The Stitchliner, installed in mid-August, replaced an older Horizon stitching line and supports Browns' primary Muller Martini line.

The investment comes as part of a wider £2.4m futureproofing strategy for the firm, which involved it installing a world-first combination of Heidelberg XL-75 and fourth-gen Cutstar sheeter in March.

With the new press – 35% faster than the previous model – and existing XL106, Versafire and Linoprint presses, Browns’ bindery needed an update.

“We had an older StitchLiner model and we had been running that for a few years,” said managing director Danny Baldwin. 

“It was a great machine. A fantastic piece of kit. 

“We were running our Muller Martini stitching line at full capacity constantly and the StitchLiner was taking more and more work. We needed more capacity. 

“We talked to the IFS team and they suggested the StitchLiner Mark III with 2-up kit would be faster and more flexible. We didn’t look at any other options on the market because we know and trust Horizon systems. They are very reliable.”

The new Stitchliner’s ability to produce landscape A4 work was an added bonus, as Browns had previously found it easier to outsource landscape finishing.

“We were sending some of that work out, or we would price ourselves out of the job; now we can say yes to everything, knowing that it can be completed quickly and cost-effectively in-house.”

The Mark III runs at 6,000 bph, with fully automated set-up, and has given Browns around a 25% increase in operating speed.

Baldwin said: “It is quick to set up and easy to run. Originally, we only had one operator trained on it so our bindery manager was also trained and he picked it up very quickly.”

He added: “It just doesn’t skip a beat. It is running full speed every hour of every day. In fact, we are looking at putting another shift on.”

Browns employs 80 at its Middleton plant, turning over £11.9m annually.