Zonten, a leading Chinese press manufacturer, is setting its sights on East Africa through its distributor network. With a focus on offering affordable, quality printing machinery, the company is aiming to tap into the growing demand for label and packaging equipment in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Through its distributor, S Kumar, Zonten plans to establish a local presence in Kenya by 2026, marking the beginning of a significant expansion in the region.
Manish Hansoti, the Managing Director of S Kumar, emphasized that East Africa presents an untapped market for affordable printing machinery. “This is a virgin market; there’s not much presence of machine suppliers yet,” said Hansoti. He explained that most of the region’s printers are Indian-owned and rely heavily on support from India, but with East Africa’s strategic proximity to India and the Middle East, S Kumar believes it can offer timely and effective service.
S Kumar has a strong track record of installing Zonten presses across Asia, including Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. The company now sees East Africa as one of the few remaining regions with strong growth potential. “We’re looking to set up something new in this region,” Hansoti added, noting the saturation of nearby markets.
Zonten’s product lineup includes a variety of presses ranging from small slitting and converting machines to high-end flexo and offset presses. At Labelexpo Europe 2025, Zonten showcased its ZTR-FL series modular flexo press, designed specifically for price-sensitive markets like Africa. This press can print on various substrates such as paper, film, shrink sleeve, and 300gsm board, running at a speed of 160m/min. Zonten also highlighted the ZTJ Series intermittent offset press, which delivers high-resolution output, precise color control, and minimal waste, ideal for short to mid-run label production.
In addition, Zonten introduced the ZTD-350 hybrid digital-flexo press with Epson printheads, combining digital printing with flexo enhancements for fast job changeovers and variable data printing. The ZMQ Series Multi Converting System, which integrates flexo, hot foil, screen printing, cold foil, and die-cutting capabilities, was also featured, showcasing its versatility in embellishing digital or flexo printed labels.
As part of its East African expansion, S Kumar has already installed several units of Zonten presses, including stack-type flexo presses, embellishment machines, and die-cutters, to complement existing digital printing setups like HP Indigo presses in the region. The company plans to appoint a local marketing and engineering representative in Kenya to ensure seamless customer service and support.
The company’s expansion efforts are particularly focused on the food, healthcare, beverage, lubricant oil, and pharmaceutical markets, which are seeing rapid growth in East Africa. S Kumar’s strategy includes providing scalable technology that can grow alongside the region’s evolving printing capabilities. Initially, customers may opt for more affordable models, but as the market develops, Zonten aims to support the transition to higher-end equipment.
S Kumar’s long-term goal is not only to capitalize on the market opportunity but also to build lasting partnerships with regional converters, fostering a more self-sufficient printing ecosystem in East Africa. “We see strong potential in this region,” Hansoti concluded. “Our goal is to grow together with our customers.”
