The Leicester company took delivery of a Heidelberg Linoprint CV digital press just before Christmas and a Suprasetter A 75 platesetter earlier this month.
The two items are additions to its existing kit and are being used for envelopes, six-page brochures, A4 portrait and landscape work and personal data for mail merging.
The investment follows that of a second Speedmaster XL 75 two years ago, which was fitted with Axis Control. The second machine features Inpress Control colour and register control. As well as the two five-colour Heidelberg XL 75s with coaters, the firm also runs an older Linoprint CV and a Ricoh C751 digital press.
Spectrum produces folders, leaflets, report and accounts and other commercial work. The 29-staff business makes a turnover of nearly £3m. Joint managing directors Karl Nicholson and Paul Clifton took over the company in an MBO 10 years ago.
Nicholson said shorter timescales, reduced run lengths and an increase in business this year led the company to invest in its second Suprasetter A 75.
“We hope the new machines will push us over the £3m-turnover mark in 12 months. Producing high quality work at the right price and on deadline means you have to keep up with machinery,” he said.
Automatic plate loading means when work is signed off, often at the end of each day, the new CTP kit can be left to output plates for the night shift. The latest Speedmaster runs Saphira chemistry-free plates.
Spectrum has also created a new bottom floor at the factory and now has more office space and a new digital room. The company is hoping to recruit a digital operator.
“I have run the Linoprint CV myself for four years but now it’s time we had a dedicated digital operator who can work across both presses,” said Nicholson.
"It’s been a good machine, which is why we have come back to Heidelberg for the latest model.
“The new Linoprint CV has a better feeder, is faster and can handle bigger sheets sizes (6pp A4 portrait or 4pp A4 landscape) and white or gloss coating. The digital market has grown and we need more volume.”
