Westdale Printing Group has signed up for a 12-colour Heidelberg Speedmaster 102 as part of a planned 5m spend over the next year.


Cardiff-based Westdale will take delivery of the new machine, only the second of its kind in the UK, in January, along with a highly specified ST300 stitcher.


The press and stitcher account for 2.25m of the firm's spending. Managing director Alan Padbury said he had not yet decided how the remaining cash would be spent, but the firm has been tipped to buy a MAN Roland web.


"It is our intention to develop the web side of our business," said Padbury. "At the moment, we're running two 8pp Heidelberg mini-webs and we'd like to think about changing one for a 16pp."
"It's nice to have the range of presses to take on any problem in the mid-range market," Padbury added.


Westdale has sales of 13.5m, split equally between web and sheetfed work, but it is aiming to increase this to 20m within the next two years. The Speedmaster will run alongside a six-colour CD 102.


The Group comprises three companies: The Westdale Press, Bray Graphics and East Moors Bindery. It employs around 115 staff.


Story by Lauretta Roberts