Rumours of the Alliance’s decline, though greatly exaggerated, have been perpetuated by its silence on the impact of Manroland’s unfortunate situation, both in the context of PrintCity’s own future and the more pressing matter of the upcoming Drupa 2012 trade show. With Manroland’s future in the balance, it looked at one stage as though the largest exhibitor in Hall 6 – otherwise known as the PrintCity Hall – might not be in attendance. That was until last week, when the organisation finally shed light on the matter.

Firstly, and most importantly from PrintCity’s perspective, Manroland – or ‘Manrolands’, since the web and sheetfed divisions are under different ownership – will exhibit at Drupa. How much this is a marriage of convenience, built on pre-paid exhibition space and a shortage of time, remains to be seen.

While the Manrolands’ partnership may not last beyond Drupa, Océ’s union with one – or both – of the litho manufacturers should do.

Manroland Web Systems Vice President of sales, service and marketing Peter Kuisle confirmed at last week’s PrintCity pre-Drupa briefing that the digital and litho manufacturers will hold a showcase of their joint offering in Düsseldorf this May.

Manroland’s developments
Manroland Web Systems will also show developments in its Autoprint one-touch automation system, along with new operating systems for its presses. But details from the sheetfed business are sketchier, as Manroland Web Systems was the only one of the two to attend the PrintCity event.

Nevertheless, Manroland Sheetfed Systems’ new owner Tony Langley has indicated that the company is likely to demonstrate some presses at Drupa, saying he would be "very surprised" if the manufacturer had no machines at the trade show. If industry speculation is accurate, those machines will be B1 or larger, as it is thought likely that Manroland Sheetfed Systems will either exit or hugely cut the amount of resources it commits to selling new B2 presses.

Another interesting by-product of the consolidation since the last Drupa is that Océ will not exhibit in PrintCity’s Hall 6, instead sharing new parent Canon’s exhibition space in Hall 8. One has to think that, with all Manroland’s problems, PrintCity could have done without losing its biggest digital draw to another hall, although it will have known about this problem for some time.

Despite its distance, Océ is part of PrintCity; it attended last week’s press preview of an addition to its ColorStream range. The 3700 will be shown with a full book-finishing set-up from Manroland. Océ says the 3700 will drive the "industrialisation of digital print" (see page 12).

Océ hopes presses such as the 3700 will enable it to grow its share of the book printing market in particular. "Mass-market book printing – and not just single book production – is one market we are focusing on now where we can cover a range of books," says marketing director for continuous feed printers Roland Stasiczek. "Other markets include newspaper and commercial printing and our traditional markets, which include transactional and direct mail."

Back in Hall 6, visitors will witness paper manufacturer UPM’s bid to expand its range of products and services with the launch of a new workflow solution, which it has developed in conjunction with Dalim Software and GMG. The new cloud-based PDF workflow and colour management service, called UPM ColorCTRL, is the product of three years’ work and aims to help users cut costs and waste (see page 4).

Meanwhile, visitors who want a break from machines or software can find visual relief at printing blanket manufacturer Trelleborg’s ‘Institute of Contemporary Print’ art gallery. Produced with students from Germany and the Netherlands, the artworks are modern takes on classics, with which Trelleborg hopes to show the "versatility" of its printing blankets on any substrate.

The firm plans to launch a Vulcan Synthesis Evo sleeve for the heatset sector and a Rollin MyCoat strippable coating blanket for the packaging sector. It will also hold a ‘reverse auction’ – visitors will give their lowest bids for a chance to win an artwork.

Trelleborg printing blankets managing director Thomas Linkenheil says: "We want to ensure printers connect us with the Vulcan and Rollin blankets, and see that Trelleborg  has a €3bn turnover, making big investments in print."

Boosting profile
Trelleborg’s desire to boost its profile coincides with Manroland’s break-up, which has led the consumables manufacturer to set up its own distribution channels in another example of old PrintCity partnerships coming under stress. Furthermore, Sun Chemical doesn’t have its own stand at Drupa this time around.

There is a growing sense that Drupa 2012 could prove decisive for the Alliance. This time four years ago, Océ and Manroland were two of the key draws in Hall 6. For Drupa 2012, both are still PrintCity members, but Océ is in Hall 8 and Manroland will show its web and sheetfed systems on a joint stand, likely for the last time.

While new partnerships have been forged, some old ones have been broken. PrintCity has proved a great survivor and it would be premature to say the recent strains on its member partnerships could prove terminal. Whatever form PrintCity arrives at Düsseldorf come 2016, it will not be the same as 2012 – all the more reason, then, to take in all that Hall 6 and PrintCity have to offer this May.

READER REACTION

David Stamp
Director of marketing and communications,
PrintCity
"PrintCity is an alliance of companies that have worked together for 14 years. With the current economic climate, people want companies to work effectively together. PrintCity is pretty much unique in having such a wide range of firms that work together all year round, so its members have a competitive edge in talking to customers about their future needs. PrintCity members benefit from sharing knowledge and competencies with a range of people who have varied skills."

Thomas Ehrnrooth
Vice-president of marketing and communications,
UPM Paper Business Group
"UPM believes in co-operation throughout the value chain. Especially when the print media is challenged, it's important to work together with the whole graphic industry. In addition to PrintCity Alliance, UPM is also an active member of PrintPower and Two Sides initiatives. Through co-operation we find new, innovative solutions, which would be difficult or even impossible to create alone. Together we are stronger in spreading the word of the dynamic future of print."

John Charnock
Director, Print Research International
"PrintCity’s principal draw for manufacturers is that it coordinates marketing and integration spend for complete solutions, which can be marketed as such. Printers are increasingly risk-averse and if they can buy an off-the-shelf complete solution that has been tested by a group like PrintCity, it’s less risky for them. However, I am not sure that the full benefit of the original PrintCity concept has been fulfilled; it needs more members and some true integration players to really get maximum benefit."

Read industry technology expert Andrew Tribute's take on the pre-Drupa announcements here