Sarah Manufacturing FZE, which produces the Spectrum printing ink product line, was born of the vision and dream of its founders in 1997 to establish a world-class manufacturing facility that is dedicated to serve the needs of the GCC and its neighbours.

It is designed to reflect the latest American and European technology in manufacturing and factory management. "It is driven by quality and hard work and expects to grow further in the new millennium," says Engineer Sam Salimi, managing director.

"The mission of Sarah Manufacturing FZE (SMFZE) is to produce consistently high quality ink and related products supported by a strong service team that continuously meet and surpass customer requirements," he says.

"We concentrate on manufacturing Spectrum printing ink products using locally procured raw materials whenever possible in order to meet the changing needs of the regional printing industry in terms of performance and delivery.

"We are committed to promote the growth of the local economy and work closely with our customers and suppliers to make it happen," he says.

SMFZE has the advantage of having its manufacturing and technical services located in Hamriyah Free Zone of Sharjah and this, combined with the high quality of its products, sets it apart from the competition, he says.

The company has worked closely with the Hamriyah Free Zone (HFZ) Authority to establish SMFZE as the first, world-class high-volume industrial manufacturing facility in the Hamriyah Free Zone. Over Dh7.5 million ($2 million) has been invested in building the factory and bringing in the latest production equipment from Germany and Switzerland. "With the strong support and encouragement of the HFZ Authority and the co-operation of local suppliers, it took only one year from the issue of the industrial license in March 1998 to start production in the newly-constructed factory," says Salimi.

SMFZE believes operations should be close to the consumers. Salimi explains: "Through the locally-based organisation, SMFZE is committed to demonstrating and maintaining excellence in service and support to the newspapers and commercial printers they work with throughout the Gulf. This approach assures appropriate local resources to provide timely delivery and technical service.

He continues: "We see the Middle East as a important player in the growing world market. The level of our commitment to the region is reflected in how we conduct business and this enables us to provide fast, personal service and quality products that give our customers excellent results on their presses.

"Our regional organisation and vast experience in high volume manufacturing allows us to stay on top of our production requirements 24 hours a day, seven days a week.''

With its commitment to ongoing research and development, SMFZE can customise ink formulations to provide products that consistently run best on individual customers' presses. Its chemists take into account everything that impacts on-press performance, plates, fountain solutions, blankets and the customers' pressroom operating procedures.

SMFZE also gives its customers complete engineering support for their ink. Its engineers have degrees in chemical engineering and manufacturing engineering and gained their experience mostly in America and Europe. From plant start-up to volume production, Sarah's engineers run tests on the customers' systems and stay onsite with customers to work with their pressroom people until the customer gets optimum performance, he says.

Sarah's technicians troubleshoot pressroom problems. They make pressroom audits, work with operating people, and coordinate with customers' other suppliers to find answers to running problems.

"Our technical staff is on hand for support when and where customers need it," he adds.