Cawte, who runs the UK company through his own company Rydo Engineering, said: "In the last few months we have been busier than we have been for some time. We have seen a steady rise in sales and interest – not only in pile turners but waste conveyors, ram punches and banding machines.
"Printers are looking to secure key elements of their core business. It would appear that there are a number of printers reviewing and updating equipment to maximise efficiencies in the press room.
"Another reason we believe is the increasing awareness for health and safety measures and the requirement now to fulfil certain standards to maintain business integrity."
Investors have included food and drinks label printer Gavin Watson, which installed a ZFB 36/60 feed bander and TB26 1 table bander just before Christmas alongside its £500,000 Polar spend, while De La Rue bought 13 TB24 1 banding machines in January. Four were installed at the banknote printer’s Debden, Essex plant, and the remainder are in operation at its Gateshead facility.
And label printer Print Leeds has installed a new B1 pile turner as the company moved to larger format sizes, and traded in its B2 machine for part exchange. Cawte said that, due to the popularity of Busch Graphic Machinery on the used market, Print Leeds’ old machine sold within weeks.
He added: "Our order book is bulging in the UK today as printers recognise the value of investing in high-quality machinery built for their future business success. At the end of the day a printer has to get on with the business of looking after its customers’ everyday printing needs.
"The name Busch continues to stand for quality engineering. The precision and care taken in the design and manufacture of this equipment attracts the customer looking for best in class."
Indeed, Cawte said that the Busch reputation is so strong that, despite merging the company with his own business, Rydo Engineering, following the death of his colleagues Ian Jones and Chris Dillon, he is still keen to use the Busch name due to its familiarity and popularity with customers.
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