manroland web systems GmbH Looks Ahead to Drupa 2012

AUGSBURG, GERMANY—Feb. 20, 2012—At Drupa 2012, manroland will present itself as a high-performance partner of the printing industry under the new company name manroland web systems GmbH, featuring highly productive solutions for the industrial web offset production of newspapers, magazines, and advertising material as well as many innovative products from the printnet and printservices divisions. Together with manroland sheetfed systems GmbH, the sheetfed offset division of former manroland AG, the latest developments will be shown in Hall 6.

They comprehend autoprint components, a new operating concept for newspaper and commercial presses, pressupdate and tuning concepts as well as novelties from the printnet and printservices divisions. Last but not least the new newspaper press series COLORMAN e:line and the LITHOMAN S for 96 page heatset production will raise attention. Nevertheless the focus will be the dialog with customers from all over the world. “We are listening to our customers,” says Peter Kuisle. “We want to make sure that each customer gets the press that is most economical for his individual demands.”

Thinking and acting the medium-size way
The takeover of the web press business by L. Possehl & Co. mbH from Lübeck, Germany, as its 10th business division, means a realignment for manroland web systems GmbH. Capacities and company strategy today match the present market demands. Medium-size structures and behavior create new leeway to quickly and targetedly react to customers’ requirements.

“We’ll further strengthen our leading market position in the business for newspaper and commercial web offset presses,” says Peter Kuisle. “Our customers can rely on manroland web systems GmbH as a reliable, powerful business partner. Also they can trust that manroland will continue to bring forward the industrial printing industry with products and innovations.”

Complete portfolio for newspaper and heatset production
“We don’t just build large-format commercial and newspaper printing presses,“ Kuisle explains. “Our customers can profit from a comprehensive performance spectrum of new presses and a holistic consulting, service, and retrofit offer, up to process-relevant consumable components.”

For newspaper printing, the product offering spreads from the single-width high-performance CROMOMAN in single circumference over the proven eight-page press series UNISET and REGIOMAN as well as the double-width 16-page press series GEOMAN and COLORMAN as e:line or in satellite design up to the 24-page COLORMAN, XXL series. For commercial web offset, the 16-page series ROTOMAN in the DirectDrive and HiPrint versions is available, the 24-page ROTOMAN S, the 32- and 48-page EUROMAN, and the LITHOMAN press series in short and long grain format from 32 to 96 pages. Depending on the technical advantage we use sleeve technology or the modern blanket technology with small gap for the commercial press series.

Powerful management team
The manroland web systems GmbH was founded in February 2012. Under the roof of Possehl group it manufactures web offset printing systems for newspaper and magazine printing. Managing Director is Uwe Lüders who also is Chairman of the Board of Possehl group.

Uwe Lüders is being supported by a management team of five. Peter Kuisle, Vice President Sales at manroland for many years, heads the service and sales divisions, complemented by the technical division led by Dieter Betzmeier. Franz Gumpp is responsible for the production and purchasing division. Company development and human resources management are led by Dr. Daniel Raffler. Dirk Rauh is leading the commercial division.

With this new management team the new company features a high level of continuity and experience as well as innovation potential. Around 1,500 employees are working for manroland web systems GmbH in Augsburg and in the markets. Moreover the capacities of the manroland site in Plauen are being used via a long-term delivery contract for components.

Optimistic prospects
Looking ahead, Lüders is optimistic. “We have an excellently skilled staff, a good market position and ultra-modern and highly efficient products. In my talks with many customers I learnt that we are needed as a reliable partner in the future, too.” The new company aims at annual sales of about €300 million continuing the new presses business as well as the service and spare parts business.

“At Drupa 2012, we are going to prove a new our performance and innovation capacity as a powerful business partner,” adds Kuisle, to sum up what the printing industry can expect from the world’s largest web press manufacturer in the Drupa year 2012.

His conclusion: web offset presses from Augsburg continue to provide customized and economical production solutions in commercial web offset as well as in newspaper printing worldwide – now under the roof of the new proprietor L. Possehl & Co. mbH. manroland web systems actively shapes the printing industry with newly developed solutions for more efficiency, productivity, and profitability.

“We offer high performance in every press class: from the 4-page CROMOMAN up to the 24-page COLORMAN, XXL, and from the highly flexible 16-page ROTOMAN up to the high volume production system LITHOMAN for 96 A4 pages per cylinder revolution,“ says Kuisle. Featuring these press series that were completely overhauled during the last four years, manroland offers the most topical and comprehensive product range of all manufacturers. Highly efficient new automation and process integration developments as well as service offers and upgrade solutions will set a course at Drupa.

autoprint: printing press to operate itself
“We bring the autoprint philosophy to a new development level,“ says Kuisle. “The printing press is going to produce fully automatically in the future and operates itself. The printer monitors the production process and controls the quality.” Part of the philosophy is a new operating concept under the headline “One Touch”. This highlight will enthuse visitors from the commercial and newspaper printing industry. Within the networking system printnet next to the One Touch philosophy the automation with autoprint and further new modules for planning, monitoring, and quality management will be introduced.

News for newspaper professionals
“We want to open new, economical leeway to the creativity of newspaper producers today and tomorrow,” says Kuisle. Upgrades such as mini-plow and UV dryer provide the technical preconditions. A retrofittable QuickStart system enhances productivity and reduces waste rates. Sure to become the highlight for newspaper printers, though, is the new COLORMAN e:line with its groundbreaking construction objectives: effective, efficient, easy to operate, energy-saving, and excellent quality. “The most important ‘e’ stands for efficient – for our customers definitely the decisive argument in favor of the new press series.”

Concepts for higher profitability in commercial web offset
In heatset web offset new press concepts such as the ROTOMAN HiPrint and the ROTOMAN DirectDrive provide customers with competitive advantages for their specific markets. The high volume segment gains momentum worldwide through innovative 32-page concepts as well as through the 96-page LITHOMAN S which opens new markets to offset printing featuring 4.32 million A4 pages per hour. By now manroland has delivered three 96-page presses with customers being fond of the performance. Two more presses have been ordered recently. autoprint is an important word in commercial printing, too. Many new manroland developments combine a system under this philosophy that eventually means high-end efficiency reducing waste and increasing the productive time of the press.

printservices – comprehensive services for industrial and individual demands
Versatile services around printing provide the framework for the long-lasting performance of the press. As service partner manroland is a competent, powerful and reliable partner for the printing companies in everyday business as well as in situations requiring fast and targeted activities. This is how manroland web systems creates the basis for printing production in industrial dimensions. “Thanks to the joined management of sales and service and coordinated responsibilities we can react even faster and more individual to customers’ demands in the future,” says Kuisle.

Life prolonging tuning with pressupdate
Tuning is not only a topical trend in the automobile industry. In the printing industry, though, it is not about optical advancements. manroland web systems with its pressupdate program offers a performance range that prolongs the machine life and enhances the profitability of web offset presses. The possibilities include the renewal of single components, upgrades for controlling and sensor technology, general overhaul, reconfiguration and extension of existing presses.

Source: manroland.