The Barnstaple, Devon-based firm bought the Cuir Rotaflexo direct from the Italian manufacturer and the machine was installed in September.

The business said the press, which is additional to its existing plant list, would provide premium quality print and a more economical and efficient process for its customers.

The machine, which can reach speeds of up to 10,000sph, is equipped with six print units with interchangeable anilox rollers as well as infrared and UV dryers. It also offers a range of finishes and coatings, from water-based varnishes to high gloss UV.

Atlas Packaging director and account manager Mark Leverton said: “This machine will expand our print capabilities and it’s got some really nice features in terms of dust extraction. It’s really tight in terms of registration too, we’re running jobs at pretty much a dead register on certain items, which is proving very good.

“It’s also got good colour drawdown, so we get strong colours, and an inline camera, which allows us to monitor any potential print movement during the production process.”

He added: “I don’t think too many other people have got the option to apply UV in flexo onto corrugated board.”

The company, which also operates Bobst, J&L, Tecasa and Emba kit, considered machines from a wide range of suppliers before coming to its final decision. Leverton said the results it saw on the Cuir press ultimately far outweighed all of the alternatives.

Atlas Packaging, which has 125 staff and a turnover of around £16m, serves clients in the food and drink, horticulture, automotive, and pharmaceutical sectors.

The firm also opened a new 1,858sqm warehouse in September, which is adjacent to its main 9,290sqm premises, to consolidate its operations and improve its racking workflow. This followed the installation at the end of last year of a Zünd G3 L2500 digital cutting table.