A MAILING firm is targeting new markets after spending more than £6m on machinery to strengthen production.

MetroMail, in Seaham, east Durham, has made the investment to take advantage of demand for digital colour print.

The move comes after the firm, which already employs 220 staff, earlier this year revealed it wanted to fill another ten posts, including roles across management, commercial and technology positions, and take on a business administration apprentice.

The company handles up to one million pieces of mail every day, as well as carrying out laser printing, wrapping and data management.

Alan Purvis, MetroMail’s managing director, said it was working with technology firm Canon to fulfil its growth plans.

He said: “We are not afraid to take on new challenges because I firmly believe if you do things the way you always have, you’ll only ever achieve mediocre results.

“We aspire to far more than that, and we believe our partnership with Canon is another step forward in our goal of becoming the most efficient and profitable business in our industry.

“Anyone can buy technology; but what makes the technology successful is the people behind it, from the supplier and installation teams to the everyday operators and support engineers.

“If you don’t have the right mix of people, the desired outcome is that much harder to reach.

“When we set out to transform our processes and gear up for further growth, we didn’t simply draw up a shopping list of technologies to take to the market.

“We had a vision of where we wanted to take the business and left it to suppliers to demonstrate how we could achieve it with their arsenal of equipment.”

Founded more than 25 years ago, MetroMail was previously based in Peterlee, also in east Durham, but switched to a 140,000sq ft site at Seaham’s Foxcover Enterprise Park in 2010.

Craig Nethercott, Canon’s UK and Ireland commercial print group director, said it was delighted to be supporting MetroMail.

He added: “Colour digital print is a powerful tool for MetroMail.

“By combining its expertise with high speed colour capability, there’s an opportunity to enter new areas and markets where traditionally it has not been able to compete.

“The firm’s message of growth is clear and it’s a privilege to be part of the journey.”