3 Essential Business Machines You Probably Don’t Know You Need

Beyond the obvious business machines that your office needs to run efficiently, there are 3 gems that you still need.

We’ve all had one of those “I can’t believe I didn’t know that ‘til now" moments. It might be that you didn’t know about the little arrow on your car’s fuel display pointing to the side your petrol cap is on. Or that the ring pull on your soft drink can is for holding your straw. Some of us take it in good humour; others feel embarrassed. But ultimately this tidbit of newfound knowledge can make our life better and easier. So buckle up and get ready for some mind-blowing, life-changing revelations that are going to rock your world! You’ll wonder how you survived without these essential business machines.

1. Shredder

You have a duty of care to properly destroy hard copies of sensitive documents under the Privacy Act. When you put a piece of paper in the bin it can be difficult to know what happens to it. To reduce your risk you should shred documents rather than just leaving them to fate in the trash or recycling bin. Because of this, a shredder is a critical business tool. You have more control with a shredder at your desk or in your office than you have with even a shredding service. For optimal security, choose a cross-cut shredder that won’t just slice your documents into strips that with a little effort could be reassembled. Cross-cutting turns your documents into confetti-like pieces that would form the world’s worst jigsaw puzzle! You should also go with a shredder that can destroy non-paper items like credit cards, CD/DVDs, staples and paperclips for added convenience and security. And if you’ve got a lot of shredding to do, choose an automated shredder that you can just fill and leave.

Top 5 items to shred:

• Bank statements
• Credit card information
• Expired debit and credit cards
• Documents containing sensitive information
• Expired ID cards and passports

2. Binder

A binding machine allows you to quickly and easily create properly bound documents for internal and external use. Showcase your work with a clear plastic front cover and leathergrain back cover, and either a plastic comb or wire spine. This economical method of binding gives you complete control over how your report, manual or proposal will look. You pick the colour for the back cover and spine, and you can use whatever design you want as your front cover. Plus you can make as many as you need, whenever the need arises. If you use comb binding, you can even pop them open to add or subtract pages, or completely disassemble to reuse the covers and spine.

3. Laminator

You really don’t know what you’re missing out on until you have your own laminator. These handy business machines can be used to protectively cover paper or cardboard with a plastic coating so they won’t rip, tear or smudge. Having a commercial grade laminator in your office means that you can create your own signs that are customised to your workplace. Just print, laminate and stick them up where necessary, indoors or out. The laminate preserves your document, making it more durable and longer-lasting. Use your laminator to create ID or name tags using the small laminating pouches or instead of a frame for awards and certificates. You could even create a waterproof/spill-proof menu or manual by laminating all your pages, then using your binding machine to put them together.

Top 5 documents to laminate:

• Signs
• Menus
• Displays
• Name tags/ID
• Awards

There’s no need to pay more to out-source simple tasks that you can do in-house with the right equipment. Now that you know how important and useful these business machines are, it’s time to get them into your office and make your life easier.