The Tele was willing to fly to America to interview the multi-millionaire — who decided not to travel to Scotland when announcing mass redundancies last year. But our request to talk to the man in charge was today rebuffed by a company spokesperson.

She said Mr Nuti would be unable to speak with the Tele — even by using the video conference facility — because of his “really heavy travel schedule”.

The Tele was keen to ascertain future plans for their factory and research and development building in Dundee, which employs several hundred workers.

The request followed a bleak statement from employees’ union Unite, which said it feared the next step would be the complete closure of NCR’s operations in the city.

The company has been a fixture of the industrial landscape in the city since the Gourdie factory was established in the late 1940s.

Hundreds of thousands of cash machines were produced at the plant over the years but manufacturing all but ceased when NCR announced the loss of more than 620 jobs in January last year.

The company said earlier this month a further “streamlining” of its global operations had led to the loss of a further 51 jobs but it later issued a statement saying Dundee remained integral to its business.

A spokesperson said, “Dundee remains one of the major centres for NCR on a global basis. The reductions we have implemented are to streamline the organisation to help improve the company's cost effectiveness. We want to re-state that Dundee remains a major centre for us.”

However, Mr Nuti’s unwillingness to directly answer the Tele’s questions will again raise doubts about the firm’s long-term commitment.

NCR’s corporate website credits Mr Nuti with bringing about “transformational change to position NCR for profitable growth, a leading cost structure and brand relevance”.

In March, Time magazine highlighted the global self-service as second amongst ideas that had changed the world and identified Bill Nuti as the “thought leader” behind the movement.