"One of the reasons the R500 hasn't really sold is that it was so highly spec'd it wasn't price competitive," said MAN Roland GB director of sheetfed and finishing sales Gary Doman. "We're now able to meet our mainstream competition head on."

The introduction of  the entry-level R500 comes about as a result of the firm moving the press' production to Offenbach following the closure of Geisenheim.

The move gave the firm the opportunity to take a fresh look at the market. The basic press will be a 16,000sph unit handling up to 600micron board, with semi-automatic plate changing.

MAN Roland will introduce a host of option packages for the press allowing customers an element of customisation.

The "Premium" packages will include: Board, for running heavyweight stocks up to 1,000microns; Speed, giving 18,000sph.

The firm is taking orders for the press now and expects the first models to ship sometime in Q3.

Story by Darryl Danielli