Speaking as the group showed visitors around its 43,000m2 Sheffield superplant for the first time, Hibbert said the firm had "one or two targets" it was looking at for the facility. This was in addition to the Associated Newspapers supplements that will account for just under half of the plant's initial capacity.
"There is a distinct possibility that some big weeklies will go gravure," Hibbert added.
The foundations for the first three presses are currently being constructed, and project director Mike Young is adamant that the site will be running according to its extremely demanding schedule. In fact the project is currently ahead of schedule and the press unwinds are due to be installed next month.
Associated's Night & Day and You will be produced there from June 2005. All three presses are set to be running 24/7 by next September.
"The most important thing is momentum otherwise you're like Eurogravure [the new Arvato/RCS plant in Italy] planning for five years and still four months behind schedule," said Young. "Whoever wants to make a bet I'm willing to take it this factory will be operational by the end of March."
Hibbert quipped that construction was "progressing faster than [TV show] Changing Rooms". "It will be less than 12 months from us receiving planning permission to the plant producing its first commercial work a testament to great team work," he said.
Although Polestar received a setback with the departure of Sheffield managing director Andrew Jones last week, other key members of the management team are in place. They are: human resources manager Simon Jones; training manager Niall Denton; site services and project engineer Richard Keane; pre-press manager Gary McCrorie; production control manager Phil Waller; and finance director John Varley.
By next September the plant is expected to employ 400 staff, but could ultimately employ as many as 1,500-1,600 if it expands according to plan - it could eventually run 12 presses.
Polestar is currently recruiting experienced print, bindery and pre-press staff, and this will include relocating employees from its existing gravure plants and elsewhere in the industry. In January it will hold a recruitment day for semi-skilled operatives and administration staff, who are expected to come from the local area.
Local MP Clive Betts, who was among those who visited the plant last week, said he was pleased Polestar was making the effort to recruit locally, "becoming part of the community and integrating into Sheffield life".
The group has also ordered a fourth Ferag Unidrum along with high-speed Segbert automatic palletisers for the plant's bindery, in addition to the original Ferag order placed at Drupa
As revealed last week by PrintWeek, Varnicoat's David Yendole is joining the plant as customer service and planning director.
Polestar Sheffield: the schedule
30 November press unwinds arrive, and the Cerutti gravure presses arrive progressively from that point
16 December practical completion of building. The digital pre-press front-end will have been installed and tested at Petty ready for this date
January 2005 reel handling kit arrives, first cylinders made on site, first polywrapping lines arrive and initial Ferag installation to be operational by the end of the month
February solvent recovery plant operational by end of month
March first press starts up last week of month. Manufacturing trials begin
April second press starts up. Limited commercial production
June Goes live with production of Associated Newspapers supplements
July third press starts up
September all three presses running and plant operational 24/7
Story by Jo Francis
