Westmont, Illinois --September 6, 2002-- MAN Roland is offering a computer-based Press Operating Profitability (POP) analysis that helps printing plants select the full-size (40"-41") press that most economically fulfills their production requirements. Drawing on a database of top-of-the-line full-size sheetfed presses, the analysis is provided as a free service to printers who are looking to purchase a full-size sheetfed system. "Buying a press on emotional appeals or other subjective criteria could be a catastrophic mistake to facilities that are trying to get ahead in this tight economic climate," says Yves Rogivue, CEO of MAN Roland Inc. "A POP analysis gives decision makers in dollars and cents realistic evaluations of how well the press they purchase will perform in their facility." Created by the Bridge Strategy Group, an independent market research firm, POP is based on real-world performance data collected on the world’s most popular 40"-41" presses. All of the systems represented in the study were six-color models, newer than five years old, to establish a bench line for the analysis. Operating data were amassed from studies released by the press manufacturers themselves and from trade associations, representing economic results from hundreds of printers. Bridge Strategy also conducted in-depth interviews with these printers in the US, Canada, Australia, South Africa, and the UK. "The database from which POP draws its benchmarks is the most extensive and complete of its kind," says Jamie Wilson, MAN Roland’s Press Profitability Analyst. "That means printers who take advantage of this appraisal tool can get a highly realistic assessment about the operating profitability of the press they want to purchase." To customize its analysis to account for the type of work a facility does, the POP model allows the printer to enter such variables as the number of shifts he or she runs, run length and job mix. A special POP analysis pavilion will be part of the MAN Roland Exhibit at Graph Expo 2002. Showgoers will be able to see the program in action, and arrange for their personal POP assessment. "As an increasing number of facilities take advantage of the analysis, we will continue to expand POP’s benchmark database," notes Wilson. "So the more assessments we do, the more powerful the program will be as a predictor of press profitability." Printers who want to learn more about Press Operating Profitability or want to arrange for a POP analysis, can contact their MAN Roland sales rep or Jamie Wilson at 630.920.2000.