Book printer CPI UK and Timsons Engineering set up TimsonsCPI together in autumn 2021, in order to revive the historic and popular Timsons offset book presses. 

TimsonsCPI has now secured an order for a new T48A press from Canadian book and packaging printer Friesens, which said its existing T32 and T48 presses had been “workhorses” delivering excellent quality and reliability for the business. 

Its T48A will have a number of new features for enhanced performance, and will be the first new Timsons press to be manufactured in a decade.

TimsonsCPI thanked its strategic OEM partners – CCS Technology, Baldwin, Contiweb, Rima-System and I.Mer printing automation systems – for their help with the Friesens project. 

The press is set to be installed next year. 

Friesens is employee-owned and was established in 1907. The firm commented: “We have a high degree of confidence in this investment, and in the venture itself. The subject matter experts we met at the factory buoyed our confidence that this was a good strategic investment and partnership.”

In addition, CPI has also made use of TimsonsCPI’s services for its own platform, with a major project close to completion to upgrade an existing press here in the UK to Zero Make Ready spec. 

“We have taken the T48 out of Clowes, it is being completely refurbished, new motors and electrics and then having the ZMR unit added,” explained CPI UK managing director Tanya Dunbar. 

“It will essentially be a new machine which is then being put into CPI Books Chatham to support our trade books business.”

The press being upgraded is a 96pp Royal format, and is set to be installed in June. The overall investment is around £2m.

“In November we moved a T32 Royal press (64pp) from Chatham to Clowes, the increased capacity from the ZMR T48 will come from the increased reel width to allow us to print a 96pp section and the zero make ready functionality,” Dunbar added.

TimsonsCPI also reported considerable interest in press upgrades and refurbishments from the Timsons user base, as well as other projects for new presses.