Typotech Kenya’s CEO Alfred Kandara on Transforming Printing and Packaging in East Africa
Typotech Imaging Systems, formerly known as Imaging Solutions, has repositioned itself as a complete printing and packaging solutions provider in East Africa. Under the leadership of CEO Alfred Kandara, the company has expanded beyond its original focus on pre-press solutions to offer end-to-end services including pre-press, press, and finishing equipment, along with workflow software, consumables, and training.
Now serving key sectors such as newspaper printing, commercial printing, book printing, and most importantly, packaging printing (including paper, board, metal, and textile packaging), Typotech aims to become the first point of contact for high-end printing and packaging solutions in Eastern Africa. The company is particularly targeting the fast-growing packaging industry in Kenya, Uganda, and Ethiopia, and plans to expand across the East African Community and later into Central and West Africa.
Kandara highlights that the commercial printing industry in Africa is slowing, while packaging printing solutions — including metal packaging, corrugated packaging, and textile printing — continue to see sustained growth. This shift is driven by increased demand for labeling and product packaging across sectors, from home-based manufacturers to multinational FMCG brands.
Typotech also places a strong emphasis on sustainability in printing and packaging, ensuring all imported printing consumables meet environmental standards, especially for food-grade packaging. They supply eco-friendly inks, non-toxic print chemicals, and sustainable substrates tailored to local market regulations.
With ambitions to dominate the East African packaging market, Typotech partners with globally recognized equipment manufacturers to deliver state-of-the-art solutions. From computer-to-plate systems, digital workflow automation, to press and finishing machinery, the company supports the region’s shift toward modern, scalable, and sustainable packaging solutions.
Since the rebranding from Imaging Solutions, what’s the current status of the company and how has it evolved?
Just as I mentioned earlier, we rebranded in 2022. We are now TypoTech Imaging Systems Limited. This change reflects a broader vision beyond imaging solutions. Previously, we were primarily known as a pre-press solutions provider, with a strong focus on that segment of the printing industry.
However, the industry has evolved, and so have we. Pre-press is just one part of the entire print process. There’s also the press and finishing stages, and now, packaging plays a major role. Many large converters don’t even handle pre-press in-house, but they dominate in terms of production scale.
With this rebrand, our goal is to be recognised as a complete solutions provider in the printing.
What is the current scope of your products and services?
We now offer a complete range of equipment, workflow solutions, and consumables used across the printing and packaging industry.
Starting with pre-press, we provide computer-to-plate equipment, workflow and design solutions, hardware, and training services.
From there, we move to the press, which is the core of production. Here, we supply inks, various types of paper, and substrates such as metal, used mainly in metal packaging. This also includes specialised blankets, inks, and press chemicals suited for different applications. Then comes finishing, where we offer a wide range of finishing equipment and consumables tailored to client needs.
We now serve all key sectors of the industry: Newspaper printing, packaging printing (paper, board, and metal), commercial printing, and book printing (with solutions tailored to the type of books produced)
Our direction is clear, we aim to be a comprehensive solutions provider across all three stages: pre-press, press, and finishing, for every segment of the printing and packaging industry.
Who are your current target customers, now that you have expanded your products and services?
Now, where we are focusing is on the growth areas within the industry. The traditional commercial printing industry is declining rapidly, mainly due to the rise of online content and digital printing. So, conventional printing is not growing as fast as it used to.
However, one area that is growing and at an amazing pace is the packaging industry. When I talk about packaging, I mean it in a broad sense. This includes: Paper packaging and the labels that go with it, metal and corrugated packaging, even textile printing, for instance, the shirts we wear. Someone printed those patterns, so in a way, even humans are packed.
The packaging industry is a segment that will never be replaced by anything digital.
I do not see a future with e-food or e-drinks. Products will still need to be physically packed, whether in plastic, metal, or cartons.
Everything we consume, toothpaste, soap, beverages has to be manufactured and packed.
You will not walk into a supermarket and buy unpackaged or unlabelled items. So packaging is here to stay, and the demand will only grow.
Even at the smallest scale like a home-based manufacturer, you need to package your product before taking it to the market.
The value addition in packaging is immense, and that’s why our focus is strongly on the packaging segment.
It’s a market that can only grow, never decline.
You have markets in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Uganda. Are there plans to expand further? Is the packaging segment part of that expansion?
Our initial focus was on the commercial printing sector. We are following the same path many major commercial printers have taken. All major commercial printers have incorporated packaging divisions into their operations because that is the only area currently experiencing growth. We want to be part of that transformation. Almost every printing house now has a packaging division, not just the commercial ones. We aim to have a significant stake in that segment, which is the fastest-growing in the industry.
Which other regions are you looking to explore for expansion?
We have a presence in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Ethiopia. Our first focus is the East African Community. It is a large region that now includes countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, and Somalia. We do not yet have a presence in those markets, so the goal is to expand across the entire East African Community. Once we reach a comfortable level there, we plan to move into other regions, first into Central and Southern Africa, and eventually West Africa, which is a significant and strategic geography.
Is sustainability a consideration in your packaging operations?
Yes, sustainability is key. The specialised raw materials and consumables we use must meet sustainability standards. For example, when printing packaging materials for food products, the inks used must be non-toxic; there are inks that can be ingested without causing harm. All materials must meet industry standards, including environmental requirements. We follow a strict checklist for all imported consumables to ensure they comply with local industry regulations. Sustainability is an essential factor in our operations.
What is your vision in the next 2-3years?
Our target is to be the first point of contact for printing and packaging solutions in Eastern Africa. Over the next two years, our focus is to establish a strong presence across the region so that anyone looking to invest in high-end printing and packaging setups will think of us first.
We aim to ensure that our partners, both equipment and consumable manufacturers, are globally recognised players. As we engage key players in production, we are also working closely with leading manufacturers of equipment, workflow solutions, and consumables. That is our priority.
Within the next two years, if you are in Eastern Africa and thinking about printing and packaging, you should be thinking about Typotech. If you have not spoken to us, then you have not yet explored print and packaging fully.