OCA is smoothing out its finishing bottlenecks with a new acquisition, picking up Australia’s biggest trade binder, The Bindery. The deal comes in preparation for the company’s plans to offer trade services for the industry. Naresh Gulati, CEO of OCA, says bringing in the Melbourne finishing house to his print empire is a logical step towards being able to offer clients more services.

Finishing deal: The Bindery’s Rob Dunnett, with OCA CEO Naresh Gulati

Rob Dunnett, former managing director of The Bindery, will stay on with the business which he has run since 2005, becoming general manager. The company will continue at its Mt Waverly site, with Gulati planning to upgrade its kit and add new capacity. Dunnett says all 50 staff are ‘fully required’ at present, and he chose to go with the deal as he was drawn to Gulati’s ambitious vision for the industry’s future. He says, “I am excited about the opportunities he wants to provide to the industry and am happy to be working with someone who sincerely wants to help the trade.” Dunnett expects significant business to flow into The Bindery from OCA’s printing operations including Print Bound and BPO Intelligence, and says planned investment will make it more competitive with overseas. He says, “My biggest competitor is China and Naresh wants to bring work from there back to Australia, which is good for all of us.” Dunnett says the deal came at a good time as two other shareholders in The Bindery, who were not involved in its operations, were unsure of their future interest and can now go their separate ways. The Bindery is one of few finishing houses in the country to offer a comprehensive range of trade services from binding to folding and cutting. It was involved in the print finishing of three National Print Award gold winners this year.

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