The press will be delivered to the company’s London facility tomorrow, direct from last week’s Dscoop event in Dublin where it was on show.
The 3,450sph press represents additional capacity for the firm, and will run alongside its 7000 and 7600 Indigos, as well its B2 litho kit - a KBA 74 Karat and a five-colour Heidelberg Speedmaster SM 74.
“Our aim is that the 10000 generates its own work and doesn’t take anything off the other presses,” said managing director Michael Burman.
“I’m not a great believer in this crossover litho bit, obviously it’s there, but for us that’s not the raison d'être. I’m sure there will be crossover at times, when it will be helpful to move things around, but the fundamental aim is that it generates its own market.”
He said he hoped the press would enable the company to enter new markets, but also help it to broaden its offering of the “obvious things” such as short-run 6pp A4 and folders with pockets that aren’t economical litho.
Burman said he had been looking at the 10000 for around two years, but felt that now was the right time to invest in terms of the technology and the market.
“It’s very exciting. We’ve had a very positive response from customers, but now we need to turn that response into business,” he added.
According to Burman, during the past few years the business has been very focused on developing direct relationships with clients, so that it is involved with projects or challenges at a very early stage, before the output platform has even been identified.
“We see ourselves as someone that helps our clients communicate, regardless of the platform," he said.
“The 10000 fits into that strategy as it enables us to add different things into our conversations with clients.”
A member of the FE Burman team is currently in Barcelona being trained on the 10000, with the machine expected to go into full production by the end of June. It will initially be run on a single-day shift, although Burman hoped that will increase to a double-day once the workload warrants it.
As the firm’s post-press operation is already geared towards B2, Burman said he didn’t anticipate the need to further bolster the operation in the short term.
The company installed a Horizon StitchLiner from IFS late last year.
