The Germany-headquartered press manufacturer is owned by UK multi-industry engineering group Langley Holdings.
The business returned to full production in the spring after cancelling short-time working that had been instigated because of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on worldwide markets.
At the time the firm said it anticipated burgeoning demand for its latest Evolution range of presses.
The €214.7m (£185.5m) turnover business also recruited Bernhard Schaaf, Heidelberg’s former head of large-format presses, with the aim of plugging the “gaping hole” left by its rival’s exit from that part of the market.
Head of global sales Peter Conrady said the reasons for what he described as “very strong order intake in June, and for the year to date”, were two-fold.
“Since the beginning of 2021 we have been seeing an increasing number of projects for both 700 and 900 size presses, as printers around the world began to regain investment confidence post Covid,” he stated.
“Moreover, the Roland 700 Evolution and the recently launched Roland 900 Evolution series presses are absolute state-of-the-art technology that offer significant commercial advantages. Our customers recognise this.”
In the UK, Manroland has signed up Potts Print as the first customer here for the 700 Evolution, with the firm’s six-colour plus coater press set to be installed in October.
UK managing director Peter Redmond told Printweek: “The B1 and size 6 market is starting to get going again, it’s all very positive and the volumes in the factory are encouraging.
“My colleagues in the US are extremely busy with new business and projects, we’re just a little bit behind in the UK but people here can see there’s a need to invest and projects are starting to be talked about again,” he said.
“Because we manned up earlier in the year, lead times for machines are reasonable,” Redmond added.
Manroland Sheetfed is also celebrating 150 years of press manufacturing at its Offenbach factory this year. The firm was founded in 1871.
It’s nine years and eight months since the old Manroland business went bust, which resulted in Langley Holdings buying the sheetfed side of the business.
