The new company, Xeikon Great Britain, will be headed by David Mooney who is currently Xeikons international sales manager for the UK, Ireland and Scandinavia.

MAN Rolands Greg Neesham and John Dolmore will also join the new business, heading sales and service respectively. The business is expected to employ around 15 staff, and will be based in the York area.

Theyve got a bloody successful business theyd have had to have paid a fortune for, said MAN Roland GB marketing director Murray Lock.

Although the UK business had been successful, worldwide MAN Rolands sales of the Xeikon-based DICOpress and DICOpack had disappointed. The firm is a long way from achieving the 65m sales of digital predicted by next year at the launch of the Xeikon/MAN Roland alliance in 2000.

Lock said Roland moving away from the market was a symptom of the overall slower than predicted growth of digital print, except in some niche sectors. Personally Im very disappointed but I can understand the approach from a worldwide point of view, he said.

MAN Roland will focus its digital efforts now on its DI machine, the DICOweb.

Its ironic that MAN Roland is again ceding its Xeikon distribution deal. The then PPS was Xeikons original UK distributor after the digital press was launched at Ipex 93, but gave up on the equipment in 1996. In 2000 MAN Roland signed an OEM agreement with Xeikon that formed the basis of its push into digital.

Tony Halker, sales and marketing director at Xeikons UK distributor Openshaw International, said the news did not affect his companys position. It doesnt make any difference. We have a five-year deal.