The bookletmaker was installed at the Birmingham operation in early January with a VAC-1000 tower collator, and will be used on multi-page applications sized from A6 to A4.

It replaces an ageing Plockmatic machine that was beginning to break down regularly and cause problems for LG Davis. The firm selected the Horizon option due to its build quality as well as the support that would be provided by IFS.

Operations director Matt Watkiss said: “Our new Horizon will deal with saddle-stitched books that come from both litho and digital, as well as a mix on occasion.

“By taking it on, we can assure our clients that we are able to get jobs done on time and to a high quality. From an efficiency perspective, the bookletmaker means we can meet demand a lot better.

“We were drawn to IFS because they did not just jump in and push us to spend, they took the time to get to understand our issues and offer a solution that works for us and can provide peace of mind for our customers.”

The automated Horizon JDF-ready SPF-200A runs at speeds up to 4,500bph and offers instant set-ups through a large icon-based colour touchscreen. The screen can be used for mid-job fine-tuning as well as storing and recalling of up to 200 jobs.

It joins a mixed portfolio of litho and digital printing technology at £3.6m-turnover LG Davis’ 1,860sqm base that includes six Heidelberg presses of various sizes and Xerox digital kit including an Iridesse, a Versant 2114 and a Nuvera 144.

The firm's finishing kit includes Stahlfolders, as well as capabilities for guillotining, drilling and stitching by hand and a newly-installed Pratika 56 MPE shrink-wrapper.

Moving forward, Watkiss expressed hopes that his company would be able to grow with the help of a new contract so it can invest in new litho machinery and a new guillotine.