،‬وماكينــة فيجيــن كات ‪145‬‬ ‫التــى تعتبــر مــن أحــدث ماكينــات القطــع‬ ‫الكبيــرة الحجــم‪ .‬كمــا أطلقــت الشــركة‬ ‫ماكينة ماستر ستار وهى مناسبة لتغليف‬ ‫الكرتــون القابــل للطــي والكرتــون المضلــع‪.‬‬ ‫وىف مجــال التغليــف المــرن تعــد الماكينــة‬ ‫الجديــدة ماســتر ســي آى الخاصــة بطباعــة‬ ‫الفليســكو هو أحدث حلول شــركة بوبســت‬ ‫للعمــاء الذين يرغبون ىف تحويل نشــاطهم‬ ‫إىل مجــال طباعــة الفليكســو مــن خــال‬ ‫ماكينة تتصف بالســرعة واالستدامة‪.‬‬

‫‪ME‌Printer January - February 2021‬‬

‫التطورات اإلقليمية‪:‬‬

‫‪33‬‬

‫تماثلــت اتجاهــات صناعة الطباعة خالل عام‬ ‫‪ 2020‬يف منطقتنــا إىل حــد مــا مــع المناطــق‬ ‫األخــرى حــول العالــم‪ .‬كمــا يعتقــد البعــض‬ ‫أننــا كنــا أقل تأثــرا ً بفيروس كورونــا من أجزاء‬ ‫أخرى من العالم‪ .‬ال أعرف كيف أفســر ذلك‪.‬‬ ‫وهــل هــذا يعنــي أننــا كنــا أقــل تأثرا ً ألننــا أقل‬ ‫تطــورا ً أم ألننــا اتخذنــا التدابيــر الوقائيــة يف‬ ‫وقــت مبكــر؟ خــال عــام ‪ ،2020‬كانــت هناك‬ ‫اســتثمارات يف معــدات ودور طباعــة جديــدة‬ ‫يف منطقتنا‪ .‬لذلك لم تكن كل األخبار سيئة‪.‬‬ ‫فقــد أعلنــت الهيئــة العامــة المســؤولة عــن‬ ‫طباعــة وتوزيــع المصحف الشــريف والســنة‬ ‫النبوية والعلوم يف الكويت مؤخرا ً عن خطط‬ ‫الهيئــة لطباعــة وتوزيع المصحف الشــريف‪،‬‬ ‫وأنهــا ســوف تســتثمر ‪ 14‬مليــون دينــار لهــذا‬ ‫المشروع الذي يشمل بناء دار طباعة جديدة‬ ‫متطورة‪ .‬كما كان هناك إعالن آخر بخصوص‬ ‫طباعة المصحف الشريف خالل عام ‪2020‬‬ ‫ىف المملكــة العربيــة الســعودية‪ .‬حيث أطلق‬ ‫وزيــر الشــؤون اإلســامية والدعــوة واإلرشــاد‬ ‫المشــرف العــام علــى مجمــع الملــك فهــد‬ ‫لطباعة المصحف الشريف بالمدينة المنورة‬ ‫الشــيخ الدكتــور عبد اللطيف بــن عبد العزيز‬ ‫آل الشــيخ مؤخــرا ً عــن عــدد مــن المشــاريع‬ ‫إلنتــاج وترجمــات نســخ مــن المصحــف‬ ‫الشريف‪.‬‬

‫وشــملت هذة المشــاريع طباعة مصحف‬ ‫جديــد مــن المقــاس العــادي ‪١٩. ٣ × ١٣.٥‬‬ ‫ســم لــم يلتــزم فيــه بــأن تنتهــي كل صفحــة‬ ‫بأيــة‪ ،‬ومصحــف جديــد مــن المقــاس الكبيــر‬ ‫‪ ٢٤.٥ × ٣٥‬ســم‪ ،‬وطبــع بالخــط الجديــد‬ ‫المحســن‪ ،‬وترجمــة معــاين القــرآن الكريــم‬ ‫إىل اللغــة الفلبينيــة (التغالــوغ) وهــي اللغــة‬ ‫الرســمية للفلبيــن وعــدد الناطقيــن بهــا‬ ‫خمســون مليــون نســمة‪ ،‬وكذلــك أضيفــت‬ ‫‪ 14‬ترجمــة علــى موقــع المجمــع علــى‬

‫اإلنترنــت‪ ،‬وهــي (األمازيغية بالحــرف العريب‪،‬‬ ‫والباسا‪ ،‬والتغالوغ‪ ،‬والدغبانية‪ ،‬والطاجيكية‪،‬‬ ‫والماليويــة‪ ،‬والمندريــة‪ ،‬واألنكــو‪ ،‬والتركيــة‪،‬‬ ‫والتلغو‪ ،‬والفارسية‪ ،‬والفيتنامية‪ ،‬والمليبارية‪،‬‬ ‫والنيبالية)‪.‬‬ ‫وىف اليمــن دشــن نائــب رئيــس الــوزراء يف‬ ‫حكومــة تصريــف االعمــال الدكتــور ســالم‬ ‫الخنبشــي‪ ،‬ومحافــظ حضرمــوت فــرج‬ ‫البحســني‪ ،‬مشــروع إعــادة صيانــة وتأهيــل‬ ‫المرحلــة األوىل لمطابــع مؤسســة باكثيــر‬

‫تقرير عن عام ‪2020‬‬

‫مــن جانــب ‪ Canon ME‬أن صناعة الطباعة‬ ‫تمــر بنقطة تحــول وأن جائحة ‪COVID-19‬‬ ‫زادت مــن حاجــة مــزودي خدمــات الطباعــة‬ ‫لتغييــر أهدافهــم ونموذجهــم التشــغيلي‪،‬‬ ‫والتطلــع إىل طرق جديدة لتنويع عروضهم‪.‬‬ ‫كانــت هنــاك أيضــا أحــداث افتراضيــة‬ ‫مهمــة أخــرى بمــا يف ذلــك معــرض الخليــج‬ ‫للطباعــة والتغليــف الــذى أقيــم مــن‬ ‫خاللــه أول مائــدة مســتديرة إفتراضيــة‬ ‫تخــص صناعــة الطباعــة‪ .‬وقــد شــارك فيــه‬ ‫ســتة أعضــاء كمحاضــرون ىف هــذة المائــد‬ ‫اإلفتراضيــة‪ ،‬وهم يمثلون كبار الموردين يف‬ ‫منطقة الشــرق األوسط وأفريقيا‪.‬‬

‫تقنيات جديدة‪:‬‬ ‫عاما لإلعالن‬ ‫ال يمكــن اعتبــار عــام ‪ً 2020‬‬ ‫عــن المنتجــات الجديــدة الرئيســية أو‬ ‫التقنيات التجديدية‪ .‬ىف حين يمكن إعتباره‬ ‫عام تقدم وترقية لألجهزة الحالية والبرامج‬ ‫الجديــدة‪ .‬حيــث تحــاول العديــد مــن دور‬ ‫الطباعــة اآلن االعتمــاد على البرامج واآللية‬ ‫بــدال ً مــن األشــخاص‪ .‬كمــا أصبحــت حلــول‬ ‫الطباعــة األلكترونيــة المطبوعــة شــائعة‬ ‫ج ـدًا‪ .‬وتختــار دور الطباعــة اآلن أدوات‬ ‫أتمتــة مرحــل مــا قبل الطباعة التي تســمح‬ ‫لمشــغليها بإنشــاء مهــام ســير عمــل وإدارة‬ ‫عمليــة األعمــال الخاصــة بمرحلــة مــا قبــل‬ ‫الطباعــة عبــر اإلنترنــت‪ .‬وقد تــم تقديم عدد‬ ‫مــن حلــول الطباعــة األلكترونيــة المطبوعــة‬ ‫يف عــام ‪ 2020‬والتــي يمكــن أن تســاعد‬

‫دور علــى الدخــول يف هــذا الســوق المربــح‪.‬‬ ‫فعندمــا يتعلــق األمــر بهــذا المجــال‪ ،‬فــإن‬ ‫أحــد المنتجــات المميــزة هــو تقنيــة إنشــاء‬ ‫التصميمــات الخاصــة بالعميــل مــن خــال‬ ‫أوريجمــا‪ .‬وقــد فــازت هــذه التكنولوجيــا‬ ‫بجائــزة إنترتــك تكنولوجــى‪ .‬وهــذه‬ ‫التكنولوجيــا قابلــة للتخصيــص وتمكــن‬ ‫دور الطباعــة مــن تصميــم وتقديــم واجهات‬ ‫المتاجرعبراإلنترنــت‪ .‬فهــذة التقنيــة تدعــم‬ ‫برامــج الجهــات الخارجيــة وتوفــر فرصــة‬

‫للطابعــات للحصــول علــى حــل مصمــم‬ ‫بشــكل أفضل لمهام ســير العمــل الداخلية‬ ‫الخاصــة بهم ومنــح عمالئهم تجربة فريدة‪.‬‬

‫‪ME‌Printer January - February 2021‬‬

‫كمــا قدمــت كال مــن هيدلبــرج وكوينج &‬ ‫باوييــر وآر إم جــى يت وغيرها من الشــركات‬ ‫المصنعــة موديــات متعددة من الطابعات‬ ‫التــى تعمــل بنظــام التغذيــة الورقيــة خــال‬ ‫عــام ‪ .2020‬حيــث أن هــذة الموديــات‬ ‫الجديــدة تتمتــع بتحســينات ومميــزات‬ ‫إضافيــة اذا تــم مقارنتهــا بالطابعــات‬ ‫الســابقة‪ .‬كمــا قدمــت هيدلبــرج تكنولوجيــا‬ ‫جديدة تســمى ب “من اللوحة إىل الوحدة”‬ ‫والتــى تتمثــل ىف عمــل لوحــة الطباعــة‬ ‫أتوماتيكيــا بشــكل كامــل كمــا أنهــا أضافــت‬ ‫عنص ًرا آخر إىل مفهوم “الدفع إىل التوقف”‪.‬‬ ‫وقــد تضمنــت التحســينات األخــرى تقنيــة‬ ‫‪ FoilStart Cure‬التــى تســتخدم لطباعــة‬ ‫تأثيــرات التشــطيب المعــدين ىف مرحلــة‬ ‫مــا بعــد الطباعــة وذلــك باســتخدام رقائــق‬ ‫معدنيــة باردة يتم وضعها على الملصقات‬ ‫المدمجــة بواســطة ‪ LED UV‬الموجــودة‬

‫‪34‬‬

‫تقرير عن عام ‪2020‬‬

‫نظرة عامة على عام ‪ .. 2020‬صناعة األمل‬ ‫للمستقبل القريب رغم كورونا‬ ‫"‪ .. "2020‬هل كان عام سيطرت عليه كورونا بشكل تام أم شهد كذلك‬ ‫العديد من اإلنجازات‬ ‫عندمــا ننظــر إىل عام ‪ 2020‬فإن كل ما نراه‬ ‫هــو حــدوث جائحة كورونــا وأثارهــا الممتدة‬ ‫إىل الوقــت الحــاىل‪ .‬فمــن الجديــر بالذكــر‬ ‫أن جائحــة فيــروس كورونــا تمثــل بالنســبة‬ ‫لنــا نــوع مــن العالــم البائــس‪ ،‬الــذي كانــت‬ ‫موجــودة فقــط يف األفــام أو روايات الخيال‬ ‫العلمــي‪ .‬فكمــا نعلــم أنه حتى اآلن قد تويف‬ ‫‪ 1.5‬مليون شخص جراء هذا الفيروس كما‬ ‫أصيب حوايل ‪ 70‬مليون شخص‪ .‬باإلضافة‬ ‫إىل أن هنــاك العديــد مــن البلــدان يف جميع‬ ‫أنحــاء العالــم ىف الوقــت الحــاىل علــى شــفا‬ ‫الركــود وقــد تــم إجازة الماليين مــن العمال‬ ‫بــدون رواتب بســبب هذا الوبــاء‪ .‬لذلك فإن‬ ‫هنــاك العديــد مــن األســباب الوجيهــة التي‬ ‫جميعــا نشــعر باالكتئــاب واإلحبــاط‪،‬‬ ‫تجعلنــا‬ ‫ً‬

‫حيــث أن عــام ‪ 2020‬كان أكثــر مــن عــام‬ ‫مأســاوي أو انــه كان بمثابــة كابــوس طويــل‬ ‫لكثيــر مــن االشــخاص‪ .‬لكننــا أيضــا علــى‬ ‫الصعيــد اآلخــر يمكننــا اعتبــاره حاف ًزا‪ ،‬حيث‬ ‫أنــه كان منعطــف عابــر أدى إىل تســريع‬ ‫العديــد مــن االتجاهــات التكنولوجيــة‬ ‫الحديثــة التــي كانت موجــودة بالفعل‪ ،‬لكن‬ ‫وتيرتهــا كانت بطيئة جدًا‪.‬‬ ‫بالنســبة لصناعــة الطباعــة والنشــر‪،‬‬ ‫حقــق عــام ‪ 2020‬نتائــج متباينــة بالنســبة‬ ‫للمجــات والصحــف التــي كانــت تواجــه‬ ‫ً‬ ‫انخفاضــا حــادًا يف عــدد القــراء‬ ‫بالفعــل‬ ‫وتضاؤل ىف نسبة التوزيع‪ .‬فقد ساء الوضع‬ ‫وتحولــت العديــد مــن اإلصــدارت إىل نماذج‬ ‫إشــتراك عبــر اإلنترنــت فقــط‪ ،‬والتوقــف‬

‫التــام لالصــدارات المطبوعــة‪ .‬كمــا انخفــض‬ ‫الطلب على الطباعة وشعرت دور الطباعة‬ ‫يف جميــع أنحــاء العالــم بالتدهــور والركــود‬ ‫وانخفــاض المبيعــات‪ .‬ومــع ذلــك فقــد‬ ‫أصبحــت مجــال طباعــة العبــوات عنص ـ ًرا‬ ‫حيويًــا للغايــة يف سلســلة االمــدادات أثنــاء‬ ‫الوبــاء ومنقــذا لصناعــة الطباعــة‪ .‬وأصبــح‬ ‫التســوق عبــر اإلنترنــت أمر شــائع جدا على‬ ‫مســتوى جميــع المســتهلكين ومعــه ارتفع‬ ‫الطلــب علــى العبــوات اآلمنــة وصناديــق‬ ‫الســلع المصنوعــة مــن الــورق المقــوى‬ ‫بشــكل كبيــر‪ .‬كمــا أدركــت دور الطباعــة أنــه‬ ‫مــن أجــل البقــاء علــى قيــد الحيــاة ‪ ،‬يجــب‬ ‫عليهــم التكيــف وتجربــة طــرق أخــرى مــن‬ ‫أجل البقاء‪.‬‬

‫‪ME‌Printer January - February 2021‬‬

‫عصر الندوات عبر اإلنترنت‪:‬‬

‫‪35‬‬

‫مــع إلغــاء األحــداث التجاريــة الكبــرى‬ ‫ومعــارض الشــركات يف عــام ‪،2020‬‬ ‫اختــارت الشــركات إقامــة الفعاليــات‬ ‫عبــر اإلنترنــت لعــرض منتجاتهــا وتعزيــز‬ ‫عالقتهــا مــع العمــاء‪ .‬حيــث انتشــرت‬ ‫النــدوات اإلفتراضيــة عبــر اإلنترنــت‬ ‫وأصبحــت طريقــة االتصــال الفعليــة يف‬ ‫صناعــة الطباعــة والنشــر‪ .‬كمــا أطلقــت‬ ‫كبــرى الشــركات المصنعــة نــدوات عبــر‬ ‫اإلنترنــت محملــة بالمعلومــات والتقنيــات‬ ‫الجديــدة والمناقشــات وحلقــات النقــاش‬ ‫الهادفــة‪ .‬وقــد أطلقــت إدارة معــرض دروبــا‬ ‫إســتعراض تمهيــدى للموقــع األلكتــروىن‬ ‫الخــاص بالمعــرض‪ ،‬الــذى يقــدم سلســلة‬ ‫مــن العــروض التقديميــة وجلســات الويــب‬ ‫التــى تبــث علــى الهواء مباشــرة وتعقد من‬ ‫قبــل خبراء صناعة الطباعة‪.‬‬ ‫ففــي عــام ‪ 2019‬الــذى يعتبــر ليــس‬ ‫بالبعيــد‪ ،‬إذا كان هنــاك شــخص مــا قــد‬ ‫توقــع أن االلتقــاء وج ًهــا لوجــه يف صناعــة‬ ‫الطباعــة ســيختفي بيــن عشــية وضحاهــا‪،‬‬ ‫لــكان الجميــع قــد وصفه بأنه رجــل مجنون‬ ‫أو أيضــا امــرأة مجنونــة‪ .‬ولكــن ذلــك قــد‬ ‫حــدث بالفعــل‪ ،‬وحتــى إذا إنتهــى فيــروس‬

‫كورونــا بطريقــة أو بأخــرى مــن العالــم‪ ،‬فــإن‬ ‫ثقافة عقد الندوات واألحداث عبر اإلنترنت‬ ‫ســتظل معنــا لســنوات عديــدة قادمــة‪.‬‬ ‫فقــد اكتشــفت الشــركات مــن خــال هــذة‬ ‫التجــارب أنهــا تســتطيع فعــل أشــياء كثيرة‬ ‫افتراض ًيــا‪ .‬فهــى تجربــة أقــل ىف التكلفــة‬ ‫وخاليــة مــن المتاعــب‪ ،‬كمــا انهــا بالنســبة‬ ‫لعمالئهــم تعتبر أكثر مالءمة‪.‬‬ ‫وخــال عــام ‪ ،2020‬قــد انطلقــت العديــد‬ ‫من الشركات يف منطقتنا إىل سوق العمل‬ ‫وقامــت بشــكل ســريع بعقــد جميــع أنــواع‬ ‫األحــداث والندوات المباشــرة عبر اإلنترنت‬ ‫وذلــك كوســيلة للحفــاظ علــى االتصــال مع‬

‫عمالئهــا الحالييــن والمحتمليــن‪ .‬ولعل أكثر‬ ‫النــدوات الشــبكية التــي تــم الحديــث عنهــا‬ ‫هــي نــدوة كانــون الشــرق األوســط (‪)CME‬‬ ‫والتــى تناولــت حالــة صناعــة الطباعــة‪،‬‬ ‫وقــد تــم إســتضافتها بالشــراكة مــع مجلــة‬ ‫‪ . ME Printer‬فقــد كشــفت هــذة النــدوة‬ ‫الشــبكية عــن نتائــج الدراســة التــي أجريت‬ ‫باالشــتراك مــع مجلــة ‪ .ME Printer‬فقــد‬ ‫كشــفت هــذة الدراســة الخاصــة بســوق‬ ‫صناعــة الطباعة لعــام ‪ 2020‬والتى أجريت‬

‫لمعــدات وحلــول زيروكــس يف المنطقــة‬ ‫الغربية‪ .‬ومنذ ذلك الحين‪ ،‬شــهدت الشــركة‬ ‫نم ـ ًوا هائ ـا ً‪ ،‬مما أدى إىل إنشــاء شــبكة قوية‬ ‫مــن الشــركات المتميــزة التــى تتبــع نفــس‬ ‫اإلســتراتيجيات الخاصة بالعمل‪ ،‬وذلك من‬ ‫حيــث تقديــم خدمــات احترافيــة وإســتخدام‬ ‫أحــدث األدوات‪ ،‬حيــث يقــوم هؤالء الشــركاء‬ ‫بتوســيع قاعــدة العمــاء‪ ،‬وتقديــم الخدمــة‬ ‫السريعة لعمالء زيروكس‪.‬‬

‫فــرد جديــد ينضــم إىل عائلــة زيروكــس‬ ‫السعودية‬

‫خــال الســنوات األخيــرة‪ ،‬حصلــت شــركة‬ ‫زيروكــس علــى عدد مــن الجوائز وشــهادات‬ ‫التقديــر بمــا يف ذلــك جائزة برنامج الشــركاء‬ ‫المرموقــة مــن فئــة ‪ 5‬نجــوم المقدمــة مــن‬ ‫‪ ،CRN‬والتــى تمنــح للبرامــج التــي يكــون‬ ‫تصنيفهــا العــام ضمــن النخبــة‪ .‬كمــا إحتلــت‬ ‫زيروكــس مكانــة رائــدة يف تقريــر شــركة‬ ‫األبحــاث ‪ Quocirca‬وذلــك علــى مســتوى‬ ‫منصــة خدمــات الطباعــة المــدارة للمــرة‬ ‫الرابعــة علــى التــوايل‪ .‬وجــاء ىف التقريــر أن‬ ‫“زيروكــس قــادت الســوق منــذ فتــرة طويلــة‬ ‫بفضــل النظــام األساســى الــذى يتمثــل ىف‬ ‫خدمــات الطباعــة المدارة والذى يســتند إىل‬ ‫العمــل بنظــام الســحابة ومجموعــة حلــول‬ ‫تدفق العمل الموسعة التى تشتمل عليها‬ ‫تقنيــة ‪ .ConnectKey‬ووفقــا للتقريــر فــإن‬ ‫زيروكــس تحتفــظ بمكانتها الرائــدة يف توفير‬ ‫برامج منصة خدمات الطباعة المدارة التي‬ ‫تســتهدف قطاعــات الشــركات الصغيــرة‬ ‫والمتوســطة‪ .‬وتقــدم الشــركة ً‬ ‫جــا‬ ‫أيضــا نموذ ً‬ ‫مرنًــا لتقديــم الخدمــات ومنصــة ســحابية‬ ‫متكاملة لتمكين الشــركاء‪ ،‬بغض النظر عن‬ ‫مــدى تقدمهــم ىف مجــال خدمــات الطباعــة‬ ‫المدارة أو مدى مشــاركتهم ىف هذا الســوق‬ ‫المتنامــى‪ .‬كمــا تواصــل زيروكــس تعزيــز‬ ‫عــروض شــركاء خدمــات الطباعــة المــدارة‬ ‫مــع تركيز قوي علــى تقديم مجموعة حلول‬ ‫أوســع وأكثر ســهولة‪.‬باإلضافة إىل ذلك فإن‬ ‫منصــة زيروكــس الخاصه بخدمــات الطباعة‬ ‫المدارة تدعم مجموعة واسعة من الشركاء‬ ‫المتقدمين باإلضافة إىل الشركاء المبتدئين‬ ‫ىف هــذا المجال‪ ،‬ونظ ًرا ألن ســوق الشــركات‬ ‫الصغيــرة والمتوســطة أصبــح أكثــر تقب ـا ً‬ ‫لخدمــات الطباعــة المــدارة‪ ،‬فــإن الشــراكة‬ ‫بيــن زيروكــس وتلك الشــركات ســيكون هو‬ ‫مفتاح النجاح‪.‬‬

‫نبذة عن زيروكس السعودية‬

‫زيروكــس الســعودية هــي ممثــل لشــركة‬ ‫زيروكــس العالميــة يف المملكــة العربيــة‬ ‫الســعودية‪ .‬وقد تأسست يف عام ‪ ،1986‬مع‬ ‫خطوط أعمال تشمل تقديم حلول لتحسين‬ ‫العمليــات التجاريــة واألتمتــة وتكنولوجيــا‬ ‫الطباعــة مــن خــال رؤيــة مبتكــرة لتعظيــم‬ ‫اإلنتاجيــة والكفــاءة لخلــق بيئــة عمــل أفضل‬ ‫للشــركات الســعودية‪ .‬وتقــدم زيروكــس‬ ‫الســعودية مجموعــة كاملــة مــن منتجــات‬ ‫وخدمات زيرواكس التي تتراوح بين األجهزة‬ ‫التــى تعمــل بمثابة مســاعدي أماكن العمل‬ ‫وحلــول ســير العمــل وخدمــات الطباعــة‬ ‫المدارة يف سوق المملكة العربية السعودية‪.‬‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫كمــا أن الشــركة تتصــدى لتحديــات الســوق‬ ‫العالميــة والمحليــة باســتمرار بمــا يتماشــى‬ ‫مع معايير زيروكس العالمية‪.‬‬

‫‪ME‌Printer January - February 2021‬‬

‫نــود أن نذكــر أن أحــدث شــريك لشــركة‬ ‫زيروكــس يف المملكــة العربيــة الســعودية‬ ‫هو مجموعة المكتبة وهى إحدى الشركات‬ ‫الرائــدة يف مجــال إدخــال اللــوازم المكتبيــة‪،‬‬ ‫والقرطاســية‪ ،‬والمعــدات المكتبية‪ ،‬واألثاث‬ ‫المكتبي إىل السوق السعودي ككل‪ ،‬وذلك‬ ‫منــذ مــا يقــرب من ســتة عقــود‪ .‬فقد خدمت‬ ‫مجموعــة المكتبــة احتياجــات مجتمــع‬ ‫األعمــال وطــاب المــدارس والمؤسســات‬ ‫التعليمية بتفان وإتقان‪.‬وقد قام جيل كامل‬ ‫من المعماريين والمهندســين الســعوديين‬ ‫بشــراء طاوالت الرســم الهندسية من متاجر‬ ‫مجموعــة المكتبــة‪ ،‬باإلضافــة إىل شــراء‬ ‫متطلباتهــم التعليميــة اليوميــة‪ .‬واآلن‪ ،‬ويف‬ ‫هذه األلفية الجديدة تقف مجموعة المكتبة‬ ‫إىل جانــب قاعدتهــا مــن العمــاء الدائمييــن‪،‬‬ ‫وتزودهــم بجميــع إحتياجاتهــم لمواجهــة‬ ‫تحديات العصر الرقمي الجديد‪.‬‬ ‫وقــد ذكر لنا الرئيس التنفيذى لمجموعة‬ ‫المكتبــة‪ ،‬عبــدهللا العلويط‪ ،‬قائال “تأسســت‬ ‫مجموعــة المكتبــة عــام ‪ 1958‬ومنــذ ذلــك‬ ‫الحيــن عملنــا بــا كلــل لتقديــم خدمــات مــن‬ ‫الدرجــة األوىل لجميــع عمالئنــا‪ .‬ومن المؤكد‬ ‫أن مجموعــة المكتبيــة اآلن هــى اســم‬ ‫معــروف وعالمــة تجاريــة مرموقــة مرادفــة‬ ‫لإلبتــكار‪ .‬ونحــن نقــدم أفضــل التقنيــات‬ ‫واللــوازم المكتبيــة وكذلــك األثــاث المكتبى‬ ‫لعمالئنــا علــى مســتوى المملكــة العربيــة‬ ‫الســعودية‪ .‬وتقــدم فروعنــا الموجــودة يف‬ ‫المــدن الرئيســية وعبــر المملكــة العربيــة‬ ‫الســعودية شــبكة فعالــة قادرة علــى تقديم‬ ‫خدمــات عاليــة الجودة يف الوقت المناســب‬ ‫لعمالئنا”‪.‬‬ ‫وأضــاف أيضــا “لقــد وجدنــا يف زيروكــس‬ ‫الســعودية الشــريك المثــايل‪ ،‬الــذي يلبــي‬ ‫إحتياجاتنــا واحتياجــات عمالئنــا‪ ،‬ونحــن‬ ‫مصرح لنا اآلن بتقديم مجموعة واسعة من‬ ‫حلول زيروكس للعمالء يف المملكة العربية‬ ‫الســعودية‪ .‬باإلضافــة إىل ذلــك تعمل حلول‬ ‫زيروكــس علــى تمكيــن عمالئنــا مــن خــال‬ ‫إعتماد وسيلة لتحديث أنظمتهم وىف نفس‬ ‫الوقــت تســاعدهم هــذة الحلول على إنشــاء‬ ‫وتقديم منتجات مطبوعة عالية الجودة‪.‬‬ ‫وقد ذكر لنا ماهر قاري‪ ،‬المدير التنفيذي‬

‫لقطاع الشــركاء لشركة زيروكس السعودية‬ ‫قائــا ” مجموعــة المكتبــة هي عالمة تجارية‬ ‫مرموقــة وموثوقــة علــى مســتوى المملكــة‬ ‫العربية الســعودية‪ ،‬كما إنها شــريك موثوق‬ ‫لشــركة زيروكــس الســعودية‪ .‬ومــن الجديــر‬ ‫بالذكــر أن المجموعــة تحظــى ببنيــة تحتيــة‬ ‫مثاليــة لتقديــم مجموعــة منتجاتنــا الرائــدة‬ ‫المــدارة‪.‬‬ ‫يف الصناعــة وخدمــات الطباعــة ُ‬ ‫وتوفــر شــبكتهم الواســعة مــن الفــروع يف‬ ‫جميــع أنحــاء المملكــة العربيــة الســعودية‬ ‫باإلضافــة إىل خبــراء تكنولوجيــا المعلومــات‬ ‫لديهــم خدمات شــاملة لعمالئهم‪ .‬ويضيف‪:‬‬ ‫مهمــا‬ ‫“يلعــب شــركاؤنا يف الســعودية دو ًرا‬ ‫ً‬ ‫يف تطويــر صناعــة أتمتــة المســتندات يف‬ ‫المملكــة العربيــة الســعودية‪،‬وذلك بخــاف‬ ‫األجهــزة الخاصــه بنــا التــى توفــر للعمــاء‬ ‫أدوات المعرفــة والبرمجيــات للتعامــل مــع‬ ‫المستندات بطرق أكثر كفاءة وإنتاجية‪.‬‬ ‫“كمــا أود أن أذكــر أن ‪ ConnectKey‬هــى‬ ‫أهــم عناصــر عــروض زيروكــس للعمالء‪ .‬وىف‬ ‫إطــار ذلــك يوضــح ماهــر قــاري‪ ،‬قائــا “لقــد‬ ‫تــم تصميــم تقنيــة ‪Xerox® Connect‬‬ ‫‪ ®Key‬لبيئــة المكتــب المتغيــرة علــى‬ ‫أســاس االتصــال الســحاىب حيــث أنهــا تتيــح‬ ‫للموظفيــن أن يكونــوا أكثــر إنتاجيــة مــع‬ ‫الســماح لهــم بالعمــل مــع أيضــا عمليــات‬ ‫ومعلومــات أكثــر تنظيم ـاً”‪ .‬وتســاعد تقنيــة‬ ‫‪ ConnectKey‬ىف تبســيط ســير العمــل‬ ‫حيــث يقضــي الموظفــون وقتًا أقــل يف إدارة‬ ‫المســتندات‪ ،‬ويمكــن للموظفين ً‬ ‫أيضا عمل‬ ‫مســتندات إلكترونيــة وإدارة المهــام مــن‬ ‫خالل تطبيقات ‪.”ConnectKey‬‬ ‫وأضــاف ماهــر “إنــه نظ ـ ًرا لتغيــر المشــهد‬ ‫الرقمــي يف المنطقــة والتكيــف الســريع مــع‬ ‫التقنيــات الجديــدة‪ ،‬تقــوم المؤسســات يف‬ ‫الشــرق األوســط بتنفيــذ الحلــول الذكيــة‬ ‫الخاصة بمكان العمل حيث أنها تتيح تنفيذ‬ ‫مهام العمل بشــكل أكثر ذكا ًء وكفاءة‪ .‬ولكن‬ ‫فــإن عنصــر األمــن يشــكل أحــد الشــواغل‬ ‫الرئيســية يف المنطقــة ‪،‬كمــا أن صناعــة‬ ‫الطباعــة عرضــة للتهديــدات الســيبرانية‬ ‫المماثلــة للصناعات األخرى‪ .‬نظ ًرا ألن جميع‬ ‫أجهزة الطباعة أصبحت اآلن جز ًءا من النظام‬ ‫البيئي إلنترنت األشياء‪ .‬لذلك فهي تستقبل‬ ‫الهجمــات اإللكترونيــة عبــر إنترنــت األشــياء‬ ‫محســنة‪ .‬ونظ ـ ًرا ألن‬ ‫وتتطلــب حلــول أمــان‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫دائمــا أولويــة قصــوى‬ ‫عنصــر األمــان يمثــل‬ ‫ً‬ ‫لشركة زيروكس‪ ،‬فإننا نعمل بإستمرار على‬ ‫تحسين ميزات األمان لجميع أجهزتنا‪ . .‬وهذا‬ ‫هــو الســبب يف أن كل جهــاز يدعــم ®‪Xerox‬‬ ‫‪ ®Connect Key‬مــزود بنهــج شــامل مــن‬ ‫أربع نقاط لألمان‪ ،‬مما يضمن حماية شاملة‬ ‫لجميــع مكونــات النظــام ونقــاط الضعــف‪.‬‬ ‫وتشــمل مميزات األمان الخاصة بنا كال من‪،‬‬ ‫الوقاية والكشــف والحماية واالتصال القوي‬ ‫مع الشركاء العالميين‪.‬‬

‫البرنامج الحائز على جائزة‬

‫‪36‬‬

‫قصة نجاح‬

‫‪ME‌Printer January - February 2021‬‬

‫يتمتع شركاء‬ ‫زيروكس بإمكانية‬ ‫الوصول إىل العديد‬ ‫من الموارد واألدوات‬ ‫التي يمكنهم‬ ‫استخدامها لتنسيق‬ ‫أعمالهم‬

‫‪37‬‬

‫زيروكس السعودية تقيم شراكات‬ ‫قوية ودائمة مع الشركات ذات‬ ‫التوجه المماثل لتوجهاتها‬

‫أقامــت شــركة حلــول الوثائــق الرائــدة يف المنطقــة مؤخــرا تحالف‬ ‫شراكة مع مجموعة المكتبة‬ ‫ال شك أن الشراكة بين زيروكس السعودية‬ ‫والشــركات االخــرى المتميــزة التــى تعمــل‬ ‫ىف مجــال أتمتة المســتندات هــو أمر يتعلق‬ ‫بمقــدرات وإمكانــات شــركة زيروكــس‬ ‫الســعودية‪ .‬فقــد تــم تصميم برنامج شــركاء‬ ‫زيروكــس الــذي نــال استحســانًا كبي ـ ًرا‬ ‫وأســتطاع أن يحصــد العديــد مــن الجوائــز‪،‬‬ ‫لمســاعدة شــركاء زيروكــس الســعودية‬ ‫على تحســين ممارســاتهم التجارية وكذلك‬ ‫تحقيــق إيــرادات ثابتــة ومســتمرة‪ .‬وتلــك‬ ‫هــي أهــم األشــياء التــي يحتــاج أى شــريك‬ ‫القيــام بهــا إلســتمرارية وتنميــة أعمالــه يف‬ ‫المســتقبل‪ .‬باإلضافــة إىل ذلــك يتمتــع‬

‫شــركاء زيروكــس الســعودية بإمكانيــة‬ ‫الوصــول إىل العديــد مــن المــوارد واألدوات‬ ‫الــذى يمكنهــم اســتخدامها مــن تســهيل‬ ‫أعمالهــم‪ .‬حيــث تشــمل هــذه المــوارد علــى‬ ‫كال من‪ ،‬إجتماعات المعرفة الخاصة بشركة‬ ‫زيروكــس والــدورات التدريبيــة اإلحترافيــة‪،‬‬ ‫و التعلــم بمالزمــة الموظفيــن المتمرســين‪،‬‬ ‫و مشــاركة الصفقــات ‪ ،‬والخصــم الخــاص‪،‬‬ ‫والتمييز التجاري والعروض الخاصة‪ ،‬الدعم‬ ‫اللوجيســتي‪ ،‬ومنتــدى الشــركاء‪ ،‬وغيــر ذلك‬ ‫الكثيــر‪ .‬حيــث أن ما ســبق يعتبر ىف حد ذاته‬ ‫فرصــة مثاليــة ألى شــركة محلية تريد تغيير‬ ‫رؤيتهــا المتمثلــة ىف التوجــة نحــو العمــاء‬

‫إىل التوجــة نحــو الشــراكة وكذلــك توســيع‬ ‫دائــرة نطــاق العمــاء يف المملكــة العربيــة‬ ‫الســعودية بجــودة عاليــة وكفــاءة يف تقديــم‬ ‫الخدمــات بمــا يف ذلــك خدمــات الطباعــة‬ ‫المدارة المقدمة داخل المملكة‪ .‬ومن خالل‬ ‫الســطور القادمــة ســوف نســتعرض لكــم‬ ‫المزيد من التفاصيل‪.‬‬

‫متــى كانــت البدايــة بالنســبة لبرنامــج‬ ‫شركاء زيروكس السعودية؟‬

‫قدمت زيروكس السعودية برنامج الشركاء‬ ‫منــذ ‪ 8‬ســنوات‪ ،‬حيــث وقعــت أول إتفاقيــة‬ ‫شراكة مع قنواتها لتوسيع نطاق التغطية‬

‫الحرجــة لتحليــل المخاطــر هــو نظــام وقــايئ‬ ‫معنــى بســامة الغــذاء مــن خــال تحديــد‬ ‫األخطار‪.‬‬

‫إلدارة أنشــطة اإلنتــاج اليوميــة؟ هــل‬ ‫تعتمــدون علــى األنظمــة الرقميــة ىف‬ ‫سير العمل‬

‫لدينــا نظــام محلــي الصنــع للتواصــل بيــن‬ ‫المستودعات واإلدارة والحسابات واإلنتاج‪.‬‬

‫هل شجع فيروس كورونا دور الطباعة‬ ‫علــى اختيــار المزيد مــن أنظمة األتمتة‬ ‫وتقليل االعتماد على المشغلين؟ وإذا‬ ‫كانــت اإلجابــة بنعــم‪ ،‬فهــل اســتثمرت‬ ‫يف المزيــد مــن حلول األتمتــة والبرامج‬ ‫مؤخ ًرا؟‬ ‫مربــع‪ .‬وكانــت القفــزة الثانيــة للشــركة عبارة‬ ‫عن موقع جديد أكبر‪ ،‬تبلغ مساحتة ‪15000‬‬ ‫متر مربع ويقع يف المدينة الصناعية الثانية‬ ‫‪ ،‬وقــد بــدأ تشــغيل هــذا الموقــع الجديــد يف‬ ‫عام ‪.2000‬‬

‫مــا هــي خططــك للتوســع يف‬ ‫المستقبل؟ وهل تخطط لإلستثمار يف‬ ‫الطباعة الرقمية؟‬ ‫يتطلــب وضــع الســوق أن نتحلــى بالــذكاء‬ ‫يف توســعنا وأن نقــوم بذلــك يف الوقــت‬ ‫المناســب واالتجــاه الصحيــح‪ .‬وفيما يتعلق‬ ‫بالطباعــة الرقميــة‪ ،‬لدينــا بالفعــل طابعــة‬ ‫زيروكــس الرقميــة للوظائــف التجاريــة‬ ‫قصيــرة المــدى‪ ،‬كما أننا نبحث عن حل جيد‬ ‫للتعامــل مع وظائــف التغليف على المدى‬ ‫القصير لتلبية طلب السوق المتزايد‪.‬‬

‫مــا هــي اتجاهــات صناعــة الصناديــق‬ ‫يف المملكــة العربيــة الســعودية؟ وهل‬ ‫تطلــب العالمات التجارية ألوانًا خاصة‬ ‫وتأثيرات خاصة وتصاميم جذابة؟‬

‫هل تسبب وباء كورونا يف زيادة الطلب‬ ‫على منتجات التغليف بطريقة كبيرة؟‬

‫نعــم‪ ،‬هــذا صحيح‪ .‬إن مجــال تغليف المواد‬ ‫الغذائيــة وتوصيلهــا إىل المنــازل آخــذ يف‬ ‫االرتفــاع‪ ،‬وقــد خلــق هــذا االتجــاه فرصــة‬ ‫عمــل جديــدة لنــا‪ ،‬وهــي فرصة ستســتمر يف‬ ‫التوسع يف المستقبل‪.‬‬

‫نعــم‪ ،‬هــذا صحيح‪ .‬إن مجــال تغليف المواد‬ ‫الغذائيــة وتوصيلهــا إىل المنــازل آخــذ يف‬ ‫االرتفــاع‪ ،‬وقــد خلــق هــذا االتجــاه فرصــة‬ ‫عمــل جديــدة لنــا‪ ،‬وهــي فرصة ستســتمر يف‬ ‫التوسع يف المستقبل‪.‬‬

‫هــل تلتزمــون ىف مجــال عملكــم‬ ‫بالممارسات الصديقة للبيئة ؟‬

‫نعــم‪ ،‬فنحــن نتبــع قواعــد إرشــادية صارمــة‬ ‫للتخلــص مــن النفايــات مــن خــال إتبــاع‬ ‫عمليــات معينــة‪ ،‬خاصــة ىف التخلــص مــن‬ ‫المــواد الكيميائيــة‪ ،‬كما إننا نســتخدم الورق‬ ‫والكرتــون المعتمدان من مجلس اإلشــراف‬ ‫ـتداما‬ ‫جا مسـ‬ ‫علــى الغابــات‪ ،‬مما يضمن منت ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ومتس ـ ًقا مــع بيئتنــا‪ .‬كمــا اننــا ملتزمــون‬ ‫بالدســتور الغذاىئ والمبــادئ العامة لنظافة‬ ‫األغذيــة ومتطلبــات نظــام نقــاط المراقبــة‬

‫هل تستخدم أنظمة المعلومات اإلدارية‬ ‫لعمل التقديرات والعمليات األخرى؟‬ ‫لم نستخدم هذة البرامج ىف الفترة الحالية‪،‬‬ ‫لكننــا نتطلــع إىل تنفيــذ نظــام اتصــاالت‬ ‫للعمليــات اإلنتاجيــة يســتند إىل التطبيقــات‬ ‫والبرامج للربط بين مرحلة ما قبل الطباعة‬ ‫ومرحلــة الطباعــة ومرحلــة مــا بعــد الطباعة‪،‬‬ ‫وذلــك لزيــادة الكفــاءة وتقصيــر أوقــات‬ ‫التجهيــز واإلعــدادات‪ .‬وســوف تكــون هــذه‬ ‫هي الخطوة األوىل لتنفيذ نظام المعلومات‬ ‫اإلداريــة يف المســتقبل‪ .‬لذلــك فنحــن ندرس‬ ‫أحــد الحلــول المقدمــة مــن شــركة هيدلبــرج‬ ‫وهو نظام برين إيكت‪.‬‬

‫‪ME‌Printer January - February 2021‬‬

‫هنــاك طلب متزايد علــى منتجات التغليف‬ ‫ذات األلــوان الخاصــة‪ .‬وكان هــذا هــو ســبب‬ ‫قيامنــا باالســتثمار يف هيدلبــرج إكــس إل‬ ‫‪ 106‬المــزودة بســتة ألــوان والقــادرة علــى‬ ‫طباعــة طبقة شــفافة المعــة ىف ىف مرحلة ما‬ ‫بعــد الطباعــة أو مرحلــة التشــطيب‪ ،‬فنحــن‬ ‫متخصصــون يف تقديــم هــذا النــوع مــن‬ ‫الزخرفــة المطبوعــة منذ عــام ‪ 2000‬وكذلك‬ ‫توريد الكرتون المغلف بورق القصدير‪.‬‬

‫هل تسبب وباء كورونا يف زيادة الطلب‬ ‫على منتجات التغليف بطريقة كبيرة؟‬

‫نعــم اوافــق‪ .‬األتمتــة أمــر ال بــد منــه يف‬ ‫الوقــت الحاضــر‪ ،‬خاصــة مــع ارتفــاع تكلفــة‬ ‫العمالة بســبب اللوائــح والضرائب الجديدة‬ ‫للحكومــة‪ .‬ومــن ناحية أخرى‪ ،‬يف خضم أزمة‬ ‫كورونــا فإنــه ليس لدينا خيار آخر آخر ســوى‬ ‫إدارة عمل فعال ومربح‪.‬‬

‫‪38‬‬

‫لنــا‪ .‬وفــد كان ألزمــة كورونا بعــض التأثيرات‬ ‫علــى أعمالنا ولكننــا وجدنا ً‬ ‫أيضا العديد من‬ ‫الفــرص الجديــدة يف مجــال تغليــف المــواد‬ ‫الغذائيــة وتوصيلهــا إىل المنــازل‪ ،‬حيــث أن‬ ‫هذة السوق إذدهرت خالل أزمة كورونا‪.‬‬

‫هــل لديكــم خطــط للتنويــع يف مجــاالت‬ ‫واعــدة أخــرى تنــدرج تحــت صناعــة‬ ‫الطباعة مثل صناعة الملصقات ؟‬ ‫تتميــز صناعــة التغليــف المــرن بمعــدل‬ ‫نمــو مرتفــع ونحــن نخطــط للدخــول يف هــذا‬ ‫المجال‪.‬‬

‫كــم عــدد الموظفيــن لــدى شــركتكم‬ ‫وهــل قمتــم بتخفيض عــدد الموظفين‬ ‫بسبب تداعيات ازمة كورونا؟‬

‫‪ME‌Printer January - February 2021‬‬

‫تكلفــة الخدمــة والصيانــة الخاصــة بماكينتنا‬ ‫القديمــة هيدلبــرج ‪ 5‬ســي دي ‪ 102‬إىل‬ ‫اإلســتثمار ىف ىف ماكينــة هيدلبــرج الجديــدة‬ ‫إكــس إل ‪ 106‬المــزودة بســتة ألــوان‪ .‬وقــد‬ ‫إعتمــد إختيارنــا لشــركة هايدلبــرج كمــورد‬ ‫علــى خبرتنــا الطويلة ىف إســتخدام هيدلبرج‬ ‫‪ 5‬سي دي ‪ 102‬وهي آلة عالية األداء‪ ،‬فضال ً‬ ‫عــن التوافــر الســريع لقطــع الغيــار وجــودة‬ ‫الخدمة المقدمة من شركة هيدلبرج‪.‬‬ ‫لقــد تســلمنا ماكينــة هيدلبــرج إكــس إل‬ ‫‪ 106‬أثنــاء فتــرة اإلغالق يف المملكة العربية‬ ‫الســعودية‪ ،‬وكان مــن الصعــب علينــا القيام‬ ‫بتركيبهــا وتشــغيلها‪ ،‬ولكــن فريــق الخدمــة‬ ‫الخــاص بشــركة هيدلبــرج بالمملكة العربية‬ ‫الســعودية قــام بعمــل هائــل يف تفكيــك‬ ‫هيدلبــرج ‪ 5‬ســي دي ‪ 102‬وتركيــب طابعــة‬ ‫جديــدة ميكانيك ًيــا وكهربائ ًيــا واختبارهــاه‬ ‫وربطهاعــن بُعــد وتدريــب مشــغلينا وتــم‬ ‫تشــغيل إكــس إل ‪ 106‬يف غضــون وقــت‬ ‫قصيــر نســب ًيا دون الحاجــة إىل أي مهنــدس‬ ‫قــادم مــن الخــارج‪ ،‬ونحــن بالطبــع ســعداء‬ ‫بذلك اإلنجاز‪.‬‬ ‫لقــد أثبتــت آلــة إكــس إل ‪ 106‬الجديــدة‬ ‫المزودة بســتة ألوان أنها آلة مؤتمتة بشكل‬ ‫كامــل كمــا إنهــا ســتعزز إنتاجيتنــا مــع وقــت‬ ‫تســليم أســرع‪ ،‬فهــى آلــة ســهلة االســتخدام‬ ‫وتســتغرق وقت قصير عند بدء اإلســتخدام‬ ‫والتشغيل‪.‬‬

‫‪39‬‬

‫مــا هــى المعــدات واألجهــزة التــى‬ ‫تمتلكهــا شــركتكم فيمــا يخــص مرحلة‬ ‫مــا قبــل الطباعــة ومرحلــة الطباعــة‬ ‫ومرحلة ما بعد الطباعة؟‬ ‫فيمــا يخــص مرحلــة مــا قبــل الطباعــة لدينــا‬ ‫شاشــة ســي يت يب ‪ ،8300‬وشاشــتان‬ ‫أخريتان من شركة هيدلبرج وهما‪ ،‬سي دي‬ ‫‪102-5+‬إل‪ ،‬و ســي دي ‪102+‬إل واى إل‪.‬‬

‫وفيمــا يخــص مرحلــة ما الطباعة لدينا ســي‬ ‫دي ‪ 102-6‬إل يــو يف وســي دي ‪ 102+‬إل‬ ‫واي‪ .‬وفيمــا يخــص مرحلــة التشــطيب لدينا‬ ‫العديــد مــن ماكينــات القطــع المقدمــة مــن‬ ‫شــركة بوبســت وماكينــات لصــق الكرتــون‬ ‫المقدمة من شركة ديانا وبوبست‪.‬‬

‫نحــن نعلــم أن التركيــز األساســى‬ ‫بالسبة شــركتكم هو صناعة التغليف‪،‬‬ ‫فكــم عــدد الصناديــق التــي تنتجهــا‬ ‫شركتكم بشكل شهرى؟‬ ‫يمكننا إنتاج من ‪ 13‬إىل ‪ 16‬ألف طن سنويا‬ ‫بمتوسط ‪ 12‬ألف طن شهريا‪.‬‬

‫كيــف تمكنتــم مــن التخفيــف مــن آثــار‬ ‫جائحــة فيــروس كورونــا‪ ،‬وىف نفــس‬ ‫الوقــت قمتــم باإلســتثمار ىف ماكينــة‬ ‫جديدة خاصة بطباعة األوفست؟‬ ‫لقــد تــم إتخــاذ قــرار شــراء الطابعــة الجديــدة‬ ‫قبــل أزمــة كوفيد‪ ،-19‬حيــث كان من المهم‬ ‫بالنســبة لنا أن نســتثمر يف هذة التكنولوجيا‬ ‫الجديــدة التــي تعمــل علــى ذيــادة إنتاجيتنا‪.‬‬ ‫لذلــك كان هــذا إســتثما ًرا مفي ـدًا بالنســبة‬

‫قمنا بتسريح حوايل ‪ 5٪‬من موظفينا‪ ،‬ويبلغ‬ ‫إجمــايل عــدد الموظفيــن الحاىل حــوايل ‪180‬‬ ‫وبالنســية لألشــخاص الذى تم إستبعادهم‬ ‫مــن الخدمــة كانــوا قريبين من ســن التقاعد‬ ‫أو غير منتجين‪.‬‬

‫هل تقوموا بتصدير منتجات شــركتكم‬ ‫التى تندرج تحت صناعة التغليف إىل‬ ‫خارج المملكة؟‬ ‫نعــم‪ ،‬نحــن نصــدر حــوايل ‪ 10٪‬مــن إنتاجنــا‬ ‫إىل الخارج‪ ،‬وبالنســبة لألسواق المستهدفة‬ ‫بالنسبة لنا هي اإلمارات واليمن ومصر‪.‬‬

‫نــود أن نتعــرف منــك عــن العمــاء‬ ‫الرئيسيين لشركة شطر اإلبتكار؟‬ ‫إن شركات األغذية هم عمالؤنا الرئيسيون‪،‬‬ ‫فضال ً عن القطاعات األخرى‪.‬‬

‫نــود منــك أن تعطــى لنــا نبــذة عــن‬ ‫نفســك وعن دخولــك يف مجال صناعة‬ ‫الطباعة؟‬

‫تأسست شركة شطر اإلبتكار يف عام ‪1979‬‬ ‫مــن قبــل الســيد عبد هللا الزاهــد الذي خلق‬ ‫الفرصــة ألبنائــه إلدارة الشــركة وأن يصبحــوا‬ ‫شــركاء‪ .‬وقــد تــم بنــاء أول موقــع لشــركة‬ ‫االبتــكار يف الدمــام علــى مســاحة ‪ 4000‬متر‬

‫مقابلة‬

‫بوادر أمل للتعاىف اإلقتصادى‬ ‫يعتبر اإلســتثمار ىف أحدث ماكينات هيدلبرج إكس إل ‪ 106‬من جانب شــركة شــطر اإلبتكار‬ ‫التي يقع مقرها يف الدمام بادرة أمل وداللة جيدة على التعاىف‪.‬‬

‫تعد شركة شطر اإلبتكار أحدى دور الطباعة‬ ‫الحديثــة المجهــزة بشــكل كامــل وهــى تركــز‬ ‫على صناعة التغليف باإلضافة إىل الطباعة‬ ‫التجاريــة‪ .‬تأسســت الشــركة يف عــام ‪1979‬‬

‫لقــد دفعنــا طلــب الســوق الــذى يســتلزم‬ ‫وقــت التســليم األقصــر وتقديــم منتجــات‬ ‫عاليــة الجودة‪ ،‬باإلضافة إىل رغبتنا ىف تقليل‬

‫‪ME‌Printer January - February 2021‬‬

‫لقد إســتثمرت شــركة شــطر اإلبتكار مؤخرا‪،‬‬ ‫التــي يقــع مقرهــا يف الدمــام ىف ماكينــة‬ ‫هيدلبــرج الجديــدة إكــس إل ‪ 106‬المــزودة‬ ‫بســتة ألــوان‪ .‬وهــذا يــدل علــى أن التعــايف‬ ‫االقتصــادي الضعيــف المتوقــع ىف أعقــاب‬ ‫أزمــة كورونــا ربمــا يكــون قــد بــدأ بالفعــل يف‬ ‫المملكــة العربيــة الســعودية‪ .‬فهــذا ليــس‬ ‫مجــرد اســتثمار عــادى ولكنــه عالمــة أمــل‬ ‫وتجديــد يف أعقــاب جائحــة مدمــرة‪ .‬وبالرغــم‬ ‫مــن ذلــك‪ ،‬ال نســتطيع أن ننكــر أن فيــروس‬ ‫كورونــا مــا زال يســبب الفوضــى يف جميــع‬ ‫أنحــاء العالــم‪ ،‬ولكن هناك بعض الشــركات‬ ‫التــى تمكنــت من البقاء على قيد الحياة بل‬ ‫وتمكنــت أن تخطــو خطــوات ثابتــة ىف طريق‬ ‫التحسن واإلذدهار‪.‬‬

‫وهــي تخــدم الســوق المحليــة والدوليــة يف‬ ‫الوقــت الحــايل‪ .‬ولمعرفــة المزيد عن نشــاط‬ ‫الشــركة والســبب وراء اإلســتثمار الجديــد‬ ‫تحدثنــا إىل الســيد‪ /‬خليفــة الزاهــد‪ ،‬المديــر‬ ‫العام للشركة‪.‬‬

‫لماذا قررتم شراء هذة الطابعة الحديثة‬ ‫كليا المقدمة من شركة هيدلبرج؟‬

‫‪40‬‬

‫‪ISSN 2304-117X‬‬

‫مالحظة المحرر‬

‫مجلة شهرية شاملة مختصة يف عالم‬ ‫الطباعة يف الشرق األوسط‬ ‫السنــة السادسة عشرة ‪ /‬العدد ‪ / 172‬يوليو ‪ -‬أغسطس ‪2019‬‬

‫‪ME Printer FZ L.L.C‬‬

‫‪ME‌Printer January - February 2021‬‬

‫هل الفترة الحالية هى األنسب إلنشاء شركة طباعة؟‬

‫‪41‬‬

‫ىف ظل جائحة كورونا المستمرة فإن الرد المنطقى على هذا السؤال سينطوى عن التحدث عن نقص التمويل‪ .‬ولكن‬ ‫من الممكن أيضا أن نطرح السؤال بطريقة مختلفة‪ ،‬هل هذا هو الوقت المناسب لبدء أى عمل بشكل عام‪ .‬فإذا قمنا‬ ‫بإستثناء جيف بيزوس المدير التنفيذى لشركة أمازون‪ ،‬ومارك زوكربيرج مؤسس موقع التواصل اإلجتماعى الشهير‬ ‫فيسبوك وعدد قليل من اآلخرين‪ ،‬فإننا سنجد أن الوباء وعدم اليقين االقتصادي والسياسي قد تسبب ىف إحداث فوضى‬ ‫يف جميع الصناعات ومعظم األعمال‪ .‬لذلك فمن العدل أن نقول أن هناك الصناعات بأكملها قد تغير مسارهاه بسبب‬ ‫الوباء وما زالت تكافح لكى تحافظ على إستمراريتها ىف السوق الخاص بها‪ .‬وذلك يدعونا إىل التساؤل‪ ،‬كيف تعمل‬ ‫دور الطباعة ىف هذة الفترة الراهنة؟ ىف مقابلة عبر اإلنترنت من خالل الفيديو‪ ،‬قامت كاري شيربورن أحد المحررات ىف‬ ‫موقع ‪ whattheythink.com‬بسؤال رئيس شركة جرافكو‪ ،‬كريس مانلى‪ ،‬عن كيفية تعامله مع تداعيات وباء كورونا‪.‬‬ ‫حيث ان شركة جرافكو هي موزع لمعدات آلر جى إم يت وهوريزون وقطع الغيار واإلمدادات والمواد االستهالكية يف‬ ‫أنحاء عديدة من الواليات المتحدة‪ .‬حيث شارك السيد‪ /‬كريس تجربته والتى نعتقد أنه شيقة جدا‪ .‬وهى تنطوى على‬ ‫مساعدة شركة جرافكو لعمالءها يف إجراء صيانة شاملة ألجهزتهم التى كانت تعمل على مدار الساعة طوال أيام األسبوع‬ ‫خالل العامين الماضيين ولم يكن لديهم الوقت الكايف إلجراء الصيانة المناسبة‪ .‬وقد قدمت شركة جرافكو ً‬ ‫أيضا أسعا ًرا‬ ‫تنافسية للمعدات التى تقوم ببيعها ووضعت شروط دفع سهلة وممتدة‪ ،‬وبذلك فإنها قد نجحت ىف إدارة االزمة بشكل‬ ‫مناسب ومثايل‪ .‬ولذلك فإن كريس مانلى‪ ،‬رئيس شركة جرافكو أصبح سعيد بأرقام المبيعات‪ ،‬وكذلك أصبح عمالؤه‬ ‫سعداء وراضيين عن الخدمات المقدمات من جانب الشركة‪ .‬وقد ذكر قائال “عندما يحدث الركود االقتصادي ىف معظم‬ ‫الصناعات‪ ،‬فإن دور الطباعة هي أول من تشعر باألزمة وتبدأ بالتكيف مع الوضع بشكل أسرع من أي كيان آخر‪ .‬وعلى‬ ‫الجانب اآلخر فإن أصحاب دور الطباعة هم أول من يجنون الفائدة عندما ينتعش االقتصاد‪.‬‬ ‫وبشكل مختصر‪ ،‬نستطيع أن نقول أنه خالل العقدين الماضيين‪ ،‬وخاصة مع ظهور تقنيات الطباعة الرقمية‪ ،‬فقد اعتاد‬ ‫أصحاب دور الطباعة على سماع األخبار الغير جيدة‪ ،‬وتعلموا كيف يتقبلون المواقف غير المواتية ويستخدمونها‬ ‫لصالحهم‪ .‬وعلى الرغم من أن الوضع أصبح أ كثر تعقيدًا هذه المرة‪ ،‬إال أنهم ما زالوا يعتمدوا على نفس الحلول‪ .‬وىف إطار‬ ‫هذا السياق‪ ،‬أود أن أذكر ايضا‪ ،‬أنه من خالل مقابلتي مع كالوس بولزا شونمان‪ ،‬الرئيس التنفيذي لشركة كونيج باويير‪،‬‬ ‫قمت باإلستفسار منه عن مجموعة منتجاتهم المختلفة‪ ،‬وكيف يمكن التركيز على العديد من الفروع المختلفة لصناعة‬ ‫الطباعة‪ .‬وقد جاوب عن ذلك قائال “حسنا‪ .‬أنت تعلم أنني مهندس‪ ،‬وبالتاىل فإنه من دواعي سروري التعامل ىف كل هذه‬ ‫المجاالت والتقنيات المختلفة‪ .‬وأنت تعلم يف النهاية‪ ،‬أن المفهوم األساسي لما نقوم به هو تطبيق الحبر على الطبقات‬ ‫واألسطح المختلفة‪ .‬ال يهم إذا كانت ورقة نقدية أو عبوة مرنة أو كرتونة قابلة للطي أو صندوق مموج‪ .‬إنها ليست عملية‬ ‫متماثلة بشكل كامل ولكن العديد من العمليات متشابهة للغاية‪ .‬وبالرغم من أن عملية الطباعة ىف هذة الحاالت ليست‬ ‫متطابقة بشكل كامل ولكنها متشابهة إىل حدا كبير‪ ،‬لذلك إذا قمنا ببناء نظام نقل لخطوات عملية للتغليف فإننا سوف‬ ‫ال نجد اختالفات كثيرة‪ .‬وبشكل أ كثر توضيحا‪ ،‬من ناحية العمليات اإلنتاجية‪ ،‬سوف نجد الكثير من اإلختالفات ولكن من‬ ‫الناحية الهندسية‪ ،‬وبناء اآلالت‪ ،‬والبرمجيات‪ ،‬وجوانب تكنولوجيا القيادة فهي متشابهة جدًا‪ .‬لذلك ‪ ،‬أعتقد أنه من الجيد‬ ‫وجود كل هذه التطبيقات يف صناعة الطباعة‪ .‬ألنه إذا لم يكن أداء إحدى الشرائح جيدًا يف السوق‪ ،‬فيمكن لشريحة أخرى‬ ‫جا جيدًا من المنتجات‪.‬‬ ‫أن تكون ذات أداء جيد وتحل محلها‪ ،‬لذلك فإننا حريصين على طرح مزي ً‬ ‫كما أن وباء كورونا يعتبر درس ً‬ ‫أيضا لدور الطباعة‪ ،‬فسواء كنت تقوم بطباعة صندوق أو كتاب أو بطاقة هوية‪ ،‬فإن الفكرة‬ ‫األساسية لما تفعله هى نفسها‪ .‬لذلك فربما يكون قد حان الوقت لإلتجاة نحو صناعة التغليف والتعبئة أو الطباعة‬ ‫األمنية أو أنواع أخرى تندرج تحت صناعة الطباعة‪ .‬ومن المؤكد أنه لن يتمكن البعض من التكيف مع األوضاع الجديدة‬ ‫وتجاوز األزمة‪ ،‬وكذلك فإنه من سوء الحظ أنهم ليس لديهم خيار آخر سوى الخروج من سوق صناعة الطباعة‪ .‬وبالرغم‬ ‫من ذلك‪ ،‬فإن معظم دور الطباعة تكون قادرة على التنويع يف مجاالت الطباعة المختلفة المربحة‪ .‬والشيء المهم هنا‬ ‫الذى يأىت ىف المقام االول هو العودة إىل أساسيات صناعة الطباعة وكذلك الدافع الرئيسى وراء دخول هذا المجال‪ .‬فإذا‬ ‫كنت مفتونًا ومتحمسا للمفهوم األساسي المتمثل يف وضع الحبر على الورق‪ ،‬فمن المحتمل أن تتغلب على تحديات‬ ‫وباء كورونا‪ .‬وىف النهاية وبالعودة إىل السؤال األصلي؛ هل الفترة الحالية هى األنسب إلنشاء شركة طباعة؟ نعم‪ ،‬إنه تعتبر‬ ‫فترة جيدة ومالئمة‪.‬‬

‫ص‪.‬ب‪ ،502183 .‬مدينة ديب لإلعالم‬ ‫ديب‪ ،‬اإلمارات العربية المتحدة‬ ‫هاتف‪+971 4 391 1210 :‬‬ ‫فاكس‪+971 4 390 9561 :‬‬ ‫البريد اإللكتروين‪info@meprinter.com :‬‬ ‫مدير النشر للمجموعة‬ ‫مرتضى كريميان‬ ‫‪karimian@meprinter.com‬‬ ‫هيئــة التح ــرير‬ ‫المحرر ‪ -‬القسم اإلنجليزي‬ ‫‪editor@meprinter.com‬‬ ‫المحرر التقني – القسم العريب‬ ‫د‪ .‬جورج نوبار سيمونيان‬ ‫‪goujy@dircon.co.uk‬‬ ‫المحرر التقني – القسم اإلنجليزي‬ ‫رود هايز‬ ‫‪rod.hayes@me.com‬‬ ‫المختصون المشاركون يف التحرير‬ ‫فرانك رومانو (الواليات المتحدة)‬ ‫‪fxrppr@rit.edu‬‬ ‫لوريل برونر (المملكة المتحدة)‬ ‫‪lb@digitaldots.org‬‬ ‫د‪ .‬نيكوالس هيلموث‬ ‫‪nhellmuth@flaar.org‬‬ ‫مدير اإلعالنات‬ ‫ريجي ماثيوس‬ ‫‪+971505475110‬‬ ‫‪meprinter@meprinter.com‬‬ ‫اإلعالنات المبوبة واإلشتراكات‬ ‫‪+971 4 391 1210‬‬ ‫‪+971 50 528 9267‬‬ ‫‪info@meprinter.com‬‬ ‫توجه المراسالت إىل العنوان التايل‪:‬‬ ‫مجلة ‪ME Printer‬‬ ‫ص‪.‬ب ‪ ،502183‬مدينة ديب لإلعالم‬ ‫بناية رقم ‪ ،9‬مكتب رقم ‪214‬‬ ‫ديب‪ ،‬اإلمارات العربية المتحدة‬

‫ُطبعت يف مطبعة النسر للنشر‬

‫وزّعت من قبل شركة النسر للنشر‬ ‫جميع حقوق الطبع والنشر محفوظة‬

‫مجلة ‪ ME Printer‬الشريك اإلعالمي الرسمي‬

‫المحتـويــات‬ ‫مقابلة‬ ‫‪38‬‬

‫زيروكس السعودية تقيم شراكات قوية ودائمة مع‬ ‫الشركات ذات التوجه المماثل لتوجهاتها‬

‫قصة نجاح‬ ‫‪35‬‬

‫بوادر أمل للتعاىف االقتصادى‬

‫المقالة الرئيسية‪:‬‬ ‫‪33‬‬

‫عصر الندوات عبر اإلنترنت‬

‫‪32‬‬

‫تقنيات جديدة‬

‫‪31‬‬

‫التطورات اإلقليمية‬

‫‪ME‌Printer January - February 2021‬‬

‫‪1‬‬

ME‌Printer January - February 2021

43

Achieve unimagined savings ME‌Printer January - February 2021

Switch from a traditional, processed plate to the plate that pays.

44

KODAK SONORA Process Free Plates can save you money in ways that may surprise you. Lots of money. Up to €1.000.000 a year for very large printers who switch from wet processed plates to SONORA Plates.

Learn how you can start saving now at kodak.com/go/sonoraprocessfree ©Kodak, 2020. Kodak, Sonora and the Kodak Logo are trademarks of Kodak.