The G3 went into the premises last month and replaced a Wild Table 10, a piece of kit supplied by Zünd in the 1980s and 90s, in a part-exchange deal.

Atlas is one of the UK's largest independent corrugated companies, serving food and drink, horticulture, automotive, pharmaceutical and furniture clients such as Asda, and Interflora.

The 33-year-old firm converts 30 million square metres of raw material to products every year and previously relied on an older plotting table that it was quickly outgrowing.

The Zünd G3 L2500 digital cutting series, which can handle materials up to 50mm thick and runs at 1,000mm per second, was supplied to Atlas in Barnstaple, Devon by Zünd Plotting Systems (UK).

Marketing coordinator Sarah Brown said: “The kit won't necessarily move us into new markets but it will consolidate and help us build on what we do already.”

She said the Zünd was compatible with Artios and Cape software, which transforms 2D diagrams into 3D prototypes to help with the structural design of the packaging.

Brown did not disclose the cost of the kit but said it would be used when clients wanted product samples such as shelf-ready displays, transport packaging for food and drink and flower boxes.

Atlas Packaging makes a £16m turnover and has 100 staff. Other kit on its 100,000 square foot manufacturing site includes a four-colour Emba print and cutting machine.

Atlas' structural design manager Dave King said: “The plotting table is used by our in-house structural design team to create high-quality prototypes that are sent to clients to review.

“We chose Zünd due to its outstanding reputation for quality and were confident the Swiss-built machine would enable us to transform our output.

Zünd Plotting Systems (UK) sales director Peter Giddings said: “The Zünd G3 L2500 is ideal for sample-making and short-run production purposes, providing accuracy, reliability and efficiency where it is most needed.”