Manroland GB bought by new sheet-fed operation

Manroland sheetfed GmbH, the new name of the sheet-fed business of Germany’s manroland, has acquired the sheet-fed business and assets of manroland GB in the UK, relaunching the business as manroland sheetfed (UK) Ltd.
 
Manroland GB went into administration on December 5, 2011 due to liabilities in the final salary pension scheme no longer being covered by its parent, which became insolvent and was sold off as separate web- and sheet-fed units, as well as its Plauen facility, at the start of the year. Manroland GB had been trading since 1999 and was established when the old manroland business acquired PPS, its former UK distributor.
 
When UK engineering company Langley Holdings took over the sheet-fed operations of the insolvent manroland, the deal included over forty other subsidiaries around the world. The UK business was not included in the Langley deal, but has subsequently been acquired and relaunched as manroland sheetfed (UK), employing 37 at its former base in south-west London.
 
It is understood that a sale of the web assets of manroland GB is at an advanced stage of negotiation with another party, and that sale will include employees relating to UK web activities.
 
Adam Robotham (pictured, top), who joined manroland in 1998 as commercial sales manager and was promoted to sheet-fed sales director last year, has been announced as managing director of manroland sheetfed (UK).
 
A spokesman for manroland sheetfed GmbH said: ‘We are delighted to have been able to bring the uncertainty over our UK operations to an end and we thank our many valued UK customers for their patience while the situation was being resolved.’