CBI director general John Cridland CBE and regional director Andrew Palmer were given a tour of the Leeds-based facility, which was the first in the UK to install the HP T300, the day after the CBI’s annual dinner, which took place on 5 October at Leeds University.

The CBI delegates discussed Communisis’ ability to personalise communications along with its growth in export markets and its contribution to sustaining employment in the local area and wider economy.

At the CBI dinner, Cridland welcomed the leader of the Labour Party Ed Miliband but spoke out against recent business-bashing from politicians, adding: "the vast majority of businesses, and the people who run them, have absolutely nothing to apologise for."

Highlighting examples of good business practice across the country he said: "They are striving to make a fair profit. They are investing in products and services. They invest in their people and their communities. This isn’t out of paternalistic fervour of philanthropy, it’s because it makes business sense; and their ambitions are long term, and they know that the fast-buck mentality of a voracious few is bad for them, and bad for the society they operate in. Do badly by your customers and it won’t be long before they vote with their feed and take their business elsewhere."

Cridland later addressed Miliband directly, urging him and other politicians not to turn businesses into "whipping boys" and a "convenient target" for public anger over the economic climate. 

 He said: "When we need our wealth creators and entrepreneurs, the productive part of our economy, to be firing on all cylinders, I think we need to be careful about the language we use. They need building up, not knocking down."

He added: "Finding fault with businesses for wanting to make profits is like criticising a centre forward for wanting to score goals."