More than EUR 5 million are being invested in the future of East Anglian printer Micropress - the investment includes the move to a new building, refurbishment and new equipment from Heidelberg. Managing Director Mike Cross, who founded Micropress 37 years ago, is moving his company from Halesworth to Reydon on the Suffolk coast. The new printshop is located on a 25,000 square-feet freehold site.

Installation of the new equipment in December
The new Speedmaster XL 105-8-P with two spectrophotometric inline measuring systems Prinect Inpress Control will be delivered to the new factory in December with the full production transfer taking place in early 2012. At the same time, the second stitching line Stitchmaster ST 450 will be added.

A second machine will give the company greater flexibility and the potential for growth.

Prinect Inpress Control for maximum productivity
Micropress was the first company to install a Prinect Inpress Control inline spectrophotometer on its Speedmaster XL 105-5 in 2007. The switch from Speedmaster SM 102 to Speedmaster XL 105 technology with Prinect Inpress Control increased the company's output by 35 to 40 percent and led on to Micropress adding this inline color and registration tool to a Speedmaster XL 75-5 two years later.

The company believes that the investment will provide a steep increase in capacity and that Prinect Inpress Control will give a ten minute reduction in makeready. Micropress is also adding AutoPlate XL, which will allow it change plates simultaneously, further reducing the make-ready time.

The move to the new premises will also guarantee the company a much better workflow. Also customer benefits are obvious: "Our customers welcome our policy of on-going investment. Latest and best technologies help us maintain our top quality reputation and to be responsive, because we reduce makeready times significantly. We also minimize start-up waste, which has both environmental and cost benefits", says Mike Cross.

Micropress is a 24 hour, five-day-a-week printshop with a permanent weekend shift. The company is the major shareholder in Richardson Printing in Lowestoft and in publishing house BC Publications. Think Ink in Ipswich is its digital arm. Together these provide litho, digital, finishing and mailing service to a nationwide client base. Products include business cards, leaflets, brochures, newsletters, magazines and books.