Product stitching has become big business for UK newspaper giant News International, which has more than 70 stitchers on 19 manroland Colorman XXL presses following a recent order.

Two recent installations have made the company the world’s biggest user of Tolerans stitchers.

Five Speedliner 2.0 stitchers were installed on the presses at Broxbourne in north London in January. Three more stitchers have now been added to similar presses at Knowsley, near Liverpool in England’s north west.

The plants print editions including 'The Sun' and 'The Times' as well as contract work including the 'Daily Telegraph', typically in straight production without inserting.

Tolerans chief executive Jan Melin says the requirement for lead-time was extraordinary. “We had to do our outmost to meet their requirements and the tough timelines for getting our stitchers into operation”, he says.

The new stitchers include a new user interface and easier maintenance features.