Goodbye to MAN Roland

[Cornishpastythighs]

Are we now going to lose MAN ROLAND as a press manufacturer?

 

[gordo]

Are we now going to lose MAN ROLAND as a press manufacturer?

That seems to be the case. I imagine that their service facilities would spin off into a new business, but as far as press production is concerned it does not look good. Pity.

gordo

 

[Cornishpastythighs]

I must admit that when we were looking to buy a new press we looked at the big 4 Heidelberg,KBA,Komori and Man Roland and although both the KBA and Roland were at the top of the list we bought a more cost effective/best value for the money Komori

 

[Deleted member 16349]

In the future, it is probably going to be shown that the press manufacturers of the 20th century consisted of some of the dumbest engineers on the planet. Providers of beautiful mechanical systems who had no idea or interest in how to make them a lot better. If a company is not working at making their own technology obsolete, then they eventually will not last.

The internet and the financial crunch has just sped up the process of failure that was well under way even though it was not observable to most. By not innovating enough, they allowed the digital printing technologies to get a foothold.

It is sad that so many people will be affected at manroland but their management had choices that might have helped them but they like many other press manufacturers were not interested to think differently.

True innovation is the only way to continually succeed. Maybe a smaller manroland, if they can survive in some form, will start to think differently. I don't expect that to happen though. It is sad.

 

[Xlb]

Man roland

Man roland

Perfect ! Give the management bonuses and it is business usual.

 

[Deleted member 16349]

In the future, it is probably going to be shown that the press manufacturers of the 20th century consisted of some of the dumbest engineers on the planet. Providers of beautiful mechanical systems who had no idea or interest in how to make them a lot better. If a company is not working at making their own technology obsolete, then they eventually will not last.

The internet and the financial crunch has just sped up the process of failure that was well under way even though it was not observable to most. By not innovating enough, they allowed the digital printing technologies to get a foothold.

It is sad that so many people will be affected at manroland but their management had choices that might have helped them but they like many other press manufacturers were not interested to think differently.

True innovation is the only way to continually succeed. Maybe a smaller manroland, if they can survive in some form, will start to think differently. I don't expect that to happen though. It is sad.

It seems that Heidelberg stock price got a little spike today, probably from the manroland news.

 

[printerpete]

i cant see that man will stop manufacturing presses, it just wouldnt happen, someone will stp in at the last minute and take it over

 

[Alois Senefelder]

A little History

A little History

Hello fellow Lithographers,

B]]Maschinenfabrik - Augsburg - Nurnberg A.G.[/B]

Sad news that MAN Roland is in insolvency. Hopefully 150 years of M. A.N history will survive, another famous name in printing press manufacture is involoved that of
Faber & Schleicher the Roland name.
I'm sad that Mr. Erik Nikkanen denigrates the efforts of these pioneers, who provided the means of a famous army -- which army?

"Twenty Six Soldiers of Lead that Conquered the World"

One more fact: the Augsburg factory of M. A. N. built Rudolph Diesel's first engine

PDFs - German Printing Press History

Regards, Alois

 

[Green Printer]

Another one bites the dust. Some blame engineering other's management some the economy. AT this time in history it is the perfect storm and if any of the 2 before mentioned happened the third usually follows and before long the whole thing collapses. In the last 35 years,Adast, Meihle, Harris, Miller, Didde, Hamilton, Planeta, Hashimoto, Oris, Vickers, Crabtree, George Mann, ATF, Solna Sheetfed, Webendorfer, Davidson, Multi Graphics, consolidated, Nebiolo, PIvano, Auerilia, Baker Perkins, Shinohara, Hamada, Color King, along with many others have all gone by the wayside. I am surprised that the Mann group kept the Roland works going as long as it did.

 

[Cornishpastythighs]

On a lighter note , if you have ever run a Nebiolo or a Crabtree!! well I'll say no more

 

[Alois Senefelder]

Crabtree !

Crabtree !

Hello Cornish,

YES I did - in the late 1950s !!!!


Crabtree Ensign press

Regards, Alois

PDFs for you

 

[Cornishpastythighs]

Alois, Lets bring back all the old long lost presses, Wharfedale, Vertical Miehle, Thompson I was fortunate to have run them all back in the day. Wouldnt even be able to hook them up today as none of them would pass any safety inspection.

 

[Slammer]

I have close ties to Augsburg and some of my friends have worked all their lives at MAN.
I know that two have gotten their notice and as they are over 50 it looks very bad for them in the future.
So much for merry christmas.

 

[Greg Imhoff]

On a lighter note , if you have ever run a Nebiolo or a Crabtree!! well I'll say no more

Actually I had customers who ran each product mentioned. One located in So CA during the 80's had on thier own purchased a full size Nebiolo web that proved to be a disaster ("never ran right") and put them oob.
I recently helped a Metal Decorator update their Crab-tree Vickers by retrofitting new automated ink keys, consoles, software and Closed Loop controls. I must say this printer is a good businessman and the presses at age 30+ printed well, only now better, more efficiently and are in great shape. This shop is impressive.

Sincerely,

Greg Imhoff
President GRIPdigital
(708) 557 - 2021 cell
Skype: gregimhoff
http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=23629550&trk=tab_pro
G7 Expert and Print Properties Committee Member

 

[Cornishpastythighs]

I rest my case on the Nebiolo. We had an old British Crabtree and sold it to a company in Boston Mass, We couldnt resist writing in big letters on all the blanket packings prior to shipping.
'This is payback for the Boston Tea Party'

 

[Ret Heidelberg Instructor]

Ret Heidelberg Instructor

Ret Heidelberg Instructor

Has anyone heard of a press called a Marinoni? I did run an Italian Harris Aureila 2 col press made by OMSCA. Even the Operator's manual was in Italian.

 

[JBSeymour]

Big shame if MAN Roland go. IMHO their SF presses are the Rolls Royce of presses and they had many firsts -double sized cylinders + transverters when I was still struggling with marking on single-sized cylinders on an MO and SM when printing 200g. Heidelberg made the XL to compete with the 700/500. Roland were the first to have suction feeder. Push button perfecting- I like their perfector design (ok pinched from MAN Miller), but very space saving with no rotten pincer bar. I was very impressed with Direct Drive (although didn't Mitsubishi pip them to this?). Rolands just felt more industial, like driving a mercedes G wagen as opposed to a ford kuga.

 

[bikozak]

Not the end...

Not the end...

There's more to this that meets the eye. Manroland is obviously in a pickle, but insolvency does not mean they are being liquidated to pay creditors. German laws protect workers in ways different to North America. Manroland cannot just automatically start dismissing employees and laying them off. Applying for insolvency however can give them that option. Once they prove they are going to meet their demise within the current parameters, the insolvency negotiator has leverage to let manroland get insolvency "status" and do what they could not have done previously. This in turn will give them more leverage when they negotiate with creditors. It may be a long shot, but they are certainly not closing the doors at this point.
Manroland: Insolvency vs Bankruptcy

 

[Greg Imhoff]

Not mentioned in the above list of press casualties: EBCO sheetfed press made in Groton CT by the Electric Boat Company - the very same entity that builds US Submarines. I think the version I saw at a client was circa 1940's.

 

[Greg Imhoff]

I rest my case on the Nebiolo. We had an old British Crabtree and sold it to a company in Boston Mass, We couldnt resist writing in big letters on all the blanket packings prior to shipping.
'This is payback for the Boston Tea Party'

The Tea Party thing may not then happened, if King George had not been so taxing.

Do you recall if it was an general offset or Metal Decorator printer that bought your old Crabtree? I must say the CT-V works well in Metal Deco (flat sheet) printing thick sheets of Aluminum and or Steel, albeit at lower SPH operating speeds than commercial printing needs...