St Austell Printing Company (SAPC) has kick-started a £1 million investment programme with a new state-of-the-art press which offers increased efficiency, capacity and a range of new product options.
The family-run company has unveiled a Ryobi Mitsubishi (RGMT) Series SRA1 offset press, becoming the first printing company in the south west to embrace new LED-UV drying technology.
The 27-tonne press was shipped directly from Japan and installed over four weeks at the company’s factory on the outskirts of St Austell.
The new press joins a fleet of lithographic and digital presses which manufacture products for prominent clients including The Eden Project, St Austell Brewery, Surfers Against Sewage, Whistlefish Galleries and hundreds of clients nationally.
Print manager, Steve Mattey, said: “Our print team are currently being trained on the machine and they are really excited about what it can do and the outstanding results. We can really see the advantage of this technology and how it is going to give us the flexibility and capacity to expand our services and products for our customers.”
MD Peter Moody added: “This machine is an exciting addition to our company. The LED-UV offers instant-drying, providing vibrant colours even on recycled uncoated paper.
“This latest investment is part of our commitment to offer exceptional, sustainable print to our portfolio of clients both here in Cornwall and across the UK.”
The new press was manufactured in Japan by RMGT, where Moody and Mattey were invited to fly out and watch the final stages of its construction.
SAPC has also invested in new Heidelberg Suprasetter Platemaker, which will produce larger plates to be used by the press.
Moody added: “This new equipment enables us to continue increasing contracts from both Cornwall and further afield. We currently employ around 50 local people and this is another example of how manufacturing in Cornwall continues to thrive.”
The press was part-funded with a grant from the BIG2 Project, funded by the ERDF as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020.
