The Edinburgh-based publisher, which has recently spent over £100m on print facilities in Dinnington and Portsmouth, will be installing a brand new 96pp full-colour press as well as upgrading its current Goss machine.
Upgrading of the current 630mm cut-off Berliner press, which will include the purchase of secondhand machinery, is expected to be completed this year. The overall project is expected to take around 18 months.
Johnston Press chief executive Tim Bowdler said the firm has not selected a manufacturer to provide the press.
He said: “We are identifying our alternatives. We have a number of options.
“We have already done an awful lot of work and a lot of thinking, so we know what sort of capability we are looking for. Over the next few weeks, we will be clearer as to our intentions.”
The company will also be investing in inserting and dispatching kit to run alongside the new press.
Johnston Press managing director for Northern Ireland Jean Long said the investment will help to modernise the plant, which it acquired in 2005 when it bought Scottish and Irish news group Score Press for £155m.
She added: “The demand for colour and increased pagination has brought this move on. We currently outsource our daily titles, but we want to print in-house and we will now be able to do this.
“It will also provide us and our contract customers with enhanced quality and greater colour capabilities for local and national markets. And it will give us the ideal platform to further develop our titles.”
• The Guardian is considering a smaller-format newspaper to attract younger readers.
Focus groups have been shown dummy editions. However, so far it is uncertain whether the newspaper will make it to newsagents.
JOHNSTON PRESS SPEND
February 2005 Sheffield upgrade, £60m
June 2005 Portsmouth upgrade, £45m
June 2005 Score Press purchase, £155m
July 2005 Peterborough upgrade, £11m
September 2005 Acquisition of Local Press Group, £65m; Acquisition of the Leinster Leader, £93m
January 2007 Purchase of Archant (Scotland), £11.2m
April 2007 Northern Ireland upgrade, £10m
