RAK

What RAK does

RAK Paper & Board SAL is a Lebanese privately-held trader and distributor of paper and board products, founded in 1963 and headquartered in Fanar, Jdeidet el Metn. The company imports, stocks, and sells across roughly 15 paper grades (woodfree, coated mechanical, coated woodfree, mechanical, pelure, bond, Bristol, carbonless, self-adhesive, copier, newsprint, coated label, brown kraft, bleached kraft) and 5 cardboard grades (duplex grey back, triplex white back, triplex manilla back, folding boxboard, solid bleached board). Beyond pure distribution, RAK operates value-added transformation services — most notably a high-tech sheeting machine and a 2023-installed slitter rewinder that cut paper to custom dimensions — as well as a 15,000 m2 warehousing network across Fanar and Dekwane and an in-house delivery fleet operating six days a week. The company also holds an agency for Koenig & Bauer (KBA) offset and sheetfed printing machines, extending its offering into printing equipment trading.

RAK serves a horizontally diversified customer base across printing presses, publishing houses, newspapers, packaging specialists, and small to large paper merchants, in Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Africa. Its go-to-market is sales-led, with a dedicated salesforce handling relationships for SMB merchants up to enterprise printers and packaging buyers; the company also runs periodic co-marketing events with upstream mills (notably a May 2023 Navigator Company event). Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, and revenue is generated predominantly through one-time product sales supplemented by transformation, warehousing, and delivery service fees. RAK holds FSC chain-of-custody certification since 2012 and operates a 76 MWh/year photovoltaic station installed in 2018 in partnership with Yelloblue. As of 2017, the company reported approximately $30 million in annual sales, 60 employees, and an estimated 20% share of the Lebanese paper and board market; more recent revenue data is not disclosed and post-2019 figures are influenced by Lebanon's macroeconomic crisis.

Name

RAK

Legal name

RAK Paper & Board SAL

Website

https://rak-paperboard.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

RAK Paper & Board SAL is a Lebanon-based importer and distributor of paper and cardboard products, serving printers, publishers, packaging firms, and paper merchants across Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Africa, with in-house cutting, warehousing, and delivery services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Paper and Board Distribution

SIC

Wholesale-Paper & Paper Products (5110), Converted Paper & Paperboard Prods (No Contaners/Boxes) (2670)

akta.pro primary industry

Paper & Printing Grades Distribution (Printing/Writing, Newsprint, Specialty) (IMAMAIAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Paper & Paperboard Packaging Converting & Finishing (Die-Cutting, Gluing, Windowing, Coating) (IMALACAL)

Keywords

• Paper distribution
• Cardboard products
• Paper transformation services
• Packaging materials supply
• Printing supplies distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Beirut

HQ country

Lebanon

HQ region

Middle East

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Paper Sales: Trading and distribution of various paper types including woodfree paper, coated mechanical, bond, Bristol, carbonless, self-adhesive, copier paper, newsprint, and kraft papers.
2. Cardboard Sales: Trading and distribution of cardboard products including duplex grey back, triplex white back, triplex manilla back, folding boxboard, and solid bleached board.
3. Paper Transformation Services: Value-added cutting and sheeting services allowing customers to receive paper in required dimensions. Features high-tech sheeting machine and slitter rewinder.
4. Warehousing Services: Storage services for clients who purchase ahead of time and lack storage space. Merchandise is stored and delivered upon request.
5. Delivery Services: In-house truck fleet delivering products from warehouses to customers' door. Drivers work 6 days a week to ensure on-time delivery.
6. Printing Machines Trading: Expansion into trading of printing machines, obtained agency for Koeing & Bauer KBA offset and sheetfed solutions in 2018.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

RAK Paper & Board SAL is a Lebanese trading and distribution company that imports and distributes a comprehensive range of paper (woodfree, coated, mechanical, carbonless, self-adhesive, copier, newsprint, kraft) and cardboard products (duplex, triplex, folding boxboard, solid bleached board), serving printing presses, publishers, packaging companies, and paper merchants across Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Africa. The company adds value through paper transformation (cutting, sheeting, slitting), warehousing, and direct delivery via its own truck fleet.

Product overview

RAK (Raphael, Azouri & Khederian) is a Lebanese paper and board trading company founded in 1963, operating as a single unified product line focused on paper and cardboard distribution. The company offers two core product categories: Paper (including Woodfree Paper, 2/S Coated Mechanical, 2/S Coated Woodfree in glossy and matt finishes, Mechanical Paper, Pelure, Bond, Bristol, Eurocalco Carbonless Paper, Adestor Self-Adhesive Paper, Copier Paper, Newsprint, Creaset Coated Label, MG Brown Kraft, and MG Bleached Kraft) and Cardboard (including Duplex Grey Back, Triplex White Back, Triplex Manilla Back, Folding Boxboard, and Solid Bleached Board). These products are complemented by three service modules: Paper Transformation (custom cutting and sheeting with high-tech equipment including sheeter and slitter rewinder machines), Delivery (in-house fleet with on-time delivery), and Warehousing (storage capacity of 15,000 m² across Fanar and Dekwane locations). The company primarily serves the publishing, printing, and packaging industries across Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Africa.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Sales increased 5 times over 20 years
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Navigator CompanycoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 10 May 2023Collaborative event at Arthaus on May 10, 2023 to showcase Navigator's Target and Gkraft brands to Lebanese customers. Event was successful in providing customers opportunity to learn about products and engage with representatives.
• Koeing & Bauer (KBA)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2018RAK obtained the agency for KBA offset and sheetfed solutions in 2018, expanding into trading of printing machines as a new line of business.
• YelloblueminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017RAK signed contract with Yelloblue in 2017 to install a photovoltaic station producing approximately 76 MWh per year. Project operational since March 2018, demonstrating RAK's commitment to environmental sustainability and going green.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/rakpaperboard

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about RAK