During PrintWeek MENA’s recent visit to Shanghai NAR Industrial Co., Ltd., the team sat down with Jenny Jiang, Sales Director, to gain insights into the company’s global expansion strategies, innovation in printable vinyl and signage materials, and its long-standing commitment to the Middle East and North Africa region. With nearly two decades of presence in the Middle East, NAR has built a strong reputation for adapting to local market needs, driving sustainable product development, and setting benchmarks in customer-centric solutions. In this exclusive conversation, Jenny discusses emerging industry trends, the evolving demands of high-growth markets like the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and how NAR is positioning itself as a trusted partner in the printing and signage industry worldwide.
Question: What trends are shaping customer preferences in the printable vinyl and signage material market today?
Question: How do you see customer needs evolving, particularly in high-growth markets like the UAE and Saudi Arabia?
These areas are located in high heat regions, but their environments are different. Some places have high heat and humidity, while some cities are very dry, so the requirements for products will vary. The demand for quality and brand has increased: With the maturity of consumer concepts, customers in the global car sticker market value product quality and brand more, and are willing to pay higher prices for well-known brands and high-quality products.
Question: How is NAR tailoring its products and strategies for Middle Eastern clients?
NAR has been cultivating in the Middle East market for nearly 20 years, and has a good understanding of local customer usage habits and product requirements, selecting and developing products suitable for the Middle East market. At the same time, for brands, enjoy priority privileges in all aspects.
Product aspect: The material is suitable for the climate, and the product adopts a formula that requires high temperature resistance and UV resistance.
Marketing aspect: Collaborate with brand agents and distributors to reach customers through the B2B model.
Question: What role does NOAF Advertising play in amplifying your presence and partnerships in the MENA region?
Agents familiar with local market channels and user habits can help brands quickly reach their target areas, allowing more potential users to come into contact with the brand, which in turn indirectly enhances brand awareness and exposure.
Brand agency is not only the "local executor" of the brand, but also the "bridge" connecting the brand with the market and partners. Through resource integration and professional operation, indirectly promote the expansion of brand influence and the cooperation network.
Question: What are the measurable sustainability goals NAR has achieved in recent years?
Environmental goal: Use RTO and other equipment to reduce the impact of wastewater and exhaust gas on the environment during the production process. Photovoltaic panel for photovoltaic power generation; Intelligent production scheduling.
Economic Goal: Increase market share and sales, achieve sustainable economic development, set a reasonable year-on-year growth rate for annual sales, or target market brand awareness and other indicators. For example, in the past few years, NAR has achieved a year-on-year increase of 30% in annual sales, firmly occupying the first position in the domestic market.
Social responsibility: measured from the perspective of employment, providing a stable number of job positions, ensuring that employees receive reasonable training time, and reflecting attention to employee development. In addition, the Foundation employs individuals with serious diseases.
Question: How does NAR ensure environmental compliance and responsible sourcing across its supply chain?
Establish supplier admission thresholds. Clearly define the environmental requirements that suppliers need to meet (such as pollutant emission standards, carbon emission standards, etc.), and require suppliers to pass industry standards such as ISO 140001 Environmental Management Quality System Certification, REACH or ROHS.
Hire independent third-party organisations to audit the performance of the supply chain environment, regularly release social responsibility reports, publicly disclose supply chain environmental data, and accept market supervision.
Establish a dedicated team internally to coordinate standard setting, supplier audits, problem rectification, and ensure accountability is assigned to individuals. At the same time, strengthen the training of procurement personnel on environmental standards, so that they can prioritise selecting suppliers that meet environmental requirements in negotiations.
Question: Are there plans to introduce recyclable, biodegradable, or carbon-neutral materials in the near future?
Through the unremitting efforts of the company's technical team, environmentally friendly products such as PP VINYL and PET OWV have been launched in the market and have passed various international environmental certifications. At the same time, we are constantly strengthening the research and development of such products and improving the entire product line.
Question: How does NAR differentiate itself in a highly competitive global market, and what key messaging or campaigns have proven most effective in building brand loyalty among professional print buyers?
1）Establishing Professional Cognition and Trust
Question: How important is the Middle East & North Africa region in your global expansion plans?
As a market that NAR has been cultivating for 20 years, the Middle East has a very clear brand effect and product positioning. As one of the global economic hubs, the Middle East plays a crucial strategic role in Nal's future globalisation layout.
Question: What unique challenges and opportunities do you see in the MENA print industry?
The main issue in the Middle East is still climate, which poses certain challenges for some special high-end weather-resistant products. Our R&D team is constantly upgrading and iterating
Question: How does customer feedback from global markets influence your product design and improvement?
1）Customers in different regional markets may have differences in culture, usage scenarios, and legal and regulatory requirements, and feedback may directly address the issue of product compatibility
2）At the performance and construction levels, we will promote the company to collaborate with local agent teams to develop product application manuals, including video tutorials, to lower the threshold for use.
3）Accelerate the pace of product iteration and reduce market risks. Initiate quick response for high-frequency issues (such as adhesive properties) and prioritise solving them in the next generation of products to avoid problem escalation. For niche but promising needs, small-scale trial production verification is conducted before deciding whether to include them in the mainstream product line, balancing innovation and risk.
4）Strengthen customer engagement and enhance brand recognition. Regularly conduct a 'customer satisfaction survey' to promptly obtain the most genuine needs of customers and improve them.
_Questions answered by Jenny Jiang, Sales Director, Shanghai NAR International Industrial Co. Ltd._…
During PrintWeek MENA's recent visit to Shanghai NAR Industrial Co., Ltd., the team sat down with J…
With over 23 years of dedication to innovation and customer-focused solutions, Shanghai NAR Industr…