Queensland finishing company, Special Binding Service, is continuing to bounce back from a fire that swept through its Hemmant plant last year with the installation of a new Autobond Mini 105 laminator.
The Autobond Mini 105 installation follows the company’s purchase in July last year of a host of new equipment to replace the machinery destroyed in the fire, including two Kolbus perfect binders, each with 21 feeders, two MBO folding machines, a Meccanotecnica Aster book sewing machine and two Polar guillotines with joggers and unloaders.
The new model replaces the company’s previous Mini 105 laminator that was lost following a large fire at the company’s factory in 2012.
Based in the Brisbane suburb of Hemmant, Special Binding Service was founded in 1969 as a commercial bookbinder. Over the past forty years the company has expanded into a full finishing house for printers, extending its services to offer lamination of book covers, posters and more.
Following the fire last year, which saw a blaze rip through the bindery arm of the company’s 10,000 sqm building, Warren Swinburne, the company’s production manager, went to drupa to replace the company’s production line.
“I have been aware of Autobond and its machines since drupa 2008,” says Swinburn. “That’s when we bought the original Mini 105 and it was the most reliable laminating machine we had ever had. So when it came to replacing the machine at drupa last year, it was an easy decision. We visited the Autobond stand and went for an upgrade with the Mini 105 mark II.”
The new Mini 105 mark II is a 105 x 76 cm, B1 landscape laminator with a maximum operating speed of 60 meters per minute. It also features a stacker to return the laminated sheets into pile form.
“On top of the Autobond machine being a steadfast component of our finishing line, its impressive running speed is enabling us to increase the volume of work we are able to deliver with short turnaround times,” says Swinburn. “We can now provide a wider range of finishing techniques that offer our customers more application variety and a better quality end-product.”
For Tom Ralph of Graph-Pak, Autobond’s Australian agent, the Queensland installation reflects the growing local interest in the Autobond machinery, with the company selling two of the units at PacPrint.
“The fact that Special Binding Service returned to Autobond and replaced its laminator with another Mini 105 speaks volumes for Autobond’s reputation. It is renowned across the Australasian markets for producing great build quality machines that are powerful, easy to use, and that can help expand a company’s business,” says Ralph. “I’m getting more and more interest in Autobond’s kit every week, both spot UV and laminators. We sold two more Autobond laminators at this year’s PacPrint.”
John Gilmore, Managing Director of Autobond, says: “Special Binding Service has shown real character to bounce back from last year’s setback, and we’re delighted to be part of their resurgence.”