Grafitec has been enlisted to sell Duncan Web Offsets presses, and has already had 20 enquiries about its 48pp MAN Roland Lithoman IV.


Grafitec chairman Tony Barrett said 16 of those had been from Europe and four from the UK. "It must be the most modern piece of secondhand equipment ever," he added.


PPS, MAN Rolands UK agent, had 10 enquiries about the Lithoman on the day the receiver was appointed, despite the fact it is not handling the sale.


Grafitec is also handling the sale of Duncan Webs Heidelberg M600 and two G16s, which will raise capital to pay creditors including HSBC and GMAC Commercial Credit.


Duncan Web Offset chairman Bill Duncan has expressed surprise that the company was closed down so quickly by the receiver from BDO Stoy Hayward.


Duncan said: "I thought it could have traded on, perhaps thats an indication of just how bad the market is."


He said the weak euro was responsible for the firms demise and not low pricing, as had been suggested by other web bosses.


"In the last 10 weeks we lost work to other printers on price, so for some to say we were forcing prices down is a bit much. The spare capacity isnt created by machinery, but because a lot of UK work has gone to Europe. Buyers expect UK printers to compete with those in Europe."


He feared that the firms capacity would be lost to the continent permanently. He believed the firm would have had a better chance of surviving currency fluctuations if it had been part of a large group like many of its competitors.


l Southernprint has been awarded Emap Automotives Bike, Ride & Performance Bike and What Bike, formerly produced by Duncan. St Ives has won the contract to print Emap Esprits Yours specials.


* Ex-Duncan Web Offset sales director John Osbourne has joined ET Heron.


Story by John Davies