Westmont, Illinois — MAN Roland’s new online resource for pressroom parts and consumables has exceeded the million dollar milestone in sales, as a growing number of major web printers, sheetfed facilities and newspapers turn to the website as a faster and more convenient way to buy pressroom supplies. Called manrolanddirect.com, the site presents MAN Roland customers with an inventory of over 100,000 spare parts and consumable components. The Internet-based store originally went online last May for MAN Roland-equipped newspaper facilities, and by summer was accessible to any printer who runs a MAN Roland press — sheetfed or web. “I’d like to say thanks a million to the printers and newspapers who were the first to try this new parts portal,” says Allen Pratt, Assistant Vice President, Parts & Supply Chain for MAN Roland Inc. “They’ve proved to themselves and to the rest of the industry that going online is the most time-effective and cost-effective way to get the parts and consumables they require.“ Satisfied Shoppers MAN Roland’s sheetfed, web offset and newspaper customers have all been tuning into manrolanddirect.com to streamline their shopping for parts and consumables. Example: Dan Young uses the site to help keep a fleet of MAN Roland sheetfed presses in top shape at United Graphics in Mattoon, Illinois. “You can quickly check pricing and availability and order parts 24/7,” Young says. “The pictures on the site often help confirm the correct part or alert you to changes or upgrades. And Rapid Reorder is a time saver for consumables and frequently used parts.” Young is also pleased with the site’s flexibility, which lets him set his own purchasing parameters: “Shipping collect is always our preference and the site allows us to choose this method.” Among the commercial web press printers who are using manrolanddirect.com to their advantage is Glenda Owens, Parts/Purchasing Supervisor at Valassis Manufacturing in Durham, North Carolina. She is impressed by the site’s easy-to-use interface and graphics. Her company runs a fleet of LITHOMAN web presses. “It’s very easy to navigate and provides lots of good technical, spec, and manufacturers’ information on many parts,” she says. “Without a doubt I’ll be visiting manrolanddirect.com often.” At Publishers Press in Shepherdsville, Kentucky, Steve Pugh uses manrolanddirect.com to keep the company’s ROTOMAN presses running at their peak. “It works great,” he says. “I’ve had no problems learning how to use it and I liked that the parts I needed were in the system. Best of all, my orders were delivered here right on time.” Glenn Rudd of Cadmus Communications Corporation in Richmond, Virginia also finds manrolanddirect.com to be a timely solution. “The advantages are immediate current pricing, availability, and confirmation of the order without sending and receiving faxes and/or phone calls,” he says. Newspaper pressrooms were the first to explore the advantages of manrolanddirect.com. Greg Dykes of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle in New York remarks that all of his experiences with the online resource have been positive ones. “It’s a big time saver for me,” he says. “I just go to the site, order what I need, print out my purchase order and the parts are on the way.” “It allows me to place orders night and day, even when MAN Roland is closed,” he adds. “I get instant feedback on pricing. Ordering is easier online and I’m looking forward to the availability of more parts on the site. manrolanddirect.com speeds up my process.” The Knoxville News Sentinel’s Sandra Zachary relies on manrolanddirect.com to help maintain the good health of the Tennessee paper’s REGIOMAN presses. “I like the idea that you can access the website directly to get what you need,” she observes. “You don’t have to play telephone tag with anyone. I recommend manrolanddirect.com.” Around-the-Clock Access As its name indicates, manrolanddirect.com can be accessed directly through any Internet connection. “Selecting and purchasing pressroom repair parts and consumables has never been easier,” Pratt explains. “Printers and newspapers operate well beyond the limits of a 9-to-5 day. With manrolanddirect.com, they can order pressroom replacement parts anytime that’s most convenient for them.” manrolanddirect.com turns repair parts and consumables shopping into a clickable experience. MAN Roland press users need only visit the site to open their password-protected online account, giving them access to a virtual warehouse where they can browse a wide-ranging inventory of components — each tested and factory certified for their MAN Roland presses. Photographs of the products help parts shoppers visually confirm the accuracy of their selections, while a streamlined checkout procedure speeds purchasing. Choice Selections manrolanddirect.com’s clickable interface lets visitors order by part number, by manufacturer or by description. The website’s database provides all the necessary information to ensure customers receive the exact consumables and components their press requires. A variety of shipping methods are available on the website. MAN Roland’s Chicago location offers O'Hare and Midway next-flight-out service, to accommodate rush service. Or users can choose from an array of more economical shipping methods to balance deadlines against budgets. MAN Roland customers are invited to visit the site for a test drive. “We encourage anyone who runs a MAN Roland press to automate their parts and consumables purchasing with manrolanddirect.com,” Pratt declares. manrolanddirect.com is a key component of MAN Roland’s printservices and printcom programs. “These efforts are part of our continuing commitment to printers and newspapers who run MAN Roland presses,” says Vince Lapinski, CEO of MAN Roland Inc. “We not only want to put the best presses in their hands; we want to make it easier for them to take full advantage of all our technology has to offer. manrolanddirect.com extends their access to our resources by automating the parts and consumables purchasing process. That’s just another way we provide total support for the life of the press.”