AMI Technology, the digital and litho hardware supplies and support arm of the AMI Group, has been placed into receivership with KPMG.


The group's other trading company AMI Supplies, which is a separate limited company, is unaffected.



KPMG partner Paul Jeffrey said: "We're looking to sell the constituent parts of it [AMI Technology] and preserve as many jobs as possible."



He also confirmed that the goodwill and customer list for the A0 copier part of the business had been sold to Stanford Marsh.



KPMG is also in talks with a number of companies about the sale of the client base and goodwill of AMI Technology's offset business, which sold Hamada presses.



AMI Group managing director Howard Fairless said AMI Technology had been struggling due to unfavourable currency variations in the last year.



Fairless said: "Machines were imported in April or May when the pound was worth $1.56, but were due for payment in September. But then the rate was $1.39, a 14-year low. Digital margins were tight anyway."



He added that the primary concern of the firm was to secure on-going support for customers as well as employees' jobs.
In 1999, AMI Technology recorded a turnover of 3.9m with a pre-tax loss
of 322,000.



Story by John Davies