A Norfolk firm has spent more than £300,000 on a new punch press, which is the first of its kind in Britain.

A Norfolk firm has spent more than £300,000 on a new punch press, which is the first of its kind in Britain.

The Rainer machine, which is used for cutting sheet metal, was developed in Italy and is more than three times faster than current machinery.

It cuts and punches holes into sheet metal 1300 times a minute and fills more than 1500sq ft at the Ebbs and Dale company in Austin Fields, King's Lynn.

The machinery will help safeguard the future of the manufacturing company, whose industry has been suffering in recent times.

New jobs will be created at the company as a result.

The machine will be used for manufacturing parts in industries nationwide such as refrigeration and telecommunication.

Directors Roy Ebbs and Dave Dale have been working together for more than 20 years and visited Italy twice to see the machine, which they first saw at a European manufacturing exhibition.

The machine has been tailored for their company's needs.

It is the second Rainer punch press they have bought, but the new press is faster and more advanced and is controlled by a computer instead of manually.

The company employs 10 people, including the four directors Mr Ebbs and Mr Dale and their wives.

They hope to employ another three people after investing in this equipment.

Mr Ebbs said: "Spending this money is a risk, but it is one we expect to pay off. This machinery is very fast. It has 1300 hits a minute compared to other machines, which are around 400 to 500 hits.

"This is a changing time in the manuf"

Bosses from Rainer in Italy will bring new clients over to visit Ebbs and Dale to show how the press works.

Mr Ebbs said Ebbs and Dale was now looking to expand on to the internet.