August 2008

The Challenges of 2008 and an A+ Rating for Berger Closures

It goes without saying that the shocking feature of 2008 for most businesses globally has been the dramatic increase in operating and material costs.

In our case, a major challenge has been to simply source steel at a fair market price and to ensure supply at the correct quality and on time. This has been tough but we have generally succeeded so far.

Linked to these  sharp material rises, has been the dual challenge of passing on several double digit sales price increases to our valued client over a few months.

More are anticipated and it would surprise few now if by December 2008 we will see over a 100% steel increase on the January 2008 price.

Fortunately, in most cases the market has proven fair as most of the increases are global and common knowledge.

Meanwhile, we have continued to successfully invest in our business and diversify our product and client range, which has put us in a good position to weather these challenges.

We get many enquiries from all parts of the world and these have resulted in exports to locations we would not have thought likely.

Very good news is that we have just got a top "A" audit rating (supplier+ with added value, "(name of client) preferred" from a major multinational company with whom we trade.

The report summarised:

"...All Berger staff were knowledgeable of the products and their commitment to their work was evident. The production environment and associated areas were clean and well organised. The technical capabilities were strong with the ability to repair and manufacture tooling as required. This together with Berger's ability to assist with product development is a key benefit."

We continue our search for excellence, and will continually explore improvements to our service and product quality and ensure that the "partnership" adds value to all at all times.

We are fortunate in general to have loyal and committed customers, most of whom we have worked closely with for nearly two decades. We thank them for their support, understanding and "partnership" and all that that implies.

2007 saw consolidation and expansion of supply to the following "new" industries identified in 2006 by our targeted investments: ducting, ventilation and filtration; nuclear waste; defence; automotive; pharmaceutical and a range of other specialist industries, including clamps for radar domes; couplings for railways; and parts for movie sets. 2008 has seen further inroads made, including working with oil rig installations.

We supply globally to our multinational blue-chip client base as well as to smaller generally family-owned businesses.

Our packaging accessory distribution venture started early in 2006 has so far proved successful. We have now further improved this  by holding more stock on site. See more information in the catalogue on our web-site.

We are therefore in a position to reward our long-established customers as well as our new customers for their loyalty and support with a further improved service and product range in 2008. As always, we welcome constructive criticisms and suggestions. Your opinions are always important to us. 

In conclusion, we at Berger Closures sincerely hope we have your support and understanding on the many varied, difficult and challenging issues facing us all in the remainder of 2008.

If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact us. 

We assure you of our best service at all times and look forward to continue working closely with you.

Yours sincerely


Richard Swart
Managing Director
Berger Closures

Tel: -- 44 (0) 191 518 0988
Fax: -- 44 (0) 191 586 3341
E-Mail: info@bergerclosures.com