The GUK FA53 14-plate, two-knife machine was installed at Chesapeake's Greenford, Middlesex, leaflet-folding facility earlier this year, as part of a £2.5m spend that also included a KBA Rapida.

It features GUK's water-scoring capability and will be used for the production of information leaflets for the pharmaceutical industry.

Roy Brindle, Chesapeake's general manager for leaflets UK and Ireland, said: "Our pharmaceutical business is currently showing significant growth. It is essential for us to offer our customers the very best production options and the folder will complement other recent investments made at the Greenford site."

The GUK FA53 is capable of handling sheet sizes of up to B1, for which there is a growing demand as EU regulations require multiple languages, and stipulate font size and Braille on pharmaceutical leaflets. It can also fold down to 15mm.

The machine uses water-scoring to help reduce the rigidity of the folded fibres in a substrate, enabling high-speed, precise cross folding of the material. Application of a softener and water mixture is also used to avoid cracking.

Chesapeake is one of the largest print companies in the UK, with a turnover of almost £500m and around 4,000 staff.

The pharmaceutical specialist also has a packaging plant in Leicester, where it produces pharmaceutical cartons.