In Australia, Steve Dunwell managing director of subsidiary manroland Australasia, claimed it was “business as usual” in the region following the parent company filing for insolvency, while admitting future trading will depend on the decisions of the administrator appointed on Friday.

He likened the German insolvency laws to America’s Chapter 11 rules, which could allow a company to continue to trade, “for years.

“It is ‘self administration’ which means the management work on restructuring with the administrator. My belief is that that is what will happen.”

Dunwell says that although manroland was proceeding with restructuring with its payroll cut from 9000 to 6500 people, the situation was precipitated by the fact that loans were due for renewal in June and neither Allianz nor MAN wanted to put more money into the business.

GXpress understands a time limit on government-subsidised shorter hours at its plants in Augsburg and Plauen will run out next March.

“In Australia we’re cashflow positive, we’ve got parts and can get parts, so it’s business as usual here,” Dunwell says.

But yes, the local company is pulling its trade media advertising, in our case truncating an uncompleted contract.

Apart from other commitments, manroland has major press orders to fulfill in Australia – including twinned 96-page heatset presses for IPMG and PMP Print – which Dunwell says will be met as normal.

Having apparently heard the news beforehand, he joined top management of other worldwide sales channels on a conference call over the weekend to learn the detail. Local staff heard soon after, and the call initiated by GXpress – after an email on Friday night went unanswered – was interrupted when Dunwell took another call.

There are other questions we’d like to ask… but they’ll have to wait.

• Press peripherals maker technotrans says it could be out of pocket by as much as two million Euros this year as a result of manroland filing for insolvency.

In a initial statement, the group says it expects the impact on earnings of the impairment of receivables and inventories, along with expenses from orders currently outstanding, will be up to 2.0 million Euros in the annual financial statements for 2011.

An operating profit of € 6 to 7 million had originally been planned for the 2011 financial year.