Washington, DC April 2, 2002 -- MAN Roland went beyond the theoretical at the recent VUE/Point conference here, providing participants with a first-hand look at Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) in action. The working perspective was provided courtesy of a webcam hook-up to MAN Roland’s Graphic/Training Center in Chicago. Participants in the company’s VUE/Point breakfast event saw a six-color Roland 300, a 29" machine, and a six-color Roland 700, a 41" system, produce posters depicting Chicago landmarks. Both presses were equipped with inline coating systems. The 78 participants were also provided with live action views of how the presses’ PECOM systems digitally monitor and control virtually every aspect of production. Working screens from PECOM’s JobPilot module showed how off-press makereadies could be completed to significantly reduce downtime between jobs. Windows from PECOM’s PressMonitor module were also displayed, while the presses were running, to show the wealth of data that can be captured and analyzed with an eye toward maximizing production capabilities. "The aim of our presentation was to demonstrate to the audience that Computer Integrated Manufacturing, or CIM, is here and ready to work for them right now," said Christian Cerfontaine, Marketing Director at MAN Roland Inc. "Printers who put CIM systems in place today will be the companies that are leading our industry in the years ahead." Cerfontaine’s co-presenter was Hal Stratton, Manager of MAN Roland’s Graphic/Training Center. "We further wanted to give VUE/Point participants a feel for what it is like to operate highly automated, networked presses via remote control," he said. Emphasis was also given to MAN Roland’s Automated Plate Loading (APL) system, which facilitates drop-in plate changes, and Quickstart, which reduces start-up waste. While the remote demonstration proceeded, executives from printing facilities that are employing PECOM in their pressrooms provided working insights on the advantages of CIM. Jim Kosowski, Vice President of Rapid Impressions in Broadview, Illinois, praised CIM for doubling his company’s printing sales. "Thanks to PECOM and our MAN Roland 700, our quality, consistency and turnaround times are vastly improved," he said. "But the biggest gain is on the makeready side. That’s important to us because we’re a half-size shop going to a full-size press, which means our runs average around 5,000 sheets. So advances like JobPilot and Automatic Plate Loading are invaluable to us." Kosowski also was impressed with his press‘ Computer Controlled Inking (CCI) system, not only for its ability to lock-in color quickly, but for its help in changing his employees’ minds about the value of CIM. "I took my best pressman, who wanted to keep doing things the old way, and put him up against my least experienced operator, doing the same job," Kosowski noted. "The new guy used CCI and the veteran didn’t. As I expected, the new operator completed the makeready in less time with less waste and produced a better quality job. Once that happened, everyone was on board because they saw the benefits for themselves." A second PECOM user, Michael Stief, President & CEO of Intelligencer Printing Company in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, indicated that CIM makes managing a pressroom a more productive experience. Stief has connected the PECOM consoles on his quartet of Roland 700s with a Hagen MIS system from PrintCafe. "Now we can pull out information we never had before," he said, "and find out where we are efficient and where we are not. "For instance, in analyzing the operating data I saw that one press was not as profitable as the others. The data showed it wasn’t a press problem. It was a training issue. That’s something you can control and fix, if detailed, accurate information is available." Stief declared that manufacturers are delivering on the promise of CIM. "They’re removing as many variables from the process as possible," he said. "We’ve already reduced our makereadies by a third and we’re still getting more efficient at it." In addition to their breakfast appearance, Kosowski and Stief were also featured on a VUE/Point panel titled Production Automation and Computer Integrated Manufacturing. More information about MAN Roland’s CIM solutions can be obtained at manroland.com.