manroland
TRANSCRIPT
Hans Jürgen Lind
Technical Service and Intelligence Manager Sappi Fine Paper Europe
Sapp
Drupa Report : Manroland The good news of drupa 2012 was: manroland is still alive! After very difficult months in the first quarter 2012 the former number two among the big three was massively downsized (from approx. 9.000 employees in 2008 to approx. 2.500 in 2012) and split up into two separate companies: one for web and one for sheetfed solutions. The former manroland web devision, now manroland web systems GmbH, was taken over by the Possehl Group, the British Langley Group picked the sheedfed part now manroland sheetfed GmbH. Both happened in end January 2012 and both saved the former challenger of HDM from bankruptcy. What is needless to say: After an insolvency, split up and headcount adaption of more than minus 70% (vs. 2008 figures) almost nothing is as it was and it proved to be extremely difficult to get the trust of the customers back. Concerning the drupa almost nothing could take place as it was planed before the insolvency. The target in 2011 was to have a joint stand (also together with Ocè), having 3 sheetfed presses for demos, some Océ installations on the web side together with some XXL web print units. What we have seen was a (often not very crowded) web solutions booth separated from the sheet fed with only one and not even the very latest press for demos. The (remaining) people were fighting hard to make the best out of it. Ahead the web solution side who was reporting an order inflow of 70 MEUR on drupa (among this the worlds biggest illustration offset press the dual web 80-page LITHOMAN for Kraft-Schlötels in Wasserberg, Germany). The resume of Peter Kuisle (Head of sales manroland web systems) after the drupa was quite positive. Coming to manroland sheetfed: Their motto on drupa 2012 was “the legend goes on …” and according to Raphael Penuela (Managing Director manroland sheetfed) the main target was to demonstrate that manroland is back. A cooperation with Landa and an integration of some inkjet heads into a Roland 700 HiPrint (shown at drupa on a 8-colour with varnish and InlineFoiler) were the only news manroland could reveal. So far manroland sheetfed continues with its full portfolio. Measured against the changes and the difficulties within the past 6 months it is OK but compared to the competitors HDM and KBA it will become tough for the “legend” to continue. What I was personally missing was a clear concept how manroland sheetfed intends to go ahead. Simply starting a cooperation with Landa and continuing with the full assortment as manroland sheetfed had before the insolvency sounds rather like a “lets wait and see” than a real concept. Looking at the products from a commercial print perspective, the medium format products like the R700 HiPrint, HighSpeed and the R700 DirectDrive will face the stronger competition of HDM and KBA. The volume market of perfecting presses which is traditionally lead by HDM, manroland sheetfed is with the latest development of HDM and KBA even further away from the market as they have been before. Neither in speed nor makeready (R700 HiPrint) manroland is competitive. In addition the perfecting quality of a R700 is due to the comparably old fashioned technology not on the same level as the competition. manrolands advantage in medium format can be seen in the straight printing presses where they offer with DirectDrive proven technology for short make ready and with excellent dampening and ink units very good print quality. The presses are not the fastest, but as they can be equipped with InlineFoiler or/and InlineSorter as well as single or double coating configurations they might be interesting for some packaging printers with dedicated end uses (high quality, low volume). Further weak points can be seen in the small as well as in the large format. The Roland 50 (pico format) is more or less discontinued. The Roland 200 and the Roland 500 are either to expensive (emerging markets) or not modern enough (developed markets). This is a difficult position in a shrinking market which is squeezed between internet printers and digital print.
Hans Jürgen Lind
Technical Service and Intelligence Manager Sappi Fine Paper Europe
Sapp
Not better: The large format. manroland missed the opportunity to follow the competition in terms of production speed and makeready. Now they are facing the problem that their presses offer, compared to KBA or HDM, no options to reduce makeready time significantly. A problem especially in the developed markets where efficiency is of increasing importance and it will effect/has already effected on manrolands position in the consumer packaging area where they have massively lost ground. There latest development in large format, an 8-colour perfecting press is available in Format 8 (130x185cm) only. It works quite well, prints efficient, but with a sales price of 5 MEUR and a long ROI it is a difficult sell considering manrolands situation.