The 12-unit Speedmaster 102 with CutStar sheeter on show in the Heidelberg hall (8) is destined for the Kettering company once the show closes. And a second press, a ten-colour Speedmaster 102, will follow in July

Eclipse currently runs two ten-unit 102s, the oldest of which, a two-year-old machine, will be replaced with the 12-colour, giving the firm 32 B1 units of capacity.

Managing director Simon Moore said the new presses gave the 75-man firm enough capacity for sales of 15m "but realistically next year well probably do 12m".

Moore added that he hadnt anticipated installing the extra 10-colour until next year but three successive record months of sales and profitability had forced him to bring the investment forward. "Weve got to the point where were turning down work," he said.

"We decided we could either be complacent with two machines that would be full all year or move on. Based on discussions with our customers we decided to make the next investment a year earlier," Moore added.

Eclipse opted for the CutStar due to its high run-lengths; an average run was about 40,000, said Moore. "It you had shorter runs youd have to seriously consider whether it was viable." He said the device offered great productivity gains, fewer feeder issue and would enable the firm to gain from the economies of buying reel stock.

Moore was at the show with fellow directors Ben Ward and David Birkbeck, along with a selection of the companys top customers including Alliance & Leicester, Abbey National, Argos, M-Power and the RSPB.

"Our customers see us as their most progressive sheetfed supplier. They can see the gains of what were going to do," said Moore.