The order, worth 500,000 comprised two 137cm guillotines, a 137XT and a 137M, a standalone punch with bander and an automatic banding system.

The two guillotines will replace three of the firm's five existing guillotines.

"It means we can save labour while still increasing productivity," said at James Townsend commercial manager Gareth Coles (pictured second from left).

The Exeter-based company specialises in wet label production and has a strong presence within the soft drinks market, so it needs kit that can punch and square cut labels in a variety of sizes. Its operations cover pre-press to delivery. The print operation includes a litho arm running one B2 and two B1 Speedmasters, and a reel-fed flexo division.

The firm will also install a Shuttleworth MIS and may take advantage of the Polar system's open connectivity with eyes on expanding its digital workflow using JDF.

"We've been with Polar for a very long time. We've seen that it has improved the automation significantly," said Coles.