Egypt has entered into a new phase following the election of a new President. The Egyptian printing market is currently in a wait and see situation, as it is observing the emerging results of this new phase. ME Printer Magazine met with Wael Sedky, Head of Graphic Communication Business at Xerox Egypt and talked about the features and prospects of digital printing in light of the developments in Egypt, post-revolution.
“So far the result of Xerox Egypt was good, and is the best when compared to results of 2010. We were able to close many deals and contracts, despite the unfavourable situations in the region. During the first half of 2012, the performance of Xerox Egypt marked an increase of up to 180% when compared to the half-yearly results of 2010. This means that the strategy of Xerox Egypt is on the right track,” observed Wael Sedky.
Recalling the experience during revolution, he said, “Upon receiving the instructions from Xerox Corporation, Xerox Egypt suspended is activities in Egypt for a month, as our company’s first priority was the safety and security of its employees. However, we were able to provide support and maintenance service round the clock to Xerox customers.” He added, “It was also a period when the importance of digital printing surfaced. Post-revolution, there was a significant drop in print demand. Customers required jobs at short run and offset printing couldn’t meet their requirements. Digital printing helped in building up the confidence of the customers and also in Xerox Egypt, especially after they witnessed our ability in providing services amidst difficult circumstances.”
Commenting about the latest buzz in digital printing, he said, “The digital printing situation in Egypt is now quite different from what it was five years ago. Xerox Egypt started its effort from the year 2000 to spread awareness about the potentials of digital printing. We introduced digital printing not as a competition but as a complement to offset printing, especially in the areas where printing is expensive like in cases of personalization and short run print jobs. Xerox has organized many events, conferences and seminars in the hope of educating customers and convincing them to exploit the potential of digital printing in Egypt.”
Sedky observed that their participation at drupa was quite fruitful. “We were able to sell Xerox digital printers like the DC 700 and also DC 1000. We also got opportunity to interact with many clients in Egypt and discuss several issues related to the trends in printing.”
He mentioned that they have strong confidence in the economic capability of Egypt. “Elections created a demand for digital printing, and the election season proved profitable for presses and advertising agencies. We expect that the Egyptian market will take a considerable leap in the field of digital printing in the coming years, taking into advantage the possibilities and the size of the Egyptian market.”
Meanwhile, a U.S. delegation team, which included members from Xerox Corporation visited Egypt recently. The visit was organized by the American Chamber of Commerce and the U.S Egypt Business Council (USEBC). Representatives from Xerox global met up with Prime Minister, Hisham Qandil and a number of his cabinet ministers, party leaders and a group of Egyptian businessmen. They discussed about the investment opportunities in the Egyptian market. The U.S. delegation included the heads of 85 American companies from various economic sectors. Xerox was represented by Stephanie Henning, director of government relations, Xerox Global, Steve Clay, general manager of the company’s branch in Egypt and Ashraf Alarman, general manager, Marketing, Xerox Egypt.
Ashraf Alarman commented, “Since the start of the revolution in Egypt, Xerox had taken several initiatives to show its confidence in the Egyptian economy. We have contributed in increasing the production capacity of the businesses in the region, and will continue with our investment plans in Egypt.” While, Steve Clay said, “Xerox has a deep rooted relationship with Egypt. We always strive to provide the latest technological solutions to companies that work in various sectors. We also help companies by increasing their competitiveness, creating new jobs, by increasing the size of their business, and also by transferring global expertise to the Egyptian market.”
