Next month the Bristol gravure plant will install a Muller Martini Corona binder, which has been designed for the catalogue market and has 30 feeders, two trimmers and two palletisers.

Polestar Purnell has also bought two Muller Martini 301s, which will take the number of stitchers in its bindery to 14. This will give the plant the capacity to stitch over 10m products a week.

Polestar Purnell managing director Tony Hall said: "This technology secures our position as the premier gravure printer of quality catalogues in the UK. We have the flexibility to meet demands for either stitched or perfect bound products."

Muller Martini UK has also sold the first of its new entry-level stitching machine, the Valore, to Interprint Creative Services.

The Knaresborough-based company, which has 90 staff, bought the machine in a bid to reduce turnaround times.

Interprint Creative Services production director Gerard Wood said it was time that the company brought its finishing in-house and that it would benefit from greater control over jobs.

"We decided on the Valore because it offered us an easy route into finishing and because of Muller Martinis reputation for producing solid, reliable machines," said Gerard.

And Nottingham-based print finisher BG Watson has bought its fifth Muller Martini Prima saddlestitcher, complete with automatic makeready system (AMRYS).

Story by John Davies