The company’s Merthyr Tydfil, Wales-based plant is to take delivery of a 15,000sph eight-colour press just days after the end of Drupa. This will be followed by an 18,000sph five-colour with coater version of the press in August.

The new XL 106-8-P will be equipped with a CutStar reel-to-sheeter, Inpress Control automated register and colour control, and Autoplate XL simultaneous plate-changing.

The five-colour plus coater press, which has been developed to handle a high-volume of magazine covers, will be Stephens and George's first 18,000sph XL machine, and offers an increased press speed that the company hopes will increase its output by 20%.

The machine’s coater can switch between UV and conventional finishes.

Stephens and George managing director Andrew Jones said: "When we moved from SM 102s to XL 105s with CutStar and Inpress Control, we increased our output by 50%.

"When we installed Autoplate XL for the first time in 2010, we found that we were saving five minutes per makeready and with 17,500 makereadies a year we had created an additional month’s worth of production. We hope this will be equalled or bettered with our latest investment."

The company is also set to upgrade its folding capacity by installing two Stahlfoder TH82 buckle machines as replacements for older combination machines.

Stephens and George is to celebrate its centenary celebration with a staff wayzgoose on the Thames, a customer celebration day and a family day with a marquee and a range of activities. It will also mark the anniversary with the launch of the Stephens and George Centenary Charity Trust, which will provide literacy schemes and bursaries covering sport, academia and the arts for underprivileged children

Stephens and George has challenged its 230 staff to each raise £100, which could contribute a further £23,000 to the newly created fund.