Granite has taken a 50% stake in Konik, the business he sold during his short spell at WHP last year.

He has since injected a "substantial" amount of working capital into the business, which he claims will enable the company to quickly purchase secondhand presses as soon as they become available.

Konik is now setting up several European bases, including one in the UK, which will be competing for machines with WHP.

Granite said: "We currently buy from dealers such as White Horse Machinery, but we pay more for them. We want to get them directly from companies like Close Asset Finance.

"We already have a base in Belgium, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria and now we are hiring for someone in the UK, probably in London."

A corporate restructuring specialist, Granite completed a three-month financial turnaround of Leeds-based WHM earlier this year, before resigning in April 2010.

Granite said: "I am extremely excited about the opportunity to grow and develop Konik, especially in the UK and Europe. 

"As Konik buys most of its used presses from UK and European printers we have decided to build an experienced team and open offices in the UK and Europe over the next few months and will be making significant hiring announcements in due course."