Supplied by Intelligent Finishing Systems (IFS) and installed last month, the device has joined Ryobi offset presses and Ricoh digital printers at the 27-staff Warwick-based operation, which produces Coventry Building Society’s national requirements for POS, stationery, leaflets and booklets.

“The capacity has increased significantly,” said scanning and fulfilment centre manager Dean Ashby, who added the higher automation and production speeds mean the company can now react more quickly and finish jobs faster, while delays in the early stages of a job do not now impact the overall delivery time.

The AFC-566FG is an automated high-performance B2 system equipped with six buckles and cross knife, with two buckles under the cross knife enabling 17 fold patterns.

Coventry Building Society first came across the device at Ipex last year, during a review of the various options on the market, and then tested the system at IFS’s Hemel Hempstead showroom. The machine has replaced a Stahl folder, which has been part-exchanged.

“IFS were really good and positive to deal with and the sales team were great. We had training for three people and that went really well,” said Ashby.

“We’ve been doing different types of work since we’ve had the machine in, so it’s opened up a few alternatives for us.

“We’re now doing self-mailers in-house, for example, which is something that would have potentially gone out in the past.”

While the operation fulfils the majority of Coventry Building Society’s print needs on-site, Ashby said it outsources perfect-bound books and booklet jobs with runs of more than one million.