MAN Roland — the exclusive distributor of Wohlenberg and Baumann bindery equipment in North America — has launched a seminar series that helps its dealers instruct their cutting system customers to make the most of workflow automation. The first two events were held this winter at the Egenolf Industrial Group in Indianapolis, while a third was conducted at Royce Photo/Graphics Supply, Inc. in Salt Lake City. Attendance was restricted to nine cutter operators per event to ensure that the participants would be given the personalized instruction they required. "Today’s cutting systems automate the flow of materials to and from the cutting blade, which significantly reduces the manual labor involved in the this finishing process," say Tyrone Adams, Postpress Sales Manager for MAN Roland Inc. "But to take full advantage of these innovations, the operator needs to learn how to integrate himself into the system to become its driving force." The seminars began with a classroom session that covered how cutting fits into the print production workflow. The lecture keyed on the operation of the various material handling devices that make it easier for operators to prepare stacks for cutting, to maneuver them to the blade, and to unload them rapidly. Building on the success of the first three seminars, MAN Roland has scheduled events at Disgraf Services, Inc. in North Kansas City, Missouri in July and at G. E. Richards Graphics Supplies, Inc. in Landisville, Pennsylvania in September. Additional automated cutting seminars are also being arranged with other Wohlenberg/Baumann dealers nationwide.