The 250-staff, £46m-turnover business based in Belfast is expecting its investment in a six-colour Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 145 with coater will take sales up to the £60m mark in two years.

The machine is due for delivery in September and is in addition to four existing six-colour Speedmasters, including two other XLs.

Delta spent £3.5m on the new press and a Heidelberg Suprasetter 145 CTP system to feed the press and help the firm meet growing demand for very-large format work. It currently produces apple-pie boxes and cartons for fried food for the quick-service restaurant sector.

Chairman Terry Cross said: “The investment will help us expand and take on bigger cartons, for cereals, detergents and beverage cases. We do a fair degree of this work but are not a major force in that market. This kit investment should help us change that. 

“The decision to install a six-colour and coat configuration press was not taken lightly. We considered operator familiarity, which will make the move to the new format easier for the operators. Also, the training Heidelberg provides is very good, as is the remote service capability.”

The company, which is expanding its premises by 5,000sqm to take the new equipment, is also looking to take on a Bobst die-cutter. It recently opened a base in Poland with litho and flexo presses to serve Russian, Ukraine and Scandinavian markets.

Cross said: “In order to meet demands we are encountering, we opted to invest in technology within larger format printing to maximise economies of scale. We customised the Speedmaster XL and incorporated Axis Control to measure and log Pantone colours for repeat work. 

“For any brand, colour plays a crucial role in brand identity. We place a great deal of emphasis on the systems and processes. Having the ability to accurately replicate colours is essential for short-term and well-established production cycles.”