manroland has provided more details of the 80-page Lithoman heatset press which will go into IVE Group's new print site in Sydney's Seven Hills.

The order - which has been an open secret for months - put "the icing on the cake" for Steve Dunwell, who announced his retirement as managing director of manroland Australasia in November.

The four-unit Lithoman - which will have a web width of 2060mm - replicates two which are already running at new IVE group member Franklin Web in Melbourne.

It will produce mainly catalogues, printing at 50,000 revolutions/minute, is is equipped with features including APL automatic plate loading, automatic reel handling and several inline control systems to reduce waste and increase quality.

manroland web systems says more than 400 Lithoman presses are in use globally, printing magazines, catalogues, directories, and advertising supplements from 32-96 pages, short or long grain.

manroland sales executive vice president Tim Ruth says Australia is "a great market" for the German maker: "Especially at the high-volume commercial sector we see a great development for the next years. With their decision for our Lithoman 80-page press, IVE will be perfectly equipped for the new market requirements", he says.

IVE managing director Warwick Hay says the Lithoman turned out to be the best-in-class press for its demands.

IVE Group evolved from a family-owned printing business in the early 1920s to today's giant with more than 1300 employees and annual revenues in excess of $370 million. it ordered a 16-page Rotoman Direct Drive press for its Blue Star Web site in Silverwater, NSW, late last year.