The two say they will be the first to offer total digital printing solutions for graphic arts markets – including consulting, systems, services and materials. Solutions will cover “all manufacturing steps” by combining print data management and digital and offset printing as well as post processing.

“Both companies complement each other ideally and are thus able to obtain competitive advantages from this cooperation,” says a spokesman.

“manroland will make its entry into digital printing and build up its own digital printing competence step-by-step. Océ will receive access to new customer segments and will therefore have the opportunity to considerably extend its market share in the graphic arts industry.”

Inkjet systems are increasingly being used to supplement offset for small runs and just-in-time production.

“This is the first concrete step in opening up new growth opportunities for manroland and in securing a lucrative field of business for the long term, because the area of digital printing is a business that increasingly supplements industrial printing,” says manroland chief executive Gerd Finkbeiner.

Sebastian Landesberger, globally responsible for the Océ’s production printing strategic business unit says the company has been successful in company-related high-speed transaction printing. “We are also very well positioned in the direct mail sector. With our new high productive full-colour inkjet printing systems we have for the first time the possibility of decisively increasing our market coverage in the offset market.

“The strategic alliance with manroland offers us the ideal opportunity to firmly establish Océ inkjet technology in the graphic arts industry.”