The purchases, including a Ricoh Pro C9200 production press, a Duplo DC-618 slitter-cutter-creaser and Duplo DBM-350 booklet maker alongside the two Kyoceras, has allowed the company to increase its turnover by about 25%.

“This is an ever-changing industry, where you simply can not sit still,” said managing director of DS Group Allistair Hunter.

“We pride ourselves on adding value to our customers’ campaigns and projects which is why during our 20 years of operations we have expanded into design, print, direct mail, marketing and media publishing all under one roof.”

The installation of the two Duplo machines in particular has helped smooth the finishing process at DS, according to Hunter

“We looked at competitor machines, but the Duplo equipment offered exactly what we needed,” he said.

Speaking to Printweek, Hunter added that much of the recent investment drive had targeted efficiency, with the increased turnover achieved without any increase in production floor staff.

“The first thing is efficiency,” he said.

“The second thing is cost, and the third is electricity usage – certainly the Kyoceras because they are not toner based, they use less electricity.”

This drive for efficiency has become the latest expression of the company’s policy of updating its kit as much as it can afford to, whether in terms of money or environmental impact, to keep ahead of the curve.

Hunter added: “[Printing] is bloody hard work, I don’t care what anybody says. 

“This trade has got harder every year for the last five or six years. You have to have the right kit, the right people, and the right mentality to keep it going.”

DS Group, founded in 2001, operates from its 1,110sqm site in Clacton-on-Sea, where it employs 26 staff.