The deal was signed last week and means AMS will be able to sell and service machines from the US manufacturer to the UK market.

AMS managing director Peter Fiorentini said: “We’ve been dealing with Kirk-Rudy for a few years now but in a very low capacity because there was another UK supplier.” 

Fiorentini said that once the current UK supplier deal runs out, his circa-£4m-turnover business will be Kirk-Rudy's exclusive UK supplier, probably before the end of the year. 

The Kirk-Rudy machines that will be available include a selection of inkjet systems, such as the KolorJet high-end inkjet printer, which is designed for variable data printing, the NetJet inkjet addressing system and the high-speed Phoenix, and a large range of packaging machines, addressing accessories and supplies. 

Kirk-Rudy president Rick Marshall said he looked forward to “building further” on the partnership, which was unveiled on the AMS stand at The Print Show, Telford, last week.  

Fiorentini added: “We do desktop machines mainly so this is going to be our higher-end. The Kirk-Rudy has a good history for bringing out solid, reliable products; it’s an industry name in the US, but perhaps not so well known in the UK.”

29-staff AMS, which last year launched a new postal mail preparation machine, is headquartered in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire and provides mailroom equipment and consumables to printers, mailing houses and offices that send out postal mailshots. Its products range from envelope and label printers to folding and inserting machines, polywrapping systems and mailing software.