Autobond, the UK-based laminating and UV coating machinery manufacturer, is experiencing its most successful year since the company was founded 35 years ago.  

“We’re nine months into the year, and already it’s our busiest year since we started in 1978,” says John Gilmore, Managing Director of Autobond. “We’ve received many orders from countries we’ve never sold into before; it seems we’re shipping machines to a new and different country every week at the moment.”

With installations as far apart as Sao Paulo to Sydney and New Delhi to Kansas City, Autobond has seen a dramatic increase in both volume of orders and the type of customer ordering a machine, notably from Schreckhase in Germany, Alatabaa Alabassey in Iraq, and Al-Ahlia Boxes in Palestine. Recognising the importance of local market knowledge, Autobond continues to strengthening its distributor network. In the last year the company has appointed Binderhaus in Germany, Aljazeera Machinery in Iraq, and Grupo Impryma in Spain.

Much of Autobond’s success stems from the rugged build quality of its machines. The company uses the finest German components to ensure reliability and longevity, with scores of Autobond machines still producing twenty five years after installation. It has also made a host of technical breakthroughs, pioneering the development of other finishing processes within its laminators including encapsulating, UV roller coating, and in-line inkjet spot UV. It has also expanded its traditional printing customer base while increasing sales in the digital area.

Gilmore continues, “We were blessed with many orders in 2012, and are privileged to see that continue in 2013. The in-plant post-press market seems to be buoyant, with printers looking to provide eye-catching applications, such as laminating with in-line spot UV, to differentiate themselves from the competition”.