The family-owned print firm also revealed plans to install two KBA Compacta presses at its nearby web offset site in Caudry as it reported a 29% year-on-year growth in export sales.
Export turnover for 2004-2005 was up 29% year-on-year to 15.9m (e23.9m). Sales to the UK market accounted for around 45%, or 7.2m, of that figure.

Founder and chief executive Jean Lenglet said his firm was a model for French firms wishing to compete on a European scale.

"France is last in the export league tables in the print industry. But we were the fourth French exporter to the UK for companies with fewer than 250 employees. French companies need to work that way," he said.

The 130-staff firm, which specialises in catalogues and long-run promotional work, reported a 5% year-on-year rise in turnover to 49.8m, with operating profit up 84% to 3.4m.
At the 50,000m2 Cambrai plant, the third of four identical KBA TR10B presses will handle webs up to 3,684mm and run at around 12m per second, with a potential daily output of 250 tonnes. It is due to start print testing in July.

The site, an hour south of Lille, is part of a 135m investment which will also include the two KBA Compacta presses. The 48pp and 40pp machines, which can print both long- and short-grain work, will be installed next year.

It is not yet clear which of the firm's six existing web offset presses will be replaced. "That will be up to the customers," said managing director William Lenglet.

Story by Josh Brooks