So far, Komori is the only offset press manufacturer to have formalised its partnership with Landa Corporation and committed to developing its own-brand presses incorporating Landa's technology.

Manroland signed a partnership agreement with Landa at Drupa 2012 with the intention of integrating Landa’s technology into a hybrid press to add personalisation to an offset printed sheet.

Penuela revealed yesterday that that agreement was still in place, but that it had always been subject to four conditions. Namely that Landa could produce print at offset-like quality; at a speed not less than 12,000sph; on at least the same variety of substrates; and that the cost of the ink should be no more than 50% of the average 2010/11 price of inkjet ink.

“As a customer you wouldn’t buy a 15,000-18,000sph press and then limit it when using the digital part to less than 12,000sph,” said Penuela. “The latest development I have seen – the quality is very good, but it is still not an offset quality consistently at a constant speed of 12,000sph.”

He added that one of the major advantages of offset was on cost-per-copy for industrial volume jobs and that Manroland’s customers were “used to sheetfed costs”.

“So if you’re putting in an expensive part to add personalisation, it should not lead to a significant increase in the cost of the printed sheet for our customers,” he said.

Meanwhile, the German press manufacturer is on the verge of launching its first new product since it was bought out of administration by Langley Holdings in February 2012. 

Penuela would not reveal details of the launch, although he stressed the significance of the move in rebuilding trust in Manroland as a supplier and disproving rumours put out by the firm’s rivals.

“The last step to prove [to the market] that we are a long-term partner is to prove that we are innovative,” he said. “I can confirm that we are planning to show something new before this year is over.”

In an interesting continuation of the debate over the role of trade shows in the print industry, Penuela said that it was an open question whether the firm would take any presses to Drupa in less than two years’ time.

“I think the industry has changed and I think it’s time to rethink exhibitions as the main model or driver for the industry. I think there are too many exhibitions around the world and even Drupa needs to come up with new concepts,” he said.

“What those concepts are and how we believe in this [new look] exhibition will go a long way to determining in which way we participate. I’m not saying no [we won’t take presses], I’m not saying yes.

"For us it is an open question; where in the past it was always clear we would take one, two or three presses, today I’m not really sure.”