The two companies have launched The Finishing Alliance, which will see Friedheim and Duplo products available from both suppliers.

Individual sales will still be available, but the companies are pushing a "complete package", combining complementary equipment from both businesses sold together.

The partnership is predominantly aimed at digital press equipment vendors, but is also available direct to printers.

Friedheim managing director Peter Morris said that for digital manufacturers it will mean one point of contact for all finishing equipment.

He added: "In the digital continuous feed arena, we are easily the leader, but more and more the vendor wants a total solution.

"We decided that an alliance together was the answer for both companies to stay strong in the digital market. There isn't much on the digital finishing side that we don't offer between us."

According to the two companies, the machines have often wound up working together in press halls, without either company being aware of the others presence at the time of sale.

They added that in those situations it would have been simpler for the digital manufacturer to have gone through one of them, as well as being more cost-effective for the printer itself.

Robin Greenhalgh, chief executive at Duplo, said: "We are of the firm belief that finishing is critical to the printing process, both myself and Peter [Morris] are passionate about that. What we want is to push finishing to the fore."

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