Business

Sign-making firm Hawes Signs has laid off 57 workers and proposed a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) after losing almost £3m worth of business in less than two years.

Magazine and commercial printer The Color Company (Cheltenham) has invested around £300,000 in a Heidelberg Stahlfolder BH 56 and a Muller Martini stitching line.

Independent manufacturer and supplier of coatings and pressroom consumables Ultrachem has launched Safe to Touch Print emulsion (water-based) coatings.

Commercial printer On Demand has signed a five-year contract for Agfa’s new Azura TE direct-on-press plate in an agreement that also includes a new Avalon N4 platesetter.

Environment minister and North Cornwall MP Dan Rogerson has praised KCS Print for its continued success during a recent visit to its Launceston factory.

Print and mail specialist CFH Docmail has invested £1.3m in new Pitney Bowes machinery, which will enable it to increase its personalisation services to small businesses.

Finishing equipment distributor Terry Cooper Services (TCS) has signed a deal to distribute Hohner systems, including the Foldnak range, in the UK.

Large-format printer Design X-Press has moved to larger premises, invested in new HP and Summa machinery and won a number of new contracts.

Nick Dixon and Rick Taylor, who between them created the £53m Lateral Group, are poised to return to the industry with a new buy-and-build venture.

Online trade printer Quinn’s Belfast has bought an eight-colour Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 75 and a Muller Martini Bravo with Amrys stitching line to further increase its capacity.

Commercial printer My Print Partners has invested in a Horizon SPF/FC-200A stitch-fold-trim line to enable it to bring stitching in-house.

Wide-format specialist Print 2 Media has invested in a DYSS X7-1624C digital cutting table with Superhead to enable it to take on a wider range of work.