One of the new MBO folders will be installed in five weeks time, the other at the end of the year. Both are supplied by Friedheim International and have been bought to boost capacity.

The new Pantera will allow Finishline to offer perfect binding for the first time, and will be installed at the end of June at the company’s new facilities, located next door but one to its existing 15,000 sq/ft unit.

“We felt it was time to add to the existing line-up to expand. Hopefully the perfect binder will increase turnover so we will need more folding capacity to support this,” said managing director Will Kilpatrick, who reported that the aim of the £1.2m investment was to boost Finishline’s current £1.2m turnover by at least around 20-30%. 

He added: “We were thinking about making this investment in 2007 just before the recession but then we drew back on that, and I think that was for the best. But now it’s the right time. There are some green shoots appearing. And there’s still plenty of demand for high-end finishing.”

The kit investments join three Muller Martini six-station stitching lines, seven MBO folders and a range of other kit including two B2 Heidelberg Cylinders and a Schneider Senator guillotines.

Finishline decided to stick with MBO and Muller Martini kit because impressed by its existing line-up’s reliability, reported Kilpatrick.

“We’ve only ever had MBOs and we’ve never had any trouble since 1998 when we bought the first,” he said. “In fact five of the machines still have their original rollers.”

He added: “We did briefly look at Horizon machines, but going for the Muller was a no-brainer as we’ve always been impressed with them and they did us a good deal.”

The Muller Martini Pantera cost around £600,000 and will feature a Granit three knife trimmer and 3692 gatherer. The MBO B30/444s cost £70,000 each.