　　MAN Roland tallied up significant press and equipment sales at Graph Expo 2003, gathering orders across its product lines, including one for the new ROLAND 900 XXL extra wide sheetfed press that premiered at the show.
　　"We're very happy with Graph Expo 2003," says Yves Rogivue, CEO of MAN Roland Inc. "Our exhibit has been jammed and weve met with many, many printers who are really serious about new investments. We were glad to showcase our many innovations, which I think will have a positive impact on the industry."
　　Strine Printing in York, Pennsylvania made history at Graph Expo by purchasing the worlds first 900 XXL system to be equipped with an in-inline coater. The press was also the first ROLAND 900 XXL to be sold in North America.
　　Providing a 73-inch sheet size, the 900 XXL is the largest modern sheetfed press on the market. It delivers 328% more printable area than a conventional 40" machine, and 22% more printable area than even the largest 47" X 64" press.
　　That will result in considerable production efficiencies for Strine, which is the largest single location commercial sheetfed printer in the Northeast corridor. Strine plans to use the press for point-of-sale, packaging and commercial applications. It currently runs two 56" six-color ROLAND 900s, and plans to network them with the new press via the PECOM press operating and automation system.
　　"All of our experiences with MAN Roland have been good experiences," says Michael Strine, CEO of the company. "We have no concerns about reliability or support because of the way they worked with us in the past. That makes it a lot easier to commit to this major investment in new technology."
　　Vision Graphics of Loveland, Colorado, took home the six-color ROLAND 500 with in-line coating that ran at the MAN Roland exhibit. The six-up system joins ROLAND 900 and ROLAND 700 presses at Vision.
　　"The advanced automation on our MAN Roland presses has allowed us to cut makeready time in half," says Mark Steputis, President of Vision Graphics. "When it comes to technology, they're the best press on the street. They're robust, they print beautifully, and they get the job done more effectively than anything else out there."
　　Two ROLAND 901/6 BP systems were sold to Edwards Brothers, Inc., headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The BP stands for back printer, meaning that these ROLAND 900 can print 1/1 - a configuration designed for high-speed book production.
　　With manufacturing operations in Michigan, North Carolina and Kansas, Edwards Brothers specializes in medium, short, and ultra-short runs of books and journals. The new presses will be the fourth and fifth Roland 900s for the company.
　　AIIM (Avant Imaging & Information Management Inc.) will soon be installing a 10-color ROLAND 700 perfector with a digital roll-to-sheet feeder. "What sets the ROLAND 700 apart is its PECOM operating and automation system. PECOM ties in nicely with our Printcafe MIS so we can fully benefit from all the advantages of Computer Integrated Manufacturing," says AIIM President Frank Giorgio.
　　Commenting on the ROLAND 700's roll-to-sheet feeder, Giorgio notes: "The sheeter allows us a better yield out of the paper for each job by sheeting at the most economical size. This will definitely make us more competitive than we already are in the marketplace."
　　With a 20-year legacy in the graphics and printing industry, AIIM is a recognized leader in providing end-to-end printing, information management, production workflow services and support. The company prides itself in delivering "multi-level printing solutions" within the financial services, insurance, high-tech, chemical, pharmaceutical, packaged goods and institutional industry sectors.
　　Also at the show, Nacci Printing Inc., located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, purchased a six-color ROLAND 300 with in-line coating. The press comes standard with perfecting, and provides six-up productivity from a half-size sheet.
　　"This press has the automation we're looking for to get to the next level of business," says Frank Nacci, president and founder of the company. "We're really looking forward to working with the PECOM press operating system and we like the six-up capabilities of the ROLAND 300. It will enable us to take a tremendous leap with in our market area over our competition."
　　Gilson Graphics in Grand Rapid, Michigan purchased a two-color ROLAND 700 perfector. The company has two MAN Roland 700 six color presses with aqueous coaters. The new 700 two color replaces an existing MAN Roland two color 40" perfector that the company purchased new about 13 years ago.
　　"One of our specialties is the composition, repurposing, and maintenance of information used in the production of price lists," says company president David Gilson. "The old two-color machine worked well in printing these price lists, most of which were printed one color two sides. But after we added the two six color presses about four years ago, we wanted the same benefits for our price list business - higher print quality, faster makeready and running speeds - that the six colors offered. Also the new two-color press allows us to perfect on enamel stock."
　　Wynalda Litho in Rockford, Michigan has signed for a roll-to-sheet in-line sheeter for its six-color ROLAND 700. The press, which is equipped with in-line coating, was installed this past summer. The company is a multi-facility high-quality folding carton manufacturer serving the entertainment, pharmaceutical, food and computer software industries.
　　Under the banner "Success Spoken Here," MAN Roland's Graph Expo exhibit featured virtual visits with a variety of facilities that have expanded their operations with Roland presses.