Westmont, Illinois — As government auditors approved the details of its advance to independence, MAN Roland achieved its best mid-year sales figures in the company's history. Sales revenues were up 20% to $1.13 billion (EUR 908 million) the first six months of this year, compared to $943 million (EUR 755 million) during the first-half of 2005. Building on the momentum, order intake grew 22% during the same period from $1.1 billion (EUR 880 million) to $1.3 billion (EUR 1,070 million). Those figures did not include the record sale of multiple presses to News International that amounted to $351 million (EUR 281 million) in 2005. Meanwhile, MAN Roland improved its profits by $68.7 million (EUR 55 million) to $60 million (EUR 48 million), compared to –$8 million (-EUR 7 million) figure in 2005. The new figures represent a return on sales of 5.2%. North American Contribution Yves Rogivue, CEO of MAN Roland Inc., says that strong sales in North America contributed to the record results. “It's clear that printers here in North America have been listening to our key message: The best route to improved profits is improved technology. They realize that the most effective way to attract new business and raise their margins is by investing in systems that lower the cost of production. The numbers show that MAN Roland is their top choice for those profitable solutions.” Rising Profits During the first half of the year, profits in MAN Roland's Sheetfed Press Business Area, rose by $47.5 million (EUR 38 million) to $11.25 million (EUR 9 million). Increased sales, reduced costs and higher productivity were the key contributors cited. First in Web Similarly, profits in the Web Press Business Area climbed by $21.25 million (EUR 17 million) to $48.75 million (EUR 39 million). Order volume for web press technology grew by 28% to $723.75 million (EUR 579 million), compared to $565 million (EUR 452 million) the previous year, again not counting the record News International purchase in 2005. Web press sales, meanwhile, increased by 24% to $611.25 million (EUR 489 million) from $492.5 million (EUR 394 million). Vincent Lapinski, COO of Web Operations for MAN Roland Inc., sees the upward trend continuing. “Both our newspaper and our commercial web customers are seeing that yesterday's technology simply cannot compete in today's media markets,” he says. “They know that partnering with MAN Roland will equip them for the future. That's why we're leading the world in web press sales to both newspapers and commercial facilities.” Sheetfed Surges According to the first-half figures, sheetfed order volume increased 15% to $613.75 million (EUR 491 million), against $535 million (EUR 428 million) the previous year. The sheetfed order backlog at the beginning of this year was 57% above that for 2005, while sales for the segment rose 16% to $523.75 million (EUR 419 million) vs. $451.25 million (EUR 361 million) in 2005. Independence Achieved As the first half of 2006 came to a close, MAN Roland advanced as an independent entity — one fully focused on printers and their advancement. With the successful completion of antitrust law audits, MAN AG finalized the sale of MAN Roland Druckmaschinen AG to an entity it owns jointly with Allianz Capital Partners (ACP). For the purpose of the sale, the MAN Roland Group was valued at over $1 billion (EUR 856 million). The next step is taking the company public. “The autonomy that this provides will enable us to concentrate even more closely on the unique needs of printers,” says Gerd Finkbeiner, Chairman of the Executive Board of MAN Roland. “That will make our customers more successful, our company stronger, and our industry more competitive in the media marketplace.”