It has made cuts at both its Hemel Hempstead headquarters and its Peterborough factory.

"At the end of last year it became obvious we needed to restructure," said managing director Andy Cook. "Sales were out of kilter with optimistic sales targets. Its a reflection of the state of the global economy."

Despite that sales grew slightly, with a large increase in scanner sales spurred on by a move into lower-priced higher-volume products.

"We were recruiting last year with expectations of significant growth, which didnt come," said Cook. The majority of the staff to go (50), which included temps, were in support roles at Hemel Hempstead.