The Versafire CV was previously called the Heidelberg Linoprint CV.
KMS made the purchase at the end of May.
The move comes after KMS merged with Witney-based commercial printer Litho and Digital Impressions (LDI) last September.
KMS managing director Mark Willis said: “First of all we had a digital piece of kit that had come to the end of an agreement, a Konica Minolta bizhub, and whilst it has served us very well it is a bottleneck for us in terms of throughput, speed and what it could produce. That was a driving reason for the replacement, we’re really looking for more throughput.”
KMS will retain the bizhub 5501 as a backup for the Versafire.
Willis was particularly impressed with the fact that the 90 A4ppm Versafire doesn’t slow down for duplexing, except for the heaviest stocks.
He added that its 700mm long-sheet capability will help KMS with brochure work, making brochures more cost-effective on digital over litho.
Willis was also pleased with the environmental credentials of Heidelberg’s machine, which is OEM'd from Ricoh.
“One other nice feature was the attitude to the environment with the Heidelberg. They take back all the toners and excess cartridges and bottles. Our previous experience of that is you’ve kind of got them and it’s hard to get rid of them,” added Willis.
The purchase is KMS’ first Heidelberg digital press, as it previously relied on machines from Konica and Xerox for its digital work. It already runs two Heidelberg Speedmasters, a five-colour SM 74 and a two-colour SM 52.
It also runs a Stahl combination folder, a Polar guillotine and has Morgana digital finishing equipment. It offers some wide-format production using an Epson Stylus Pro 9900 and outsources its PUR binding work.
The Cotswolds-based company regularly completes a variety of commercial long-term projects. Most recently, KMS was commissioned by local artist Josephine Trotter for a 1,000-print run of a 136-page retrospective of her work. Trotter’s work is currently being exhibited in Gallery 8 in London.
Willis added: "I want to be at the point where I'm confident enough to say it’s a 'print job', the customer doesn't need to know whether it's litho or digital."
KMS currently turns over £1.1m but is aiming for £1.5m in the next three years. It has taken on three new staff since it merged with LDI.
