Westmont, Illinois — In a move to ensure that its growing customer base is supplied with spare parts and consumables for their presses and finishing systems, MAN Roland is streamlining its Parts and Supplies Department in North America. The effort is centered on the relocation of MAN Roland Inc.’s spares and supplies warehousing and distribution operations from the East Coast to a more central site. The transition, from the company’s logistics center in Middlesex, New Jersey to a new facility near its headquarters here has begun this month and is scheduled to be completed by early summer. Dick Wauer, Vice President of Parts, says that the shift west will improve emergency service to his customers in three ways: "Chicago offers O’Hare and Midway next-flight-out service, which means we can provide same-day delivery of emergency parts in many instances. Second, operating in the Central Time Zone extends the normal shipping day an extra hour. And third, the close proximity to our division headquarters provides additional management oversight into daily operations." MAN Roland CEO Yves Rogivue noted that it makes sense for an organization that serves printers throughout the United States and Canada to have its supply operation located closer to the heart of North America. "Email has made ordering parts a real time experience," Rogivue notes. "But when it comes to delivery, you still have to deal with the realities of geography and distance. Locating our operations in the air transport hub of North America will help us supply all of our customers more effectively." Moving the parts operation is no simple task. MAN Roland Inc. stores multiples of over 20,000 separate items in its main inventory, supporting the full range of web press, sheetfed and bindery systems it installs. In addition the company’s parts operation provides a complete range of consumable items for its customers. "We maintain a large inventory of maintenance items, such as bearings, oil, grease, brushes, wash-up blades and filters," Wauer says. "These are very popular, and we plan to expand this segment of our service. Customers who run MAN Roland presses can operate more confidently when they use MAN Roland consumables." The reorganization will allow MAN Roland to offer its customers a new program that delivers maintenance supplies on a regularly scheduled basis. "That service will take out the guesswork and a lot of the administrative costs of keeping their equipment in shape," Wauer says. During the relocation period, MAN Roland is continuing to provide service from its New Jersey facility, while gearing up its new central operation. As a result, customers ordering parts or supplies will experience no lag in response times. "The toll free number — 800-676-5263 — remains the same for order placement, inquiries or technical information on using the right part for the right job," Wauer notes. "Many customers prefer to email orders directly to their Regional Parts Editors. Orders sent to our general mail box, [email protected], are processed every hour. We provide 24/7 service 365 days per year." The North American operation maintains close ties with MAN Roland’s German manufacturing facilities. They have an additional inventory of more exotic parts — components that do not normally wear out. The international network also operates on a 24/7 basis and can ship items directly to North American printers to minimize emergency response times. "Our new parts organization has been chartered to become a world class leader in all aspects of the business," Wauer adds. "We are dedicated to take appropriate steps to become our customers’ supplier of choice for maintenance, consumable and hard to get parts."