Seacroft, which employs 90-staff, makes a "significant proportion" of Agfa’s plates, however, Azura was initially only produced at one of the company’s German factories.

The manufacturer has invested around £700,000 upgrading Seacroft's two existing plate lines and fitting quality-control equipment that enables the production of Azura TS, in addition to the silver-based Lithostar already produced at the plant.

The plates are taken to an Agfa factory in France for completion.

Agfa has recently secured a number of high-volume users for Azura TS due to its environmental and operational benefits, including Hobbs the Printers, ImageData Group and Mastercolour.

In addition to reducing customers’ waste and energy consumption through the use of chemistry-free plates, the pre-press giant also claims to have improved the environmental credentials of the Leeds site.

To produce Azura, both the plate lines at Seacroft have been fully enclosed and workers must wear cleanroom suits to prevent loose fibres from contaminating the coating.

"We’re on the verge of achieving zero general waste to landfill this year, down from over 5,000 tonnes in 2005," said site manager Graham Cooper. "Last year, we reduced lighting costs with a scheme jointly funded by Agfa and Carbon Action Yorkshire."

Agfa worked with the Carbon Trust to reduce gas consumption at the plant, including recycling waste process heat and reducing water consumption.