2012 was a year of diversification and rejigging across the finishing sector as more and more printers stifled ever growing costs and ever shrinking margins by bringing post-press in-house. Westdale Press, Geoff Neal Litho and Swanline made huge investments in finishing equipment to launch new services for its customers and cut down on outsourcing bills.

Duplo celebrated a successful and vibrant year, with March bringing about its biggest ever sales sweep and November's London Calling Rocks, its first international version of the annual show, being hailed as a great success. Its 'One Duplo' strategy brought about massive changes and welcome promotions for the team, as Peter Jolly became UK managing director, following his predecessor Tony Lock's appointment as commercial group director for the international operations.

November also saw the exit of Muller Martini UK managing director Andreas Schillinger as his Benelux colleague Dirk Deceuninck took over as the Northern Europe regional manager under the finishing manufacturer's restructure.

And, as the year came to an end, German equipment manufacturer Mathias Bauerle was saved from collapse by its UK distributor Encore Machinery along with its German management and Swiss and Italian investors.

January

Friedheim International opened a new converting division through its partnership with Kama… Seven ex-employees of dissolved finishing house West Country Binders won an unfair dismissal claim when a tribunal found that UK Book Binders was a continuation of the company… Morgana reverted on its patent infringement claim against Multigraf and instead signed a licensing agreement with the Swiss manufacturer… Morgana then agreed a distribution deal with Vivid Laminating Technologies…

February

Educational Printing Services launched a new finishing division, EPS Finishing, in a bid to improve sales during quieter months… Duplo launched the DBMi Saddle System and FKS PrintBind KB-400 PUR binder at its showroom event to mark the opening of its Addlestone-based international headquarters… Zund launched its S3 range of cutting tables for smaller format finishing... Summa unveiled its V-Cut tool as an add-on for its F-Series cutters... Terry Cooper Services was appointed as a UK distributor for the Zechini X-Book range of casing machines…

March

Italian inserter manufacturer Sitma agreed a deal with Muller Martini to supply inserting stations and wrapping equipment for the Swiss company’s binding lines… Friedheim expanded its converting division by becoming distributors for Lasercomb’s die-making equipment and sheet-to-sheet laminators by Stock Maschinenbau… Friedheim also enhanced its laminator portfolio by adding Komfi’s new entry-level Junior 36 machine… Encore Machinery took on the UK dealership for Samed Innovazioni’s range of hard case bookbinding and photobook machines…

April

Intelligent Finishing Systems was appointed as exclusive UK supplier for Photobook Technology’s hardback book production range… Highcon brought ex-Bobst employee Nigel Tracey to its team to drive the manufacturer’s international sales as sales director… Ashgate Automation was appointed as a dealer for Duplo’s digital finishing products… Colourgen was appointed as distributor for Josero’s wide-format Kala laminators…

May

Diecut UK launched the Diecut Goldline, which it hailed as a safer replacement for platen diecutting… Kern launched the Ai-33 at Drupa, which it claimed to be the world’s fastest inserter… Intelligent Finishing Systems expanded its range of products by taking on the distributorship for bookbinding and finishing equipment provider SCS Automaberg... On Demand Machinery partnered with Mohawk Fine Papers to manufacture the Sidewinder, a bindery system for producing Panoramic TRU-Flat photo books… Renz signed distribution deals for the Mohr guillotine range and GMP laminators following negotiations at Drupa…

June

Day Graphic Systems added a range of offline anilox coaters to its distributor portfolio… Terry Cooper Services was appointed as a Bagel Systems distributor to supply the Spanish manufacturer’s laminators in the UK for the first time… On Demand Machinery added Vortec needle cooling technology to its Super Sewer machines to maintain maximum production levels…

July

Spiral Binding Company brought Polish manufacturer Laminator’s LAM-50 CA and LAM-502 machines to the UK through its sub-distributor Punchbind… DKP Finishing bought Surrey Laminators out of administration and moved into its Croydon plant, taking on its assets and staff… German finishing manufacturer Mathias Bauerle was appointed a provisional liquidator after filing for bankruptcy protection following slow pre-Drupa orders…

August

Autobond appointed Binderhaus as a distributor to target the German market… Duplo took on the exclusive UK distribution for the Fastback range of tabletop binders… Pitney Bowes, Neopost, FP Executive Agency and Nationwide Franking Sense were appointed as franking equipment suppliers to the Higher Education sector… Watkiss Automation joined Renz as a UK distributor for Mohr, selling its Eco and Net range of guillotines…

September

Chinese finishing manufacturer Brausse prepared to set up worldwide sales and services bases to expand its sales reach… Duplo underwent a management overhaul that saw marketing manager Peter Jolly promoted to UK managing director as part of its ‘One Duplo’ strategy to unify its international divisions… Tech-ni-Fold developed its Tri-Creaser Fast Fit creasers for retrofitting onto Morgana folders… Printers Superstore signed an exclusive UK distributorship deal for Dumor’s range of finishing products… Muller Martini UK was grouped with Northern Europe as the company restructured to appoint eight regional operations to oversee its 40 subsidiaries…

October

Staff at envelope plant John Dickinson entered a 30-day consultation period as management considered alternatives to closing the facility due to declining demand… Synertec relocated its Somerset head office to Bristol and opened a new facility in Warrington to respond to growing demand for its mail management offerings… Intelligent Finishing Systems added roll-fed finishing products to its portfolio through its distribution partnership with Lasermax… Unibind UK’s managing director bought the remaining shares of the division from Belgian firm Peleman Industries to become sole shareholder… Geoff Neal Litho opened its £600,000 print and finishing department for short run work… Former KBA executive sales director Mark Nixon set up distribution business Conversion to resell Highcon and Scodix kit…

November

Muller Martini UK managing director Andreas Schillinger exited the company as the restructure saw the Benelux division’s Dirk Deceuninck take over as regional manager for Northern Europe… Duplo hosted its first international London Calling Rocks event at London’s O2, taking £463,000 worth of orders in two days… Heidelberg signed a deal to become the exclusive dealer of the Guillo-Crease to add creasing capabilities to its Polar guillotines… Pitney Bowes relocated its Harlow-based European headquarters to Hatfield, taking 450 employees with it… John Dickinson announced that it was to close by the end of 2012 following October’s 30-day consultation period…

December

Mathias Bauerle was saved from liquidation by a buyout team including a Swiss investor, MB management, two distributors and its UK reseller Encore Machinery… Westdale Press added mailing to its offerings with a £500,000 investment in a new facility centred on a Sitma line… Kern signed a distribution deal with Objectif Lune to distribute its intelligent mailing software in the UK…