• Partnership comes in line with Canon Middle East commitment to the region through expansions plans and new strategic partnerships, in a post COVID-19 recovery.

The announcement was made during a virtual signing ceremony attended by the management teams and representatives from both companies, during which expansion plans and professional print, wide format and commercial Inkjet products market trends were discussed. This partnership, which is the ninth for Canon in the Iraqi market and sixth to be announced since 2020, is in line with CME’s plans to continue to invest and strengthen operations across the Middle East region, and efforts to expand Industrial and Professional Printing Solutions in Iraq.  

Anurag Agrawal, Managing Director, Canon Middle East and Canon Turkey said: “With Canon's 80 years of imaging excellence and Al Jazeera's rich heritage and expertise in Iraq’s printing industry, we are very excited about the possibilities that come with this partnership as we continue to expand our business in Iraq market. Our 40 years of presence in Iraq signifies the critical and strategic importance of the market in terms of its scale and overall growth opportunities. This partnership is a testament of our efforts to getting closer to our customers through a strong, specialized partner such as Al Jazeera which has an in-depth knowledge in the printing industry that would certainly guide us in carving out a permanent place in Iraq.”

“As we enter the COVID-19 recovery stage, it is our responsibility to rebuild ties and provide a boost to economies as an industry. Our commitment to revamp our business by adapting to new ways of working are aimed at improving our services and solutions for our customers,” Agrawal said.

Due to the pandemic, digital printing will play a much bigger role than before, and with Canon’s offerings, customers in the country will have extended opportunities to reimagine their print experience. Currently, the market is still highly focused on offset printing and Canon will aim to support the printing industry with know-how and expertise on digital printing with new categories and propositions which aim to support local businesses, and thereby contribute to the economic growth.

Shadi Bakhour, Canon Middle East B2B Business Unit Director commented: “Our partnership with Al Jazeera has created a strong force in the market. Canon will work closely with Al Jazeera Machinery to offer customers around the country a wide portfolio of professional print, wide format and commercial Inkjet products. Al Jazeera’s expertise in Iraq’s printing technology and workflows will prove beneficial in distributing Canon products and solutions which are aimed at reducing cost, improving profitability as well as better reach and growth in business. We continuously review our objectives to ensure that Canon serves it well and achieves sustainable success. We are committed to working towards strengthening our existing distribution network in Iraq to better serve our customers.”

Commenting on the partnership, Jabbar Al Marayati, CEO of Al Jazeera Equipment, said: “We are proud of our partnership with Canon. This is an important step to unify our efforts to better serve the Iraqi market with exceptional services, advanced products, and innovative printing solutions. It is also timely that Iraq’s printing sector has been experiencing a growth in demand and Canon Middle East is keen to explore these opportunities to provide the latest technological innovations that meet the current and future requirements in the country.

 We look forward to guiding our customers on the journey towards modern technology in cooperation with Canon, which is a global leader in providing digital printing products and recognized internationally for its quality and sustainability. These efforts aim to contribute to the growth and development of the Iraqi economy and accelerate the pace of digital transformation, while enabling individuals and businesses in the country to keep pace with the rapid global changes.”

Al Jazeera Machinery is a leading supplier of printing equipment and services in Iraq and has supported the country’s printing industry for years. Al Jazeera has expanded its business to the cities of Baghdad and Erbil to meet the ever-increasing market demand for machinery specifications, raw materials, and technical consultancy. The company’s experience in offset printing, combined with Canon’s expertise, strategically positions both companies to offer consultancy on both digital and offset printing in the country.

Canon is a global provider of imaging Technologies and has established manufacturing facilities across the world. Canon seeks to develop long-term, local partnerships that are built on trust and collaboration to deliver optimal services to customers by offering latest categories and propositions that fit emerging trends of digital printing. Our approach is to provide holistic solutions to business challenges, rather than just delivering products and services.