PRINTING firm W&G Baird has invested £4 million in new equipment that it said made it among the most advanced printers in the UK or Ireland.
It has bought the latest technology for sheet fed printing, folding and binding.
The company made the investment after receiving £500,000 from the Growth Loan Fund a further £100,000 in public money.
The company was founded in 1862 and currently employs 95 staff at its main site in Antrim and has sales offices in Dublin and Nottingham.
It prints a range of digital and lithographic products from leaflets to coffee table books and folders to magazines in both the UK and Ireland.
W&G Baird managing director Patrick Moffett said: “Whilst we already operate the largest print room in Ireland, the installation of this new press and binder will enhance our already considerable capacity and maintain our position as an innovator in the industry.”
Gavin Kennedy, director of business banking for Bank of Ireland which supported the cash injection in Northern Ireland, said: "We are pleased to have supported W&G Baird - with whom we have a long-standing relationship - in funding this investment.
"It demonstrates our continuing commitment to helping companies with a proven track record, quality management team and a focus on growth. It's a great example of a business delivering growth through innovation and we look forward to continuing to work with the company to deliver on this."
Enterprise minister Jonathan Bell added: "Innovation and continuous development is central to business success and this new machinery will not only position W&G Baird competitively in its target markets but also help to reduce its environmental impact.”
Paul Millar, chief investment officer at WhiteRock Capital Partners which manages the Growth Loan Fund said W&G Baird was "the perfect example of the type of company the Growth Loan Fund is keen to support".
"The owner’s ability to adapt and understand structural changes in the printing industry over the past several years has been a key driver to their success," he added.
