The Kolbus SU 651, which has a list price of more than £200,000, began operating at the Frome plant last month and is attached inline to BT&D's existing case-line, which has been refurbished.

According to production director Steve Burry, the ma­­chine, which can run at speeds of up to 65 books per minute, was a crucial purchase.

He said: "The dust jacket is a key part of any book and we need to be able to apply it to a consistent and good-quality standard. This machine allows us to do that at a very high speed.

"This investment is part of an ongoing programme of extensive investment that has seen us completely overhaul our case binding line from one end to the other. We decided that it was right to replace our existing model with a much faster, completely new machine."

The SU 651 can be used in-line or offline and features a non-stop feeder and cover scoring in the throughfeed.
According to Kolbus, the reproducible adjustment dimensions offered by the machine mean that makeready times are kept competitively short.

Since its formation a year ago following the collapse of Butler and Tanner, the company has invested heavily in upgrading equipment, particularly in the finishing department.

Last October, BT&D spent £750,000 on a Kolbus KM600 binding line for its paperback book production.

The company said it expected to be able to announce further investments in the near future, with "several projects" currently being worked on.

BT&D managing director, Kevin Sarney, added: "This is just one of many significant investments in order to ensure our long-term future."