It is the latest move in CUP outsourcing its work to specialists, having contracted its UK and US physical distribution activity, to DHL and Ingram respectively, in the past year.

CUP said the arrangement was part of a "strategic shift to simultaneous global publication, in print or other formats".

CUP’s in-house printing department currently employs 69 staff, the majority of whom are expected to transfer to MPG under TUPE regulations, to a new facility which is understood by PrintWeek to be in the Bar Hill area of Cambridge.

No job losses are anticipated among printing staff at CUP, although around 16 employees in administrative and pre-press roles may be at risk of redundancy, as a result of ongoing negotiations with MPG. In that case CUP will look to redeploy "staff with relevant skills" internally. Almost 1,000 publishing staff will remain at the £250m turnover operation.

In a statement CUP said: "To serve our customers around the globe faster and more efficiently, we will increasingly need to publish print products simultaneously worldwide employing flexible printing arrangements and the latest digital printing equipment.

The arrangement would safeguard printing jobs in CUP, reduce environmental impact and see books manufactured on the right technologies wherever they were needed around the world, the statement said.

MPG told PrintWeek that it anticipated investing a "substantial sum of money" in new equipment following finalisation of the deal.

According to chief executive Tony Chard the deal will help MPG Books Group increase its annual turnover to around £28m per annum. "We will be largest book and journal manufacturer in the UK," he said.

"This agreement encompasses the very best of cutting-edge technologies. It is designed to deliver strategic, operational and financial benefits to CUP. We continue to seek acquisition opportunities that enhance our offering to clients and well as leading the long over-due consolidation of our sector," he added.