Since the worlds third largest offset press manufacturer made its first move toward bankruptcy , talks have been underway to try and keep the doors open.  Over 6,500 employees were informed on Friday that Manroland had filed for insolvency in Augsburg, Germany and was in negotiations to find a way to keep production moving. What is Insolvency? While the more popular term used is bankruptcy, insolvency is really somewhat different.  Bankruptcy is a legal process where in the worst case, assets must be sold off and given to creditors.  Insolvency means that you are unable to pay back debts and you have no foreseeable way of obtaining the money at the rate things are going.  By declaring insolvency in a legal sense, more legal options are given to a a company to rectify the matter before declaring outright bankruptcy and closing the doors. Manroland’s Current State Talks are currently underway to secure enough credit to keep up necessary production at all three of their

One of the biggest players in the offset printing world filed for bankruptcy on Friday, making it the largest insolvency proceeding in 2 years for Germany.   Manroland , KBA and Heidelberg are currently the three biggest players in the world of printing and all have had their share of financial trouble.  The three produced some of the most advanced and fastest printing presses in the world.  I must say that I am not surprised in the light of the world economic situation, but surprised that such a big player is going down.   Manroland cited a dramatic downturn in orders which began in earnest since the summer and has been accelerating.  They stated, "Customers are finding it far more difficult to obtain financing in the aftermath of the financial crisis."   In addition to the economic downturn, press manufacturers have been struggling to compete with media that is going to the web.  I visited the Manroland manufacturing facility about a year ago and was dismay

Your plant is in trouble and you need an offset printing consultant.   Profits are down, waste is up, and reprints are an everyday occurrence.  Schedules are not met and customers are irate.   Oh woe is me, where can I get help?  That's a common complaint or outcry in the offset printing industry today.   Quite often the call goes out to some high priced consultant with Gucci shoes who it is hoped will bring the operation under control with some new and brilliant recommendations. The Typical Consultant Usually the consultant will provide reports with data, charts, graphs and programs that will restore order and profitability to your printing operation.  There are many good consultants in the field today.  Many are working for suppliers and do the consulting as part of the product he sells.  Ink companies, paper companies, press manufacturing suppliers, all have experts and problem solvers.  Some of the solutions are related to their products - some are not. The Alterna

Johannes Gutenberg is generally credited with inventing the printing press in 1439. More specifically, he is often credited with inventing a press that has  movable type .   But both of those answers are unfortunately wrong.  If you want to know who actually invented the printing press, you have to read further.  Who really invented the printing press? If you want a correct answer, it was actually the Chinese who invented the printing press many years earlier. Here's the deal: Gutenberg simply re-engineered the printing press to make mass printing possible.  It was actually in existence long before he was around.  Here is when the printing press was first invented: 593 AD  - The First Printing Press...  In China? That's right.  The first ever historical record of a printing press is given to us by the Chinese. It was commissioned by Emperor Wen-ti in 593 AD who ordered the printing of Buddhist scriptures.   S

I would like to rant about a comment made on the most and least stressful jobs.  I always have my eye on jobs out there for pressmen and I came across an interesting link on a popular job site .  It said that the printing industry is "not a particularly stressful working environment."  Who writes this stuff?  It certainly is not as stressful as maybe an air traffic controller, but it certainly has driven me to the point of insanity some days.  Maybe you have something more to add, but here are my reasons as to why this industry is one of the most stressful. 1.  Deadline driven.  Every single job printed has a promised date to the customer.  Often, those selling the work for printing presses do not make allowance for stupid mistakes.  Each job must get out on time.  That is what makes a printer competitive and so that is what a pressman is expected to do - meet deadlines. 2. Dealing with people.  A press crew is not a democracy.  There is one person in charge who cal