Kodak grows in Morocco’s packaging market

Direct Print has invested in North Africa’s first Kodak Flexcel NX system to serve regional markets in labels and flexible packaging.

Direct Print has “basically started as an offset printer” but the Casablanca-based firm is also a pioneer in adopting new technologies, which Kodak hopes will help open an untapped region for its digital flexo technologies.

Younes Benchekroun, managing director at Direct Print, said the company’s reputation in offset is based on providing “very high quality print service” to its customers.

“Therefore we are well known here in Africa,” he told Packaging MEA.

But the company has consistently sought out new niches to secure its margins and diversify its customers’ services.

“Over the time we have always looked at how we can differentiate our service to the customers and avoid the strong price war in the commercial printing market,” he said.

“A few years ago we invested in digital printing – print on demand – while now it’s time to look into more niche and lucrative segments.”

In its view, the market that now offers the most attractive combination of demand and growth is flexo printing.

“So we have decided to offer a wider range of product and services to print buyers in Morocco,” he said.

“Besides the prepress and imaging solution from Kodak, we have also invested in press and converting machinery from key European suppliers such as Gidue. Our main target with these investments is to respond to the flexible packaging and labels market in Morocco and North Africa at large.”

In choosing Kodak for our prepress, Direct Print was looking “at the top quality of plates and highest efficiency on press as against the competition”, he said.

Imaging for offset and flexo

But the choice of a Kodak Flexcel NX Mid system offers a further advantage in versatility, he added.

“The beauty of this product is we are using this imaging system to image our thermal offset plates as well as Flexcel NX plates,” said Anas Chraibi, the second partner within Direct Print.

“This is a great advantage for us. Since we are originally coming from the offset world, allowing investing in a system that would enable us to image offset as well in flexo plate is a very strong key differentiator. So we have this CTP that can basically serve both technologies: offset and flexo.”

Entering new flexo markets was facilitated by Direct Print’s established reputation in offset, he added.

“As an offset printer, we have a strong reputation with regard to quality of both print and service. We don’t have sales people to go out and look for customers. Customers come to us,” he said.

“So once we installed the Flexcel NX system and started offering flexo print service, the print buyers got to know about our new service and have come for business. Certain printers have heard that Direct Print has gone for a Flexcel NX system and they visited us.”

Direct Print also marketed its new line through showing potential customers high-quality samples that reflect “the full potential of the Kodak Flexcel NX system”, he said.

“This way we underline the advantages of the technology that is used in order for the customers to understand what they can achieve if they printed with us,” he said.

Opening regional markets

For Kodak too the installation opens up new markets beyond Morocco, said Katja Poetzsch, category business manager at Kodak SA/NV.

“In terms of the region, everybody is looking at Direct Print and we have been approached by printers and trade shops in Morocco who were referencing back to Direct Print,” she said.

“So, for us, entering the Moroccan market is now a little bit easier than it was before. Having a customer in Morocco is also a great reference for the other French-speaking countries in North Africa.”

Poetzsch added that Direct Print is “a challenging and demanding customer”, which further enhances the value of the collaboration.

“Knowing that they are getting the quality that they want and are happy is fantastic for us because we want a long-term relationship with the customer,” she said.

In her view, Morocco is now ripe for new technologies as its packaging market is “strongly developing”, while its commercial market is “highly competitive”.

“At the moment, a lot of packaging is actually printed in Europe, but now there is a trend of bringing the business into the Moroccan market,” she said.

“There is also a lot of printing happening for the Moroccan market in Saudi Arabia. This packaging growth in Morocco is more for flexible packaging, which is good news for us.”

Moroccan printers ready to shift segment for these new opportunities can confidently follow the path blazed by Direct Print, said Anas Chraibi.

“When we saw the samples, we asked for that quality and, as we were assured of this quality, we were willing to purchase the Flexcel NX system,” he said.

“Another reason is the service of Kodak and Amigraph, Kodak’s sales and service partner in Morocco, which is not the same as other competitors… They have guided as true partners us by the hand advising us what is best for our business as we were totally new for this segment of packaging and printing.”