MAN makes more with less

Mixed results for press giant MAN Roland in first year of operation as a standalone company.

MAN Roland Chairman, Gerd Finkbeiner, (pictured) used the launch of the company's drupa campaign in Augsburg, Germany, last week to reveal preliminary results for the recently completed 2007 financial year.

In front of a media audience of 80 journalists from around the world, Finkbeiner disclosed that while overall earnings had risen by six percent over the course of the year, this was achieved on the back of a six percent slump in sales across both the sheetfed and web press divisions.

Finkbeiner blamed the mixed results on weakness in certain regional markets and highlighted the potentially damaging effect that the on-going sub-prime mortgage crisis in the US could have on the readiness of financial institutions to invest in the industry.

While the mid-term forecast is for stable demand in the sheet and webfed markets, Finkbeiner also warned that investment in certain markets such as newspapers had peaked and consolidated.

"Certainly it is correct to say that we are not in a growth industry," he commented.

In the lead-up to drupa, MAN Roland outlined its strategies for both the sheetfed and web markets with a focus on larger presses, bigger formats and increased automation such as automatic plate loading for web presses.

While there were no unexpected announcements at the media briefing with few new products being introduced, Dr Markus Rall, board member for the sheetfed division, did promise a genuine "surprise" at drupa that would be guaranteed to make headlines at this year's show.