The 130-staff company purchased a Kisun Digi Binder DB-440 and a Heidelberg SBD Zenith, which were installed around six weeks ago.
Park Communications managing director Alison Branch said the Kisun was brought in to help diversify Park’s in-house offering and avoid outsourcing lay-flat work and the Zenith enables the company to die-cut heavy boards and folders.
The firm said it had been in the market for a lay-flat binder for around a year and the machine was “rigorously tested” before purchase.
Branch said: “A lot of our customers are in the property and fashion markets, and particularly in property they love to use double-page spreads because this really maximises the impact of the imagery.
“So property developers, builders and design agencies love lay-flat binding and we were finding there was an increased customer requirement and it’s much easier for us to keep the process in-house; it’s faster, more cost-effective, we reduce carbon emission and it’s just much easier to control the process."
The lay-flat binder works by sandwiching two sheets together in a concertina, printing on one side of the sheet, then on the blank side duplexing the two together, giving more strength to the binding.
“The Zenith was brought in as we were finding volumes building up, so we said, ‘Right, this is the chance to internalise’,” added Branch.
Branch said she is also happy with the reduction in transport emissions now that Park doesn't have to outsource its lay-flat work. The two main companies it was previously outsourcing to are both based more than 40 miles away from its premises.
The investment follows on from Park's July-installation of a Horizon BQ-470 binder, after a busy 2015 in which it purchased an HP Indigo 7800 and a KBA Rapida 106.
Elsewhere, £13m-turnover Park made an appearance on the BBC’s News at Ten on Wednesday night (16 November).
In a report on the UK's declining unemployment figures in the period after Brexit, the BBC’s Andy Verity reported from Park’s Beckton premises.
“The BBC rang me and said there was good news on unemployment figures and they wanted to present those against the backdrop of a busy, efficient manufacturing facility,” said Branch.
“Their research team had identified companies that might be appropriate and through that they had identified Park.”
