A spokesman for the Liverpool-based gravure printer told PrintWeek that 32 jobs were at risk of redundancy in the operations department. The consultation begins on 21 March.

He said: "Prinovis UK is about to embark on a consultation process with a view to slimlining its overhead.

"Examining our processes, structures and organisation closely in a perpetual way is a standard procedure within Prinovis UK, given the market environment we’re operating in.

"On a more general note, further changes or amendments to our organisation and structures cannot be ruled out."

Despite the possibility of 32 job losses, union Unite said it was confident that many of the employees would be redeployed, cutting the number "significantly".

National officer Steve Sibbald said: "We have a good working relationship with the company and a well-organised union presence there. We will do all we can to make sure as many roles as possible are preserved.

"At this stage, we don't know exactly where the job losses will be so it is difficult to be reactive until we fully understand the situation."