The new device, which will be used to handle A4 and A3 work, much of it digital and often 2up or 4up, will replace a 25-year-old Polar model that the Lisburn, Northern Ireland-based business bought secondhand around 10 years ago.

General manager David Wright said that while the company looked at a number of different options during its market research, “our analysis showed that Polar was the best; it met the mark”.

He particularly liked the machine's laser beam safety features and ease of use as well as the Polar mark of quality and performance and the service levels offered by Heidelberg.

“The security features will give me peace of mind with the operators, and the speed at which we're going to be able to cut has improved as the technology has advanced massively,” he said.

“It will also give us the confidence to take on more challenging projects rather than outsourcing them.”

He added: “Our previous Polar guillotine was bought from one of our key suppliers who was moving the machine on, so this is our first point of contact with Heidelberg.

“They've been really good to deal with, very professional, so we're pleased. One of the Heidelberg team is flying over to train our team on the same day that one of its engineers is coming to fit the machine.”

With a cutting width and depth of 560mm, the D56 Eco features a monochrome display and has a 198 programme capacity for repeat formats. The knife changing is said to be “very easy”, with maintenance minimal.

Tricord predominantly serves clients in the retail, financial and charity sectors as well as government departments and end users.

With 15 staff based at its 1,500sqm site, the business operates a range of C5 and C4 mailing equipment, Konica Minolta digital printers and Sitma shrinkwrapping kit, which Wright said is increasingly being used with biodegradable film as opposed to polywrap.