In a commercial print environment where volumes are slipping and many binderies have found themselves out of business, the companies that have invested well, maintained good customer relations, and moved into the short-run, on demand space have found their niche.

Twin Loop Binding is one of them, with the company first established in 1993, with current owner Wayne Rubin’s parents buying it in 1997, and Wayne joining in 1999, some 20 years ago.

Ten years later, Wayne and his wife Nicolle bought out his parents, who were looking to retire, and took over the business, adding a range of
binding services along the way.

Since then, the company has introduced plastic spiral binding, plastic comb binding, wire binding calendars with hangers or tent cards, saddle-stitching, loop-stitching and perfect binding (both EVA and the robust PUR), also investing in an MIS system to gain efficiencies in the way it operates, as a specialist in small to-medium runs.

To hear Rubin tell the story, “People say hard work makes good luck, but I think we have been very lucky. Everything has worked out well for us in regards to timing, and we have been fortunate over the years.

“When a competitor shut down, we traded in our EVA for PUR perfect binding, and today it represents about 40 per cent of our business, it has really grown.

“With PUR binding we can take any size run, from 50 to 500 and even up to 10,000, ideal for the digital space.

“Three years ago, another competitor shut down, and we picked up a lot of their customers, and one of their key staff, Chris Sullivan, a previous director there.

“The market has had a lot of consolidation, and dropped off along the way.”

One of the company’s competitors, Sydney-based Open Flat Bookbinding, is closing down at the end of March. At that time, Twin Loop will be one of two remaining companies in Sydney that can wire bind A3 (long edge) and A2 (short edge).

Rubin says, “It is sad. It helps us in some way, but now when things get really busy, there is only so much capacity available in the market.

“So we need to learn how to manage that as well. We need to keep investing, and making sure that we are getting continuous work from everyone. Sometimes all of that work can come in at the same time though, so we need to manage that work carefully. Production planning,
advising customers, is where I step in: Can I move this back, this job forward? It is almost like a chessboard.”

Customers of Twin Loop Binding were enthusiastic in their praise of the company, with Blue-Mountains based Springwood Printing saying, “It is not often you come across a supplier that you can just send the work to and you know the job will be completed when you require it every single time. Even in peak times like December, those almost impossibly short timeframes are completed without fuss.”

DPS Print Production, who have used Twin Loop Binding for seven years, says the same, noting, “We trust them with all our perfect binding work and wire binding and have 100 percent confidence that they will take care of the job and provide a quality and affordable end product. We have no problem in recommending them to our colleagues."

Print Media Group says, “Twin Loop Binding are a reliable and reactive business partner, that work with us to ensure our client’s needs and
deadlines are met.

“Twin Loop not only fulfil most of our book binding requirements, but also provide us with consumables such as binding wire, coil and plastic and also laminating and cello films so we can do our own book binding as well as servicing our machines.”