The business, which runs more than 30 pieces of machinery across its Manchester, Gateshead, Castleford and Birmingham branches, took delivery of the device at its Birmingham site last month.

It was supplied by Terry Cooper Services (TCS) and brought in to replace an ageing Polar guillotine.

Supplying a raft of wide-format materials including vinyl, laminates and banner material to the trade, conversion plays a large part in Pyramid’s offering.

“Accuracy of cutting is essential for the either plastic or fibrous-based materials that we convert,” said Pyramid head of sales and marketing Neil McCarthy.

“So when our old faithful guillotine was finally deemed to be on its last legs, it was time to source a replacement.”

TCS took Pyramid staff to Eagle Plastics in Leicester – the first UK company to install a CCM Premier 168 last June – for a demonstration prior to purchase.

“We traditionally purchased refurbished secondhand guillotines but when we saw the offering Terry Cooper had in a brand new CCM Premier 168 guillotine we were convinced a new machine was the right decision,” said McCarthy.

“It combined a sturdy and accurate piece of kit with a competitive price. We knew it was the way to go.”

The CCM Premier 168 features a deep clamp opening which accepts more substrate to reduce overall cutting time, and infrared slimline light barriers. Safety is also enhanced via the use of an optical cutting safety line.

The machine includes central lubrication, which means wear-free bearings and longer intervals between servicing, while large air side tables make for easier paper handling.

The device also features auto knife function for repeat cutting, and a larger diameter backgauge spindle for faster backgauge action.