Partnerships

The first IBM line was installed in October 2000 as a result of a competitive tender exercise. IBM was the most attractive partner because of the superior quality of the products produced on its HD 4100 line, the ability of the HD 4100 to integrate seamlessly with our transfer and folding machines, and also because of the opportunity to incorporate variable data onto the end products.

In September 2003, the signing of a three-year £3 million deal between Cambridge Printing and IBM was announced which would upgrade the digital lines used in the production of examination papers for Cambridge Assessment (CA).

High speed InfoPrint 4100 HD3/4s were installed, with a capacity to print up to 40 million papers a year (approximately 600 million pages) and increase our capacity by some 60%. The machines can produce 8-20 page examination papers, in single sections, which are then folded and stitched inline to produce the finished papers. Printing and folding as a single section eliminates the possibility of mis-collation sometimes associated with multiple section litho printing.

The increase in capacity means that we no longer need to supplement internal production with outsourcing during the peaks in demand for the printing of UK summer examination papers. Bringing all printing in-house reduces overall costs and ensures that the tightly regulated production of examination papers can now be produced in a purpose-built facility within the main press site in the centre of Cambridge.

Debbie Gray, Business Director, Promotional and Confidential, explained that the reason for the selection of the IBM Infoprint 4100 machines was due to their high speed and outstanding print quality. “We also expect to develop more integrated systems for producing exam papers over the coming years. By selecting IBM we are future-proofing ourselves by partnering with organisations that can assist Cambridge Printing to integrate with other digital technologies” she said.