"My main constraint is equipment" says Flory Maletsky, who owns a small printing firm that operates from the City of Windhoek SME incubation centre in capital’s Katutura high-density suburb. "Our reputation for service, quality of workmanship and price, entices customers to place repeat orders", adds Maletsky, who started McRis Printing & Designers three years ago in 2003. The firm currently has equipment that only prints up to size A4 but there is a growing demand for larger sized posters, brochures and marketing flyers.

A common characteristic of entrepreneurs is that they have a tendency to name enterprises after family members and Flory Maletsky is no exception. McRis is the combination of the names of her two children, McElory and Hristo.

McRis Printing & Designers is a small printing firm that employs three permanent staff and a further five casuals on a demand basis when ever they secure large orders. Uniquely the firm prints on paper, fabric and crockery. In addition to printing business cards, letter heads, flyers and lamination of documents the firm also offers a silk screening and heat transfer printing service. Ancillary services offered by McRis include taking of photographs and then printing the image on mugs, plates and garments.

The firm participates in business capacity building programmes offered by SMEs Compete, a firm that supports growth and employment creation in the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector. This has included the facilitation of participation at trade fairs, market and business linkage support and business training. SMEs Compete is a public private partnership initiative supported by Deutscher Entwicklungsdienst (DED) and corporate firms like First National Bank. It also works closely with government economic ministries and business support service organizations like NCCI and JCC in support of enterprise and entrepreneurial development.

Namibia Breweries Limited, a corporate firm listed on the Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) that brews a range of beer and produces soft drinks and other beverages, recently placed an order with McRis for 3,100 T-shirts printed on both the front and rear sides of the garment. Part of the Breweries support for an environmental clean-up programme, McRis initially received an order for only 1,000 garments. Satisfied with the quality and impressed that the firm could meet a tight delivery deadline the corporate firm then returned and trebled the size of its order.

"This happen often" says Maletsky. "First they want to test us to see if such a small firm located in a township and run by a black women can deliver the goods". "Then they return for more" adds the beaming entrepreneur. Asked how she plans to overcome the equipment constraint a smiling Maletsky says, "By working even harder". 

Floris Maletsky with some of the printed shirts. Photo: Contributed