Amman, Sept. 3 (Petra) — His Majesty King Abdullah II’s visit to the
National Press this week marks a milestone in the company’s 100-year
history and is expected to support its efforts to expand exports to
foreign markets, particularly neighboring countries, Director-General
Hani Samman said Thursday.

The King toured the Amman-based printing house Wednesday to mark its
centennial and inaugurated a new packaging printing unit designed to
serve the food, pharmaceutical and other sectors.

Samman told the Jordan News Agency (Petra) that the royal visit
reflects the King’s interest in industrial projects across the
Kingdom and his support for commercial growth. He said the King
expressed readiness to support the company’s efforts to access
foreign markets and boost exports.

“We expect this gracious visit to expand our exports, especially
since His Majesty showed readiness to help us access foreign markets,
which will help us develop our products and expand our investments,”
Samman said.

During the visit, the King was briefed on the National Press’s
development over the past century, including its current production
capacity of nearly 10 million books annually. He also toured the new
expansion facilities.

Established in 1926, the National Press, located on Al-Quds Street in
Amman, has played a leading role in introducing new printing
technologies to Jordan and the wider Middle East. “We are honored to
have put Jordan on the world’s printing map, according to the
testimony of international experts,” Samman said.

The company produces books, magazines and various commercial printing
materials and has recently introduced advanced equipment for
manufacturing packaging products for local and foreign markets.

The new expansion includes a multicolor printing press equipped with
special-effects printing units, a multicolor gilding unit, cutting
and creasing machines, box-making machines, a corrugated cardboard
production machine and equipment for laminating printed paper with
cardboard, in addition to other auxiliary machinery.

Samman said the National Press operates on a 1,300-square-meter site,
with total investment, including land and construction, reaching
approximately JD40 million. He noted that the majority of the
company’s products and sales currently serve the local market, while
its operations provide about 150 jobs.

//Petra// NQ