At PrintPack India 2025, Mirko Kern, CEO of Manroland Sheetfed, spoke of India as one of the growing markets for commercial and packaging printing with great potential for development. Manroland Sheetfed India is still building up to grow in this dynamic market, he said. Thus far this financial year, Manroland Sheetfed India has installed two high-end machines in Sonepat.
As we have covered in Packaging South Asia’s July issue, Manroland Sheetfed India recently installed a refurbished R707PLTTLV at Manohar Filaments, a specialist packaging company with plants in India and Bangladesh. The 7-color plus double coater press with in-line foiling is running in the Bahri, Sonepat plant.
Roland 708 Evolution at Replika Press
Sonepat-based book printing major Replika Press marked a hat-trick with the arrival of its third Roland 708 Evolution Perfecting 4/4 Elite press, marking a significant milestone in their long-standing partnership with Manroland Sheetfed.
Out of the three Evolution presses, one is already in full production at Replika’s Sonepat facility, the second has just been successfully installed and commissioned, and the third has now arrived at the site. It is awaiting installation, says Deepak Walia, managing director of Manroland Sheetfed India. The 8-color Evolution press is equipped with Simultaneous Plate Loading (SPL) and DirectDrive technology, delivering ultra-fast make-readies and seamless multitasking — ideal for short-run jobs, tight deadlines, and premium substrates.
Manroland Sheetfed at China Print 2025
At the recent China Print 2025, Manroland Sheetfed debuted its Roland 700 Evolution Excellence Edition, said to be a cutting-edge technology incorporating sustainable solutions. The 8-color Evolution Excellence was demonstrated live with advanced LED-UV curing technology. Walia says that Indian visitors to the Manroland Sheetfed stand were impressed by its outstanding quality, operational efficiency, and environmental features that will also save on energy costs.
China Print 2025 proved to be a highly productive event for Manroland Sheetfed, with several machine deals successfully concluded across its portfolio. The Roland 700 Evolution series attracted strong interest, particularly from packaging and commercial print converters.
“Indian buyers too showed enthusiastic interest and confirmed orders for select models during the event, further reinforcing our growing presence in the Indian market. Besides confirmed orders, several promising discussions are expected to be converted into business opportunities in the coming months,” said Walia.
“The live demonstrations of the Roland 700 Evolution Excellence Edition drew significant attention, especially from packaging specialists and premium print converters. The show also enabled us to finalize several deals and initiate valuable business discussions, reaffirming the strong market trust in the Manroland brand and its advanced technology,” he added.
Heidelberg to sell Manroland VLF presses
Manroland VLF presses, especially the 145 x 105 cm format known as the Evolution 900 series, are also attracting interest globally and in India. While Heidelberg has decided to sell this press with its front-end as the CX145 aimed at aggressively strengthening its play in the carton packaging market, this recognition is bound to strengthen both German manufacturers. Heidelberg withdrew from this market a few years ago despite having constructed more space at Wiesloch-Walldorf to build VLF presses.
The decision by Heidelberg has turned out to be wise, as Manroland Sheetfed in Offenbach has emerged as the most efficient German manufacturer of offset presses under British owner Langley. Among the three, it has the most streamlined operations with the fewest employees while producing and selling only multicolor offset presses.
Apart from establishing the efficacy of VLF presses in global markets for packaging, the supplier relationship with Heidelberg may also help Manroland Sheetfed India to sell its VLF presses to both the packaging and the commercial print market.
More than two decades ago, Manroland Sheetfed was the first to enter the Indian book printing market with the installation of a couple of VLF machines in North India. It is distinctly foreseeable that with an in-line slitter just before the delivery, its multicolor VLF presses may become viable choices for a number of book printers who have already invested in 8-color perfectors.
