manroland sales organisations in Australasia, Asia and India will be under different ownership following the sale of the insolvent company’s sheetfed business to a UK investor.

The sale of manroland Australasia to web systems business buyer Possehl has been welcomed by managing director Steve Dunwell. Established just over two years ago, the subsidiary complemented a factory-owned web services operation launched to support newspaper and commercial web customers.

Possehl is also understood to be buying the manroland sales operation in India.

In Asia, manroland Malaysia – part of a network of 40 offices worldwide – will be transferred to Langley Holdings, the English company which is buying the manroland sheetfed assets in Offenbach.

Headed by “hands on” investor Anthony Langley, the new owner is seen as one which will take an industrial long-term view, perhaps a contrast to the short-term financial interests of previous owner Allianz.

Both the new owners are able to take on businesses in which redundancy and other reorganisation costs have already been covered. Some 2400 staff in Offenbach and Augsburg were shed at the end of last month. Some slimming of the Asian sales operation is also expected under its new owners.