The 10-colour machine marks Wood Mitchell's long-perfecting debut and will join a kit line-up that includes a six-colour B1 press. The SM 102, which costs around £2.2m, replaces a five-colour CD.

Ross Mitchell, Wood Mitchell's chairman, told PrintWeek that the company has invested about £3.2m into improving its printing capabilities. The SM 102, he claimed, will enable the company to provide customers with high-quality printing at a cheaper price, as well as boosting capacity by around 30%.

"There is a lot of pressure on printing companies and some are going to close," he said. "The only printing companies that are going to survive are those which are proactive."

The Stoke-on-Trent-based printer has spent the last 18 months upgrading its pre-press and finishing capabilities, a process that started with the installation of a Suprasetter 102 and Prinect Printready pre-press workflow system.

It has also taken on Heidelberg's Hybrid screening and added two Stahlfolders and a Stitchmaster ST450 saddle-stitching line.

Mitchell said key factors in the decision to invest in a long perfector were the development of the ink manufacturing and ink-repelling attributes of the new impression and transfer cylinder jackets.

The latest vegetable-based inks make production more environmentally friendly and advances in oil-based seals mean that they can give a finish that matches the quality of water-based seals.

Wood Mitchell already uses the Prinect ImageControl spectrophotometer, which measures sellable print rather than colour bars. The machine will be used alongside the SM 102 and the printer will also install a Technotrans bulk inking system and is investing in Technotrans' eco.clean solvent recovery system.

The machine features the Prinect Press Center console and Intellistart software and includes a 19-inch touchscreen and wall screen that gives operators real-time information in graphic form.

The printing company has gained FSC accreditation and is working towards attaining ISO 14001. Quality-wise, it has ISO 12647-2.