The Launceston firm instigated an in-depth review of the returns requirements of online retailers earlier this year, and of the new Royal Mail tracked returns parcel service that uses 2D barcodes.

The project was headed up by project manager Zoe Deadman and data management specialist Nigel Schofield.

It resulted in a £200,000 investment that included Domino K600i inkjet equipment, in order to produce the required 2D barcodes inline with the firm’s Tamarack integrated label production lines.

Managing director Terrye Teverson said she believed it was a USP for the business: “We are delighted to be in production of these new Mailmark 2D barcodes now. Our staff have excelled themselves in getting this project running successfully.  The team are able to advise how to move over to these new barcodes.

“We are already running jobs for various large e-commerce sites,” she added.

The new service went fully live at the beginning of the month. The jobs are run two-wide at 445mm and then sheeted to A4 or A5 off the back of the Tamaracks. The K600i can also be used as a standalone setup for additional flexibility, if required.

The booming online retail space is expected to show another sharp spike in sales in the crucial pre-Christmas trading period. Research firm IDG has predicted that seven out of 10 shoppers will do some of their Christmas shopping online this year.

KCS employs 28 staff and expects turnover of around £3m this year.