Installation of the 7m, 70,000cph press will be complete by summer 2006 and is planned to support the firm's strategy of focusing on shorter-run products.

St Ives Web managing director David Emeny said: "We thought long and hard about a 64pp press, but we want to keep the diversity of offering for our customers."

The new eight-unit press replaces an ageing M300 and will sit next to an M600 installed in 1997. It features twin webs, auto plate loading and closed-loop colour, register and cut-off controls and will print for clients such as IPC and Cond Nast.

News of the spend with Goss comes just a week after St Ives revealed details of a 6m investment in a 32pp MAN Roland Lithoman for its Direct site in Bradford.

"It's never an easy decision, and Komori and MAN Roland make presses that are just as good," said Emeny. "But we are very pleased with the existing M600 at Plymouth and felt that it was the best option."

He added that following recent investments across the group and the acquisition of former Ailec wing South West Mailing in Roche, this would probably be the last press spend for around 18 months.

Goss director of marketing David Stamp is to leave the press manufacturer at the end of the month. "I don't yet know what I will do, and it's not quite early retirement," said Stamp.

He added that he was considering options both inside and outside of the industry, but insisted: "There is an excellent team here, so it will be business as usual for Goss."