At its 2,323sqm main base in Hinckley, the finishing specialist took on the Brausse as an update for the 17-year-old Bobst machine, due to its ability to take an increased sheet length of 1,060mm over the Bobst’s 1,020mm.

Following the Brausse’s installation in early April, the Bobst was refurbished and then transferred to Frip’s secondary premises in Stockport as a new addition to the site's capabilities. The combined clout of the two machines increases the firm’s hot foiling capacity by 40%.

Group managing director Leslie Gibson said: “Having decided we needed an extra foiling machine, we were receiving enough demand to justify increasing capacity on both our sites.

“Brausse provided the most cost-effective option – a new Bobst of the same capacity could have cost upwards of £1m and a real driver for us was productivity so we wanted something faster.

“It also allows us to acknowledge the fact that there is a skills shortage and it is harder to train new people in these foiling skills, [which means] operators are hard to replace. Increasing our capacity means we can improve productivity per operator and meet the needs of our customers better.”

Brausse’s Signa 1060Fi is a 1,060x750mm hot-foil stamper that runs at production speeds up to 7,500sph. It runs with a fast start system that allows for foiling without waiting for impression and quick changeover times.

It will allow the Hinckley site to free up capacity on its slower 1,260mm Bobst stamper, which had previously been running any 1,060mm sheet size jobs as they were slightly too wide for the BMA 102.

Frip Finishing employs 30 staff at its Hinckley site, with a further 12 based at its 697sqm Stockport premises. The £7m-turnover group has three further premises in Redditch, Glasgow and Surrey – employing a total of 75 people across all five.

Frip specialises in decorative print finishing and specialist lamination services for the UK packaging industry.