December 12, 2003 -- MAN Roland Greater China, a technology leader in printing technology, is proud to announce the official opening of our Chengdu operation today. This is MAN Roland’s 7th office in the Greater China region. MAN Roland Greater China is determined to serve our customers in the China West region with our best resources and the establishment of the new office is just a prelude of our continuous commitment to the market. Dr. Markus Rall, the Managing Director of MAN Roland Greater China, said MAN Roland will be able to provide even better service to all customers in the region with the establishment of the Chengdu operation. “In fact, we have started our business in the West for quite some time. All our customers have a very prominent reputation in the newspaper and in the printing industry. Chengdu Evening News, Sichuan Ribao, Sichuan Xinhua Printing Co. Ltd and Wu Liang Ye Printing Co. Ltd are some examples of these most outstanding members of the printing world,” Dr. Rall said. “Understanding the tremendous potential of the future printing market in the West and toning with the Chinese government’s ‘Go West’ policy, we finally decide to set up an office in the capital of Sichuan province, Chengdu, after thorough study and analysis. From now on, MAN Roland’s professional team will have a strong presence in the West and they can provide our customers with the most comprehensive printing solutions and the best service with higher efficiency,” Dr. Rall said proudly. According to the report released by the Chinese Printing Council in July last year, there are 78,632 printing companies in China. Among them, 11,909 or 15.1% are in the western region. Each year, the average spending per capita in printing materials in the West is $38 RMB while the national figure is $77 RMB. Ten percent of all country’s printing professionals are stationed in the West. All these figures convey one strong and clear message – the printing industry in the West has a tremendous potential for development in the future. Sichuan is one of the most important provinces in China. Its economy is flying fast which certainly is going to help boosting the growth of the printing industry in the western region. MAN Roland has always regarded China as one of the world’s core markets for printing. Continuous efforts have been devoted to help enhancing our business development in China. The investment in the Chinese market has been ever-increasing. The establishment of the Chengdu office is indeed a strong proof of MAN Roland’s long-term commitment to the market in China. It also shows that MAN Roland is very optimistic and has confidence in the future of the printing industry in the western region. Working with our “Customers Always Come First” principle, MAN Roland is determined to provide all our customers in China, particularly our customers in the western region, with the most efficient and on-time service, all-inclusive pre-press, press and postpress solution as well as the world class machine, service, spare parts and printing supplies.