Ralph Bell, the former chief operating officer at book printer CPI Antony Rowe, has become executive chairman at the company.

Dennis Maps is still owned by Butler Tanner & Dennis Holdings, following the closure of sister book printing company Butler Tanner & Dennis and dissolution of its partnership with Berforts earlier this year.

Maps had been a separate limited company since BT&D won the Ordnance Survey contract in 2010.

“I’ve been working for them in a consultancy capacity since Christmas. I’m very pleased with the new executive role and the opportunity to look at what else we can do with the business. We’ll be working closely with Dennis Publishing.”

The business is making a “significant investment” in relocating the operation to a new 3,065sqm unit a mile away from the old BT&D site in Frome.

Dennis Maps employs 20 staff and has sales of circa £2m, Bell said. It is run by chief operating officer Steve Burry.

Its major client is Ordnance Survey, and it produces a range of different map products.

The firm’s large-format press, a six-colour KBA Rapida 162a, is in the process of being installed at the new site. Other equipment includes specialist finishing kit.

“We expect it to be up and running by mid-September,” Bell added.

Dennis Publishing founder Felix Dennis died in June. He left the bulk of his £500m fortune, and the profits from Dennis Publishing, to his Heart of England forest project.

Butler Tanner & Dennis Holdings is an asset of the Felix Dennis estate.

Bell retired from CPI in January 2012, after spending 23 years at Antony Rowe.

Edit note: this story has been amended to reflect the correct ownership structure of Dennis Maps.