The Buckinghamshire manufacturer of UV curing systems said its installation in Lahore, in conjunction with UK cold-foiling systems manufacturer Foiltone, was its first in Pakistan.

The five-staff firm retrofitted and commissioned an existing press with UV curing technology for leading Lahore printer, Le Topical. The company has also signed an ongoing agreement with local agent Al-Abbas, said Benford UV sales and marketing manager Ron Ryan.

"The market is definitely not flat for us; we’re bucking the trend," he said. "Turnover is four times what we achieved last year and well over half of that is from overseas work.

"We hear lots of talk of British manufacturing not doing do well, but we are a British manufacturer and we are selling products around the world. We are still a small company but turnover is going up rapidly."

Ryan said the company had made three installations in the last six months and export markets included Canada, India, Malaysia and Indonesia. It recently appointed an agent in New Zealand.

"Over here it’s a bit static, and if a particular market is not that vibrant we can go further afield. We can retrofit most systems including Heidelberg, Manroland, KBA and Komori; we are not tied to any one manufacturer."

Managing director Marc Boden, who oversaw the installation in Pakistan, said: "I was able to meet with the Foiltone agent Al-Abbas and was impressed by their knowledge and with their customer-base in Pakistan.

 "They looked like a perfect partner for us. They have worked with other European manufacturers and our products slot well into that portfolio."  

Al-Abbas managing director Jawwad Husayn Jafri said: "We were able to see Benford’s quality and service first hand and had no hesitation in accepting the offer to take their excellent products to our market place."

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