More details of the press maker’s rescue have now come to light, following Possehl’s acquisition of the web offset division based out of Augsburg, and UK-based Langley Holdings’s buyout of the sheetfed manufacturing arm, which operates out of Offenbach.
The respective companies will be branded as Manroland Web Systems and Manroland Sheetfed, with both continuing to carry the same corporate logo.
Along with India, the local arm is one of the only worldwide divisions to come under the wing of the German conglomerate, rather than €500 million-turnover Langley Holdings. Manroland Australasia will act as an agent for Manroland Sheetfed.
Steve Dunwell, managing director of Manroland Australasia, told ProPrint: “We couldn’t have asked for better investors. R&D is assured. Our long-term future is assured.”
He said the alliance with Possehl made sense. “Web is 70% of our business in Australasia. We are a successful web business. All the major players have our technology.”
The company will continue to employ a full-time ‘Tele Support Centre’ representative out of the Sydney office, which Dunwell said was evidence of the “world-class” service and support offered to web customers.
Dunwell said Possehl Group had acquired the local arm because of Manroland Australasia’s impressive scorecard of web offset sales, such as the Lithoman installed at Franklin Web last year and the multimillion-dollar heatset presses on order by PMP and IPMG.
“We have done in excess of $40 million in web this year,” he said, pointing out that this meant the local business comprised around 10% of €300 million-turnover Manroland Web Systems.
Both PMP and IPMG had put down-payments on their Lithomans in the months before Manroland called in the administrators, and these deposits had been caught up in the insolvency process.
While both PMP and IPMG have said they will stick with Manroland technology, Dunwell conceded that “we need to regain their trust”.
In sheetfed, Manroland Australasia will become more focused on its top 20 customers, rather than trying to take market share from its sheetfed competitors.
“We have 20 major sheetfed accounts. Our major opportunities for new business are through those major accounts. We will focus on looking after these accounts,” said Dunwell.
He added that sheetfed packaging printers would remain a core sector.
“If I do four [sheetfed press sales per year], I am more than happy,” said Dunwell.
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