Bericap: From tin can manufacturer to global closure specialist

Bericap is one of the leading manufacturers of plastic closures for the beverage, food and chemical industries. The development of the family-owned company from Budenheim near Mainz in Rhineland-Palatinate into a global champion is a true success story of the German SME sector.

The success story began with the founding of „Jacob Berg GmbH“ Initially, barrel rings and barrel bung lids were produced primarily for wine barrels, later followed by the production of tin cans.

All sheet metal

However, immediately after the end of the Second World War, the Product portfolio underwent a radical change in order to adapt to market needs and customer requirements. The company stopped producing tin cans and specialised in metal packaging for paints, varnishes and chemicals. At the same time, the portfolio was expanded to include metal toys and the first plastic items.

The next step followed in the mid-1970s Radical change of strategy. From then on, the company focussed on the production of tin cans and plastic closures. Research and development became increasingly important, including the development of the first tear-off membranes and a bellows closure for filling motor oils and car care products.

The company also began to expand abroad. In 1980, Jacob Berg GmbH acquired a majority stake in the French company Rical SA - the birth of today's Bericap Group. The Name Bericap was established - formed from the first two letters of the pioneer Mountain (Be) and the French Rical (ri) and the English name of the most important product at the time: the cap (Cap).

Rise to a global group of companies

In 1987, the production of tin cans was discontinued and the company concentrated exclusively on the Development and production of closures. And the expansion continued. Between 1990 and 1999, companies were established in Turkey, Hungary, Poland, China, Canada and Brazil, and a packaging specialist in the UK was acquired and integrated into the group. After the turn of the millennium, subsidiaries followed in Saudi Arabia, India, Russia, the USA, Egypt and Romania, and from 2010 also in Singapore, Argentina and Malaysia. A second branch was also established in China.

Today Bericap is a globally producing family business and one of the leading providers in its sector worldwide. More than 3,500 employees at 24 locations around the globe serve customers in over 100 countries. In 2017, they produced over 80 billion closures of all kinds for the beverage, food, motor oil and chemical industries - including for the major players in the sector. Even though the focus on plastic closures remains unchanged, the product portfolio could hardly be broader.

„All our production sites and subsidiaries around the world guarantee competent technical customer service and support our customers in the effective use of our closures. Based on our extensive expertise, we help them with safe applications, increased system efficiency and smooth integration of our products,“ emphasises Christoph Thünemann, Bericap Group Director Communications and Marketing, emphasised.

Impressive product portfolio

The innovative closures are used by bottlers of carbonated soft drinks, water, beer, juices, energy drinks, teas, syrups, milk and bulk water containers. Bericap is also known for its patented „DoubleSeal“ systems, which consist of an inner and an outer seal for maximum tightness. As for other markets, closures have been developed for the dairy market (milk, milk mixes and yoghurt drinks) in line with current market trends.

You support a Attractive packaging design for the consumer, are easy to open and can be safely resealed. On the producer side, they guarantee safety for aseptic filling thanks to the aforementioned DoubleSeal system. 38-millimetre closures are generally used in the dairy sector. In the meantime, larger dairies have decided to use the slightly smaller 33 mm cap for mixed milk drinks. The small opening makes it easier to drink from the bottle. Especially for smaller portion packs the right closure also results in a more balanced packaging design.

The 33-millimetre shutter is becoming increasingly popular in Europe and has now also been introduced in Russia. This new development is also attracting interest in South East Asia. New markets such as countries in Africa are switching directly to more favourable closures. The first aseptic filling line for PET bottles was set up in Kenya - the closure used is Bericap's 33-millimetre version for aseptic filling. The bottom line is that modern packaging and closures save weight (and therefore also costs), which consequently leads to reduced CO₂-emissions.

Within the food industry, the company supplies closure solutions for edible oils, sauces and dressings. The range extends from simple one-piece and two-piece closures to hinged closures and customised special designs. Here too, the globally active medium-sized company from Budenheim demonstrates its innovative spirit, for example with valves made from environmentally friendly, easily recyclable silicone-free TPE, or with the so-called „Bericap flow control closures“ 2-Flow and X-Flow, which enable the end user to achieve clean and controlled dosing.

For the chemical and motor oil industry, the company offers closure systems for the automotive, chemical and agrochemical industries. In addition to aspects such as leak-tightness, user-friendliness and product safety, features to increase Counterfeit protection plays a decisive role. Product piracy and counterfeiting are becoming an increasingly pressing problem, particularly in the area of high-value and therefore high-priced chemical products.

Bericap fasteners have a Locking device, which visibly breaks in two after opening. An additional QR code, which enables product verification via an app, further increases the level of security. And what gives these closures the decisive added value is that the security print is customised to the individual product. Corporate design of the customers can be customised if you wish - and not only in the industrial sector.

Innovation leadership ensures success

Today, the Bericap Group's turnover is around 800 million euros per year. Bericap is valued by its customers as an innovation leader and impresses with its overriding focus on quality. The company wants to Trendsetter and surprise its customers time and time again, and the Budenheim-based company succeeds in doing just that.

The company invests more than 70 million euros annually in product development, new technologies and automated production processes. The aim is to make production sustainable, make products as light as possible and minimise energy consumption in the production process. Today, the closure expert accompanies the entire development process for new packaging series for the target markets of well-known customers - with a special focus on the Closure design. And if a problem arises, Bericap scores with unrivalled technical support. This competent All-round service on a global level is exactly what leading companies are looking for.

To be continued

What Bericap has achieved with various customers in different sectors since it was founded is a real success story. And it is set to continue, naturally also in the context of further expansion. The new site in Mexico is nearing completion. All production sites guarantee the same high quality standards and a competent technical service. After all, reliable delivery in large quantities is just as important for global customers as high-quality closures. And Bericap can provide this. Thanks to the high degree of standardisation and flexibility in global production, the company is always able to supply customers reliably or react to sudden fluctuations in customer demand.

In addition, Budenheim is constantly looking for new ways of not resting on its laurels, but also critically examining and - if necessary - further optimising what it has grown fond of. Bericap does this, for example, as part of the Brand management. The new, modern website with integrated CapFinder has recently gone online and offers much more information about the company than the old website. And that is important, because global customers expect transparency, including in corporate communications.

Strengthening global presence

In addition to innovation and quality aspects, Bericap has set itself the goal of further strengthening its global presence. In 2018, Bericap will open a new production facility north of Mexico City.

„The new Bericap site and the Mexican team will ensure that we provide our customers with first-class global service so that they can benefit from our technical expertise and innovative developments,“ says Christoph Thünemann, Bericap Group Director Communications and Marketing.

A new Bericap warehouse was recently opened in Nairobi, Kenya, in order to be able to respond quickly and flexibly to customer requests and requirements with a local focus from Kenya, Uganda and Somalia. In addition, major warehouse expansions were realised in Russia and Romania this year. At Bericap UK, the Group's third production line for the manufacture of our child-resistant Bericap e-smoCap™ cap was inaugurated. The special features of the cap developed for refilling e-cigarettes are impressively explained in a short video on the Bericap YouTube and YouKu channels (China).