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