Robert Horne has launched two new major initiatives: M-Tronics, a total digital printing service, which has been in development for four years; and esp, a 24-hour electronic supply ordering system.


"We have exported all our expertise and put it into M-Tronics," said group marketing director Bob Latham.


He said the investment in M-Tronics had involved "many multiples of six-figure sums" and was Robert Hornes biggest launch in a decade.


M-Tronics will offer customers advice on topics ranging from hardware to paper selection, and will aim to simplify the selection, application and appropriate use of papers, inks and printing processes.


"The whole print market is evolving and we have to evolve and respond to those changes," said Latham.


In developing M-Tronics, Robert Horne has invested in staff training, support materials and a 50pp range selection brochure covering all aspects of digital print.


The M-Tronics initiative covers five main technology groups business papers for high-volume production, desktop publishing, wide-format ink-jet, Indigo and Xeikon print technologies.


The esp (electronic supply process) will enable customers to order any of the companys 13,000 stock items online through a dedicated and secure site linked to each individual company.


The system is being piloted by around 100 customers and should be fully live by mid-summer.


Story by Andy Scott