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| MAN Roland Gets Printers Lean |
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| Sunday, 16 July 2006 | |
 CEO Ives Rogivue says adapting to lean manufacturing concepts is a challenge for North America companies. “We equip our customers to manufacture as efficiently as possible,” CEO Yves Rogivue says. “Our mission is to introduce technology that lets our customers optimize their manufacturing of printed products by automating and streamlining.” While its manufacturing base is in Germany, MAN Roland builds close business relationships with customers in North America. “We take the time to know [our North American customers] and their businesses to maximize the impact of the innovations we can provide,” Rogivue states. The company offers full-service consultation and 24/7 technical support for all of its sheet-fed and web press customers through its headquarters and technology center in Chicago, and five other regional offices throughout the United States and Canada. MAN Roland's customers range from major newspaper publishers such as the Gannett Corp. and the Tribune Co., to small and midsized commercial printers. According to the company, packaging printers, book manufacturers and large commercial printers are also increasingly turning to MAN Roland to gain a competitive edge. Embracing Lean Manufacturing Rogivue notes there are three ways print providers can boost their profitability, so they can grow their businesses: “First, they can increase their prices, but that's not viable in today's competitive environment. Second, they can increase their revenue base by offering new products or acquiring new customers. Third, they can decrease their cost of production. Lean manufacturing opens up the second and third opportunities.” The challenge in North America, according to Rogivue, is to move printers beyond the traditional “craft mentality” so they can fully embrace lean manufacturing efficiencies. “Printing can no longer afford to be a handcrafted medium,” Rogivue states. “Printers need to go lean and automate their production streams to compete with the new media that continues to emerge. It's as simple as Business 101: Profits equal revenue minus costs. Automated production can increase revenues by making print pricing more attractive, and it also lowers the cost of production. That's a classic win-win [situation].” Rogivue credits three companies that have used computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) to go lean, citing them as benchmarks for the industry: “Valassis is a leader in the production of advertising inserts; Quad/Graphics is a family owned publication and commercial printer with its own technology division; and VistaPrint is an Internet-based provider that serves small businesses and consumers with a growing menu of printed products that range from business cards to refrigerator magnets. “Printers large and small need to look closer at what these companies are doing,” Rogivue notes. “They maximize their bottom lines by networking and integrating automated islands of manufacturing into a cost-effective lean production environment. It's a proven success strategy that's there for the taking.” In fact, Rogivue says VistaPrint built its entire business model on CIM. “[Its model] equips its customers to order their prints on the Internet, processes the orders digitally and move them directly to a fleet of highly automated MAN Roland presses,” he explains. “This results in fast turnaround and high profit margins, as well as many satisfied customers.” VistaPrint serves a base of more than six million clients, delivering nearly 12,000 unique orders every day. “VistaPrint uses an automated lean manufacturing environment to replace relatively expensive labor with cost-effective technology,” Rogivue adds. “That is revolutionizing the North American printing industry.” According to Rogivue, North American printers can even compete with their counterparts in China just by going lean. |
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