The Dukinfield, Cheshire-based business took delivery of the machine on 9 September, only a week after ordering it from Heidelberg. It replaced a Polar 115X, which has been sold on privately.

“We just wanted to speed up production in that area a little bit. Our newest folder is a Stahlfolder KH 82, and with the speed that that can get we just wanted to make sure that we don't have any bottlenecks in the future,” said DXG works director Brendan Tierney.

“Heidelberg offered to sell us their showroom machine, which would save us several weeks’ wait, and we decided to do that.”

He added: “The Polar is the Rolls-Royce of guillotines: it’s very good and very reliable. Our last one was 15 years old – we also had that one brand new from Heidelberg.

“The 115 Pro has been fantastic so far, the programming on it is a lot quicker and it’s a lot more user-friendly, our operators only required a few hours training. It was just the new programming and the Optiknife knife change that’s different, we already know the guillotine inside out.”

DXG also operates two five-colour plus coater Speedmaster presses from Heidelberg: a CD 74 and a CD 102.

Working out of 930sqm premises, the 29-staff company serves a wide range of clients, from agencies to small businesses and end-users. It is looking to turn over between £3.5m and £3.8m this year according to Tierney.

“Business has been very good this financial year, which started on 1 December,” he said.

“Every month we have beaten our targets so far. We strive to continually make improvements where possible to our service and it’s the quality and the reliability that keeps our clients coming back for more.”

The firm’s next investment is likely to be a new CTP system before the end of the year.