The fire, which happened on 4 May, resulted in significant damage to some of the Leicester-based company’s machinery.
“The fire itself was relatively limited but it caused the sprinklers to go off and the combination of the black acrid smoke and the sprinklers created a mildly acidic solution which touched some of our equipment,” said Taylor Bloxham chief executive Robert Lockwood.
“This gave us an opportunity to consider whether we reinvested or took the repair money from the insurers and just repaired what we had; we decided to reinvest.”
The damaged machines, a Kolbus PUR binding line and a Muller Martini Amrys stitching line, were replaced with two new Muller devices – an Alegro perfect binder, installed last month, and a Primera MC saddle stitcher, which went in earlier this month.
“We did the decorating work that was needed as well as a detailed clean of the building to make sure any of the dust and smoke was cleared away and we were all back up and running by the beginning of August,” said Lockwood.
The new machines offer faster makeready times and running speeds and prevent production bottlenecks, which will enable the firm to offer its clients faster turnaround times.
“We run 24/7 so it gives us more hours in the day,” said Lockwood.
The new kit will support existing print machinery at the company’s 5,575sqm site, which includes five Heidelberg Speedmaster litho presses.
Taylor Bloxham, which has 200 staff and a turnover of more than £26m, was formed in 1938. It is now part of The Taylor Bloxham Group which also houses two other brands – direct mail and fulfilment arm FastAnt and specialist POS arm Instore.
