The cutter was signed for two weeks ago and will be installed in August. It follows on from Quantum’s recent purchase of a Ricoh C9100 digital press, its first digital machine.

Quantum joint managing director Giles Foden said: “We were approached by the manufacturer with the offer of a potential deal. We were looking at that side of our business anyway with a view to making it slightly leaner and faster. Things have moved on at a rate of knots in the last couple of years.

“It’s got a lot more flexibility than the existing one. It’s quite a lot faster, it can also be used as a production table as supposed to just a sampling table and the price suited budget."

Foden said Quantum did briefly consider an Esko cutter but the Wednesbury, West Midlands-based company had a strong relationship with the supplier AG/CAD already and he liked what he saw after it had approached him with the machine.

He particularly likes its 3D packaging software, which sends clients an email attachment with a 3D plan of a product.

The cutter also has interchangeable heads. It replaces a second-hand Kasemake cutting table, which Foden said was more than 10 years old.

“It complements the investments that we’ve made, which have been done to be in keeping with the industry, the way it’s going,” he added. 

£3m-turnover Quantum has a number of both blue-chip and SME clients, mainly producing packaging and samples for companies in the nutrition and beverage markets. 

The company employs 28 staff, but Foden said that with the smoother and faster production times that will be introduced by the cutter, it may take on one or two more, or possibly an apprentice to operate the cutter. 

It also runs a Heidelberg Speedmaster CD 102, a Bobst cut-and-crease machine and the digital Ricoh.

Quantum moved to its 2,800sqm premises in February 2014.