October 17, 2007 -- After over a year of successful operation in the US, MAN Roland's  interactive parts and supply website is now available for Canadian printers. Called manrolanddirect.com, the site provides MAN Roland customers in North America with a 24/7 pipeline to pressroom parts and supplies.
"This is an exciting development in the evolution of MAN Roland's online support," says Allen Pratt, responsible for eCommerce development at MAN Roland Inc. "We now have the ability to link our Canadian printers' accounts to the distribution center in Toronto, Ontario, and complete their transactions in Canadian currency." More Parts, More Convenience
The expansion of manrolanddirect.com puts Canadian printers in touch with over 115,000 items available through the site's virtual warehouse. All of the parts are organized in over 40 subcategories to make online shopping for press components a point-and-click experience.  Additionally, the site provides cross-referencing tools that allow printers to research parts online. For instance, they can enter an older part number and the site will return the most current ordering code. Or they can key-in a supplier's part number into the Product Quick Search feature to obtain the MAN Roland ordering number. "Those capabilities add extra value for the printer who needs to find a part in a hurry," says Pratt. With its features expanding, the popularity of manrolanddirect.com continues to grow as well. During the past 16 months, manrolanddirect.com has served over 530 printers with over 1,700 purchase orders.  "The ease of use and breadth of information this program provides distinguishes MAN Roland as the premier service organization in our industry," notes Vince Lapinski, CEO of MAN Roland Inc. "Our online support is unique among press manufacturers and is another important way we invest in our customers' success."  Ongoing Improvements
Meanwhile, MAN Roland continues to improve the way the site works. The latest advancement lets customers see the availability of the items they request on their computer screens in real time. That saves them time because they no longer have to wait for inventory confirmation.manrolanddirect.com had also been made the faster and more responsive overall. "We now can efficiently display the over 115,000 items and return a screen full of information in a fraction of a second," says Pratt. "We know that our customer's time is valuable and we want to provide them with the information they need as quickly as possible."MAN Roland randomly polls printers who have used manrolanddirect.com to ensure it is fulfilling their parts supply needs. Pat Clark at Bucks County (PA) Courier Times responded by saying: "You guys are doing a great job keeping us up-to-date with parts information." Mike Holland at the Lincoln (NE) Journal Star said: "The web search for parts and the prices on the site saves me a phone call or email."   Other printers report they value the online connection to MAN Roland's part number information and the easy access to current pricing and in stock availability. "Critical information is available at anytime, day or night, and even over the weekend when many of our printers are working," Pratt notes. Canadian printers can test drive the expanded website at manrolanddirect.com.