Omnia Books near Glasgow is to shed 65 jobs after ditching colour book production.


The losses at its Bishopbriggs plant came after an internal review and "restructuring" to focus on strengths and future market trends, it said.


"Most of the printers will be kept to give us the flexibility for more shift work across our mono presses," said managing director Kevin McKenna.


He hoped to offer to retrain the 11 four-colour printers to use mono presses, but blamed tough competition for reducing staffing to 250.


"In the past year we have seen big investments in new kit by other four-colour book printers. That led to cost efficiencies we cannot match. There has also been foreign competition and a strong pound. Omnias first investment in new machinery had to be in our mono book product lines."


McKenna said he would sell the MAN Roland 807 and Ultraman machines, but keep a Roland 807 as back-up for covers. The loss of colour would cut its turnover by 1m to 16.5m.


The jobs have gone a month after Omnia won a 150,000-run mono contract with Harper Collins to print the film tie-in of JRR Tolkiens Lord of the Rings (PrintWeek, 20 July).


It also signed a 1m contract with Simon & Schuster for black-and-white trade books, and has been in print talks with the Bible Society and Gideons.


The strategy change comes 15 months after an 8m management buy out that saved the firm when it went into receivership (PrintWeek, 14 April 2000).


It dropped its Caledonian International name in favour of Omnia because it reflected the firms ability to produce a wide range of products, McKenna said at the time.


Story by Fay Schopen and Jez Abbott