Komori buy to help lift Summerhall to double digit turnover

Summerhall has invested in a 10-colour B1 Lithrone perfector, its fourth Komori in two years, off the back of continuing growth, with turnover expected to hit 11m by the end of the year.

The Edinburgh-based printer produces a range of annual reports for the design agency market, tourism literature and has also recently expanded its operations into direct mail and cross media.

The 154-strong firm, which operates across two sites in the city, has continued its spend on kit in order to "bring all processes in-house [to] control the quality of all products from start to finish."

Summerhall managing director George Pryde said a recent trip to Komori's Japanese manufacturing plant was "the clincher that convinced us to order the latest LS1040".

The printer recorded £6.65m turnover last year and has penned £11m turnover by end of this financial year while it has forecast £15m-plus for the next year.

The firm has grown from 28 employees in 2002 to nearly 160 in 2008 by taking on staff following the closure of five local print firms.

Pryde added that "the fact that all our staff are behind our cause fully justifies our level of investment. Even though we are no longer a small company we still operate like a family business."

The Lithrone S1040 Perfector joins recent press purchases including a six-colour Lithrone S640, a two-colour GS 228 Sprint Perfector and a ten colour B2 Lithrone S1028 Perfector.

The business has also invested in its digital operation with a six-colour HP Indigo 7000 and a Xerox iGen, which brings the printer's press battery up to 28.