According to IFS, the HT-1000V was developed chiefly to go inline with perfect binding lines, either from Horizon or the likes of Muller Martini and Kolbus.

“It can go completely inline and that’s where we see half the sales going, the other half will probably go to users with two or three binding lines that really want one conveying system feeding the trimmer, to free up the guillotines by making the most of the trimmer's full automation,” said Bryan Godwyn, joint managing director of Horizon's exclusive UK reseller IFS.

The Horizon pXnet JDF-enabled HT-1000V features a barcode recognition system that automatically sets the trimmer. Alternatively it can also be set up via a user-friendly GUI.

The machine was shown by Horizon as a prototype at last year’s Drupa as the “inline book production system”. Since then the trimmer has been further developed, with half-a-dozen machines already installed in Germany and northern Europe.

However, Ipex 2014, where the flagship trimmer will take centre stage on IFS’s stand, will herald the machine's launch on to the UK market.

The circa £150,000 1,000 books per hour line can handle untrimmed books from 148x105mm to 350x320mm, with a maximum trim thickness of 65mm.

According to IFS, its key features are the servo-driven pusher and book clamps for automatic book positioning and independently operated trim knives. It also automatically applies silicon spray at the spine cut of the top and bottom trim knives to prevent glue from sticking to the knives.

“With the commercial availability of high-speed B2 inkjet presses and operations under greater pressure to offer flexibility with fast turnaround times, a system that can adapt to these demands and produce high-quality results will help users gain the all-important competitive edge. It will also help them build confidence to adopt more and more work,” said Godwyn.