UK-based Autobond, one of the world's leading manufacturers of sheet-fed laminators and inkjet spot UV machines, has appointed Binderhaus GmbH & Co. KG as its agent in Germany. The appointment will enable Autobond to strengthen its sales, service and support.

John Gilmore, Managing Director of Autobond says, "Most of our machine sales world-wide are through local distributors who speak the language. The growth in demand for our machinery in Germany means that it is crucial for us and the end user to have local support. Germany is a very important market for us, so naturally we're very pleased to announce this appointment. The strong interest from German customers at drupa this year reaffirms there's a huge market for our machines there and we look forward to growing our German customer base now that Binderhaus is on board."

World-renowned for outstanding build quality, innovative engineering and reliability, Autobond has been developing lamination machines for over three decades. The family-run company launched its first spot UV inkjet device in 2011, and at drupa 2012 Autobond debuted the entry-level Micro 52 SD TP B2 laminator, the high productivity Mini 105 TPHS B1 laminator and an offline 52 SUV spot UV inkjet machine.

Michael Jellinghaus of Binderhaus says: "Autobond manufacture reliable, high-performance machines that are known for their robustness. We specialise in high-end finishing equipment and this combination of reliability and performance is something that many of our customers are looking for."

"I particularly liked Autobond's spot UV technology when I saw it at drupa. Spot UV is a growing trend in Germany and Autobond's SUV machines are definitely something that the market wants. At a tough time for the industry people are looking for ways to differentiate their businesses and make them stand out amongst their competitors. Effects like spot UV are an excellent way to do this."

Jellinghaus expects strong demand for Autobond products from print businesses looking to bring their post-press work in-house. He continues, "When you do your post-press work yourself you have total control over the quality of the work and over the throughput time. You're also able to cut down on time lost in waiting for work to be shipped."

Gilmore says that this increase in print businesses bringing post-press work in-house is a trend that Autobond are seeing around the world. "When times are tight and companies examine the expense of the post-press work that they're sending out, they often decide to bring this in-house to save on costs and increase their flexibility. They find that they are then able to offer added value to their customers, something that is vital for retaining business in tough economic times."