The Norwich printer is also spending 100,000 on a 250m² warehouse extension to accommodate the presses a 10-colour SM74-10P perfector and a two-colour SM74-2P perfector giving it total floorspace of 1,500m².

The investment is the culmination of a business plan put in place when managing director Mark Hipperson led an MBO in 1999. "We had a year of stabilisation, then we planned to keep growing the business thereafter," he said.

Last year the 3.5m-turnover firm installed a fully automatic Topsetter 74 platesetter, Polar guillotine and Stahl folder, as well as a fully integrated MIS.

The new presses will replace Crowes five-year-old SM74-5P and a six-year-old SM74-2P when they arrive in December. "We considered buying two five-colours, but the questions in our mind were space, turnaround times and overall efficiency. Were also very good in B2, so when the 10-colour long-perfector came out we started looking at it seriously," said Hipperson.

Story by Rachel Barnes