Its UK distributor M Partners' role will increase as part of the move.

The spares facility will move to the Netherlands, where it will be merged with Mitsubishi's corrugated spares centre.

Senior technicians will remain in Leeds and will service the company's machines across the whole of Europe.

According M Partners, although Mitsubishi will not have a showroom in Europe, it has set up a series of "key reference sites" across the continent, reducing costs.

M Partners managing director Murray Lock said: "Manufacturers have had to take a more pragmatic approach; the market for sheetfed presses in the UK and Ireland has dropped 75% since 2000 and all manufacturers are suffering from the drop.

"Mitsubishi is able to utilise its significant group infrastructure to maintain support levels for users while making sensible savings by reducing duplication and overheads."

Lock added that the merger of the two spares departments will provide for an "improved spare distribution service" while reducing duplication and costs.

He said: "As a business Mitsubishi printing presses are keen to expand activities in Asia and China, a territory currently dominating world sales growth."