The two vendors had been in talks for a lengthy period of time before making the announcement on 14 March.

Fastbind managing director David Lane told ProPrint his company was in the process of winding down and the strength of having the distribution rights to Powis Parker made the merger an agreeable move for both parties.

“Powis Parker offers a great product,” he said.

“My brother Derek went to a trade show in America 20 years ago; Powis Parker were only serving the internal market then. He liked the look of the product, so did an English distributor and we became the first companies to take the product offshore.

“Now they have resellers all over the world.”

Fastbind’s services will be integrated into GBC’s national premises, and long-time service technician Joozar Jamnagawall is also set to make the transition.

GBC managing director Stuart Macdonald said: “Fastbind and GBC are an excellent strategic fit and we’re excited about our growth opportunities.

“Combining our two companies’ strengths will increase our product breadth and provide excellent opportunities to increase efficiencies.”

Powis Parker manufactures finishing equipment that includes desktop perfect binders and photobook binders.

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