Vale Press ordered its second Heidelberg Speedmaster SX 74-5 with Easy Control spectral measurement, which is due for delivery later this month.

The company has enjoyed a 40% jump in turnover to £3.9m in the last year and the new press is expected to help it break the £5m mark in 2016.

Managing director Tom Stowe said the company was returning for a second B2 press because the first had been such a success.

"It enables us to handle longer runs and means we can take on more work. Six years ago we had £700,000 turnover and have kept growing through the recession; it's not rocket science, we listen to our customers and do the best job we can.

“And we are once again at the point of having to turn work away, so will be pleased to have the press in and running in readiness for the busy period from September.”

Vale Press has invested a total of £850,000, with the press costing around £500,000, a new Suprasetter A 52 platemaker costing £90,000 and the rest going on building work such as foundations and electrics.

The 30-staff business, which is based near the village of Broadway in Worcestershire, handles a mix of trade and direct work, including fine art and commercial contracts.

The first SX 74-5 was supposed to replace one of the company’s two Speedmaster SM 52-5 presses, but demand meant both B3 machines had to be retained.

But once the latest press is installed on 21 July, one of the SM 52s will go, Stowe added.

Vale Press has also bought a second CTP device and another combination folder. The Suprasetter A 52 will draw off all the B3 plate production to relieve pressure on a Suprasetter A 75, currently outputting 5,000 Agfa plates a month.

A new automated Stahlfolder KH 66 will ensure work continues through the post-press area concentrating on folded section work to feed a Stitchmaster ST350 installed last year.

Heidelberg’s entry-level spectrophotometer Easy Control enhances quality and speeds up makeready, while the Pressroom Manager package handles data transfer.