According to Kern, the role, and subsequently Loughlin's appointment, will lead to the company expanding its offerings and strengthening its position in the services market.

The company's new structure will support a change in Kern’s strategy, which will see it expand service contracts to cover products from most manufacturers. 

Loughlin's role will be to develop new business across all three of Kern’s UK divisions – mailing, packaging and print.

He said: "Kern is proud of the service we offer to our customers; we see this move as the next step on a continued expansion programme.

"We have a talented team of engineers available 24/7 and offer tailor-made contracts to suit the needs of individual customers with absolutely no hidden costs.  Feedback from our clients is that we provide a refreshingly transparent service."