November 7, 2006 -- (WhatTheyThink.com - by Senior Editor, Cary Sherburne) -- As most industry watchers know, Yves Rogivue will be leaving his post as CEO of MAN Roland North America early next year. Long-time MAN Roland executive Vince Lapinski will take over the CEO role at the beginning of January. The next stop in Yves’ career was shrouded in mystery at Graph Expo, as he was not at liberty to disclose the details at that time. However, Rogivue shared his plans with WhatTheyThink today in an exclusive interview. “I am leaving MAN Roland on the best of terms,” Rogivue said. “We talked about various options that would allow me to stay with the company, but in the end, my family and I wanted to take on this next challenge back home in Switzerland. I have been on the road for 18 years, working for only three of those years in my home country.” Yves became a father for the second time shortly after Graph Expo, adding a daughter, Ella, to his family, joining his son, Noe. Rogivue will be joining Muller Martini as part of its Executive Board, reporting to CEO Rudy Muller and running the company’s Printing Systems Division worldwide. He says, “This is one of four Muller Martini divisions. It’s the former forms printing press division, which is now targeted at the packaging and label markets. This is an area of the business that does not compete with MAN Roland. That was important to me in accepting my new position.” Muller Martini’s solutions in this space include a web press combined with modular inline solutions, so that the total production solution can be configured to exactly meet each customer’s needs. According to Rogivue, some of these inline options might include an offset unit integrated with flexo or gravure units, inkjet for full speed variable imaging, UV, and die cutting. He says, “The key in today’s market is doing as much inline as possible, taking out all of the extra steps and processes that can drain profits. It is basically the same computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) approach that we have been promoting at MAN Roland, but for a different market segment.” In early January, Rogivue will hand over the MAN Roland North America reins to Vince Lapinski. “I feel very comfortable leaving the organization in Vince’s capable hands,” said Rogivue. “He has been with the company for 16 years. He has been focused on the large newspaper business, where he has led us to a dominant market share. And over the last four years, Vince and his team have taken our commercial web division to a new level of success. Adding a revitalized sheetfed division to the mix is a natural fit for him.” Rogivue will be assuming his new role with Muller Martini in April 2007. When asked what he plans to do with the free time between leaving MAN Roland and starting up at Muller Martini, Rogivue commented, “We have an international move to do and we need to get settled in back home. Then perhaps we can spend a few weeks somewhere on an isolated island. I am really looking forward to spending some quality time with my family during this period.” Rogivue has made a significant contribution to MAN Roland during his six-year tenure at MAN Roland. He has also made significant contributions to the industry as a whole, both in being an outspoken critic of things that are not going well, as well as a supporter of numerous industry initiatives. Says Rogivue, “I will have worldwide responsibility at Muller Martini, so I will certainly be spending time in North America and attending all of the important shows. I plan to keep in touch with all of the great friends I have made here in the States and in Canada. In the end, it is a small world.”