The Aylesford company specialises in high-end packaging for a variety of markets including food, cosmetics and electronics; as well as greetings cards.

“We have interviewed five people from Stones Ashford in total and taken on two already on the print side,” said Vince Brearey, managing director, operations.

“We’ve also offered positions to another three, one in pre-press and two people to be retrained in the finishing department.”

Brearey said that taking on the new employees had been held up because of the hiatus at Stones Ashford that resulted in a delay to the 120 employees there becoming officially unemployed.

Offset Print & Packaging currently employs 80 staff and runs 24/6. Brearey described trading as “positive” and said the company was growing year-on-year. The company operates from an 8,640sqm facility and has sales of around £10m.

Equipment includes two Koenig & Bauer sheetfed presses, a six-colour Rapida 142 and a new six-colour Rapida 106 with coater that was installed earlier this year, as well as comprehensive in-house finishing facilities including cutting and creasing, gluing, and pick and place.

Clients range from luxe brands including Fortnum & Mason and Prestat, to technology giants such as Sony, as well as niche SMEs.