The new press was specified with advanced automated plate changing, along with the Japanese manufacturer's KHS-AI makeready system – the PQA-S that inspects every sheet to check for discrepancies – as well as PDC-SII closed-loop colour management.

The company chose Komori after evaluating products from five manufacturers, although Chesapeake's Leicester facility already boasts a range of Komori presses.

Mark Wilson, operations director at the site, said: "The Lithrone's fast start-up with its pre-inking and de-inking systems also significantly reduces waste, which fits perfectly with the group's commitment to the environment."

The pharmaceutical specialist is undergoing an group equipment overhaul running into tens of millions of pounds, most recently installing a KBA Rapida 106 at its Greenford, Middlesex, site where it prints information leaflets for pharmaceutical products.

Its 230-staff Leicester site produces the outer cartons for the pharmaceutical products, which a spokesperson described as a rapidly changing market because of a government drive towards more over-the-counter products.

He said that this had prompted a growing demand for effects, varnishes and specialist finishes on the packaging, to make them more attractive to consumers.