The group is already in consultations with employees at its Eurohueco web and gravure facility near Barcelona in Spain over proposed downsizing at the huge plant.

The Eurohueco consultation began a month ago.

Walstead has now informed employees at its NP Druck facility in Austria that it plans to close that site by the end of the year.

NP Druck is based in St Polten to the west of Vienna. Walstead acquired the business in 2018 from publishing group Niederösterreichisches Pressehaus Druck- und Verlagsgesellschaft.

It became part of Walstead Leykam.

Since then the NP Druck operation has been downsized from four web offset presses, including a 48pp, and is currently running two 16pp webs along with associated ancillary equipment.

Group chief executive Paul Utting told Printweek: “We can confirm that the group has entered into a consultation to close the NP Druck business. As ever Walstead is seeking to ensure that group capacity matches the requirements of an ever changing market.”

The site employs 69.

He said there was nothing to add for the time being regarding Eurohueco as the process there has not yet concluded.

In the UK, the Walstead York facility remains out of action after its gas supply was isolated eight months ago.

“As far as York is concerned, there is no update on the site reopening and in the meantime we continue to manage demand across our other UK facilities,” Utting stated.

Walstead is on the lookout for acquisitions in the broader graphic arts sector due to decline in its core markets for long-run web offset and gravure.

In calendar year 2023 net sales at the group, excluding paper, were down 3.5% at €378.1m (£312.4m).

Adjusted EBITDA fell 17% at €34.8m and the group made an operating loss of €800,000, compared to a €13.9m operating profit the prior year.

The overall group employed 3,212 people at that time.