Al Mansoorah opens packaging plant at Dubai Investment Park

Sharjah-based commercial printer Al Mansoorah Printing Company LLC (MPC) is extending its operations with a packaging facility in Dubai. Prominent Printing & Publishing Co. LLC, MPC’s new sister company, will offer comprehensive packaging services at Dubai Investment Park II from February 2013, said Anwar Kazani, managing director of MPC.

“Our vision is to become the largest packaging press of the United Arab Emirates and that is the reason we have planned to expand our business as per the market requirements,” he told Packaging MEA.

The new company will operate a state-of-the-art Heidelberg SpeedMaster CD six-colour printing machine with inline UV varnish, a Bobst Novacut automatic die cutting machine, a high speed Bobst VisionFold pasting machine with a quality controller and other related equipment, said MPC Business Development Manager Ali Anwar Kazani.

“We aim to provide something new and unique with our new modern machines, like printing on metallic board and plastic sheets with special applications, and to enter the market of luxury packaging as well to meet the current market demand of our customers,” he said.

“We will be the complete solution provider for packaging requirements from the beginning stage till the end.”

The new facility can produce e-flute boxes and houses a creasing and slotting unit from Taiwan as well as a blade fixing machine from the US, he added. Packaging capabilities will include offset as well as flexible with advanced features such as UV varnish, die cutting, gluing, pasting, gold foiling, blind embossing, hot foil blocking, window patching and blade fixing.

MPC’s move into packaging is prompted by the growing number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) setting up in the UAE and neighbouring countries, he said.

The company started at a 7,000 sq ft facility in Sharjah Industrial Area No.3. In 1995, the purchase of a new Heidelberg 2-colour SORMZ-72 press then helped the family-owned business to expand. In 2000, the firm moved into a 40,000 sq ft lot in Sharjah Industrial Area No.15 and invested in a Komori Lithonia 2-colour B1 format press.

Emirates Bank – now Emirates NBD – approved a first line of credit to construct the building on half of this plot, said Anwar Kazani.

Then, in 2009, MPC bought a digital press from Xerox to meet rising demand for variable and print on demand jobs.

MPC has a well-established distribution network in both national and international markets, said Anwar Kazani.

To fulfil its customers’ requirements in quality and price, the firm imports most of its materials, he added.

“Manufacturing facilities are strictly controlled and conform to quality standards to meet and satisfy customer’s demands,” he said.

“Up-to-date scanners, processors and the latest hardware and software are used to get the required output as desired by our clients. This includes internet-accessible PCs and MAC machines, colour lasers, proofers, various scanners, image setter, films and computer to plate (CTP) etc. We are fully equipped with in- house graphic designers.”