The running of the 400-strong business, which was established 40-years-ago, has now been passed to his sons Colin, Gary, Kenneth and Matthew.

In 2001, Thomson – a former captain and director of Motherwell FC – led the company to the Queens' Award for Enterprise.

The firm was recognised for its continued expansion in exports within Europe and the rest of the world. That year, Thomson Litho exported to over 30 countries for the first time.

Thomson himself was later awarded an MBE from the Queen for his services to the manufacturing industry.

In that same year, the business established a manufacturing facility in the Czech Republic to support migration of PC and electronics manufacturing to Eastern Europe.

The company's most recent profits were reported at £1.16m, based on a turnover of £21.9m.

Clients among the firm's list include HP, Sony, Toshiba, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Packard Bell.