"He’s working for us on some commercial projects, initially on a contract for six months," explained chief executive Paul Utting. "He’s looking at some internal things including paper over-usage, logistics and sale of waste."

Utting said Hearnden was not directly involved in any sales activity.

Wyndeham has also put the Apple Web Offset kit up for sale through Sanderson Weatherall. It includes two Manroland Uniset heatset webs.

"It’s our policy to sell equipment out of the country, there would have to be a compelling reason not to do so," Utting added. "The exception is those presses which could go to a newspaper publisher and it wouldn’t worry us too much.

"But they are more likely to go to China or India."