US customs had reportedly put a hold on the 40ft container which was shipped from the UK.  The 'intensive inspection' delayed the shipment by two weeks, meaning the company had nothing to display on its stand.

John Gilmore, UK managing director of Autobond, said:  "The container held everything for the stand, from the laminator to the wall graphics. There wasn't even a sign saying Autobond. 

"At the last minute, my son Oran and the other Autobond USA staff hired a 60 inch plasma screen in order to run videos of the equipment in operation, and they took lots of brochures.  Beyond that they had nothing but their business cards." 

Despite the setback, Autobond reported two orders and "a huge amount" of interest.

Gilmore added: "The USA is an important market for us, and with the current exchange rate our machines are 30 per cent less expensive than last year. We normally run our machines non-stop during exhibitions. 

"This year we're just happy that people came to our Graph Expo stand, regardless of the fact there was no machine running."