The social balance sheet The Challenges of the third ... - Berco S.p.A

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Quarterly House Organ
Year 8
No. 32 - 4th Quarter 2002
Editor: Giovanni Micheletto Ferrara Law Court registration n. 17/94 del 5-12-1994
EDITORIAL
The social balance sheet
FRONT PAGE
The Challenges of the third millennium

Editorial
CONTENTS
THE SOCIAL
BALANCE SHEET
Editorial
THE SOCIAL BALANCE SHEET
Front PAge
THE CHALLENGES OF THE THIRD MILLENNIUM
A YEAR OF TRANSITION
THE AFTERMARKET: FOR BERCO A MARKET IN CONTINUOUS EXPANSION
Product Innovation
BERCO TRACKED SKID STEER LOADER
News from the world
10 YEARS OF TIGERCAT, 10 YEARS OF PARTNERSHIP WITH BERCO
Product Innovation
LIFETIME SEALS FOR LUBRICATED TRACK CHAINS
HIGH WEAR-RESISTANT BUSHINGS FOR LUBRICATED TRACK CHAINS
Fiere nel Mondo
AUTOMECHANIKA 2002
LYNX2000 AT THE 23RD 2
3
4
5
6
7
8
BIMU
9
Inside Berco
PEOPLE THAT "MAKE THE HISTORY" VISIT BERCO
ROBOTS INTERNATIONAL WORK GROUP MEETING
MEETING WITH CORUS SPECIAL PROFILES
10
VISION2000
11
12
Berco News is a quarterly magazine published for the employees, customers,
suppliers and friends of Berco. Its articles and photographs can be reproduced only if expressly authorised by the editor.
COVER PHOTOGRAPH: The lynx2000 with the new gantry.
CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE: E. Bacilieri, L. Baraldi, C. Bellini, A. Bianchi , L. Guzzinati, S. Mastellari, W. Schmitz-Meimbresse
PUBLISHER:
Berco S.p.A. - Marketing & Communications Dept.
Via 1° Maggio, 237 - 44034 Copparo (FE) Italy - e-mail: marketing@berco.com
EDITOR: G. Micheletto, tel. +39 0532 864116 - fax +39 0532 864462, e-mail: gim@berco.com
TEXT: Marketing Department
ART AND GRAPHICS: Silvia Ungaro
PHOTOS: G. Micheletto, Mirco Rivaroli and others
PRINTER: CHINCHIO INDUSTRIA GRAFICA - N° COPIES: Italian 5,000 - English 4,000
In an increasingly global and competitive market, the need has
arisen for companies actually to demonstrate their undertakings
to customers, stockholders and the community.
These undertakings regard product quality related risks, the
environmental impact of production, safety and social responsibility
for the workforce.
The image that Berco wants to convey is that of a reliable, serious
and loyal interlocutor investing and creating labour and wealth,
seen to be aware of and caring for the socio-economic, cultural
and environmental context in which it works.
And so, in order to fulfil this need to make our actions known,
we have decided to draw up a social balance sheet as a supplement
to our annual financial statements.
This social balance sheet, as well as being a quantitative and
qualitative account of business activities, is also a “vehicle for
conveying the company’s image” and must thus have a wider, more
informative function than normal financial and economic statements
of assets and liabilities.
Berco has decided to implement a communication strategy that
highlights the company’s mission, orientation and social awareness.
The social choices made by our company are based on the following
precise, unequivocal values:
• THE CENTRALITY OF THE PERSON, respect for his or her
physical and cultural integrity and respect for the value of
interrelating with others
• INCREASING THE VALUE OF HUMAN RESOURCES by
encouraging professional growth and awareness of company
goals
• AWARENESS OF THE NEEDS and legitimate expectations of
the company’s internal and external actors in order to
heighten the sense of belonging and level of satisfaction
• RELIABILITY OF MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS AND
PROCEDURES to ensure the highest possible safety levels for
employees, the community and the environment
• CONSTANT COMMITMENT TO RESEARCH AND
DEVELOPMENT, aimed at encouraging and achieving the
highest level of innovation in pursuance of company strategy
• INTERRELATING WITH THE COMMUNITY and its
representatives with the aim of improving the quality of life
• RESPECTING THE ENVIRONMENT IN THE DEVELOPMENT
AND EXPANSION OF PRODUCTION.
At the end of this financial year, as well as publishing the financial
balance sheet, we will also be drawing up a social balance sheet
to highlight the social impact of our work
Ing. Giovanni Bertoni
Managing Director

Front Page
THE CHALLENGES
OF THE THIRD MILLENNIUM
Initial remarks on the financial year ending 30th September 2002
THE EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT
After the lengthy period of
economic expansion that
characterised the 90’s, the
beginning of the new millennium
coincided with a radical, global
change in market conditions.
Signs of a worldwide slump in
demand first became apparent in
the second half of 2000 and,
without going into the details of
what brought about this change,
we have to come to terms with
the fact that, as the growth cycle
drew to a halt, it transformed itself
into a fully-fledged recession, much
longer and more intense than
expected by analysts, and as yet
with no reliable forecasts on when
it is going to end.
Perhaps we should simply
acknowledge the evidence and
accept that the growth rates of
the last decade will be difficult
to emulate, at least in the medium
term.
As a consequence of the
transformed economic scenario,
financial markets have been
exposed to major downturns and
increasingly volatile trading
patterns, contributed to by the
spectacular crashes of a number
of big corporations (Enron,
Worldcom, etc.).
Finally, on a political level, it is
proving very hard to emerge from
the climate of tension generated
by the dramatic events of the 11th
of September 2001, also and above
all because of the difficult situation
in the Middle East.
This brief summary of recent events
is not, however, intended as a
harbinger of doom and destruction,
but rather as a preliminary basis
to a clearer understanding of the
company report and a comment
on the need to adapt to the new,
complex and difficult competitive
scenario.
THE COMPANY REPORT
In the light of the decidedly
unfavourable market conditions,
the company’s performance in the
year that has just ended has been
more than satisfactory, considering
that:
- the volume of undercarriage
product shipments is more or less
unchanged from last year
- net sales are at 364 million euros,
as against 378 in the previous year,
a drop of about 3.6%, affected
above all by the unfavourable trend
in euro/dollar exchange rates.
When consolidated with the group’s
foreign-based companies, overall
sales are over 380 million euros (as
against about 401 euros in the
previous year), a drop of 5%.
The achievement of greater volumes
was prevented by the cutbacks in
the programs of the main tracked
vehicle manufacturers, whereas
spare parts distribution managed
to maintain a good level of demand.
It should also be taken into account
that the number of available
working days was considerably
lower than in the previous twelve
months (224 as against 229 in
2001), with no overtime being
worked and the number of
employees remaining basically
unchanged.
Also, throughout the year, actions
aimed at increasing product
penetration on world markets
continued, with measures such as:
- the rationalisation of production
lines and the extension of the
product range;
- the opening of new branches and
distribution centres (in the United
States and Brazil).
FUTURE PROSPECTS
As for the future, the fact that the
strategic lines that guided the
strong expansion of the 90’s will
have to be reviewed in the light
of changing external conditions
seems to be beyond question.
Without renouncing growth
opportunities, especially at the
expense of our competitors, the
themes that take on a particular
significance in a market
characterised by low development
rates and high instability centre
around:
1. the search for higher efficiency
levels in production processes, with
measures such as the use of new
technologies that are able to
guarantee high product quality and
reliability;
2. the implementation of schemes
for internationalising distribution
and assembly;
3. encouraging cost containment
measures, whilst at the same time
defining new and more
sophisticated management control
instruments.
4. finally, going ahead with projects
concerning the company’s social
role and environmental impact
(which, in the year ended, involved
the completion of a new landfill
and the inauguration of a new
effluent water purification plant).
The above goals will undoubtedly
call for a high level of cohesion
between different company
departments and the efficient
integration of all aspects related to
the company system.
However, we are certain that the
company, with its solid basis of
accumulated know-how and
technology, will be amply capable
of facing up to the challenges of
the new millennium with renewed
vigour and ever greater
commitment.
Dr. Enrico Bacilieri
Administration Director
BN32 • 4th Quarter 2002 3

4 BN32 • 4th Quarter 2002
A YEAR OF TRANSITION
Signs of uncertainty
in the world of machine manufacturers
T he financial year recently closed
didn’t start well: the terrorist
attack in the USA and the
consequent, understandable,
nervousness affected the OEM
market too, making the hopedfor
recovery even more difficult.
The first, basically steady, months
were followed by a period of
wavering, typical in times of
instability: in practice, this meant
highly cautious production
programs interspersed with
frequent short-term increases.
The qualities of flexibility and the
ability to react, particularly in
situations of this type, have
enabled us to provide our
customers with the service and
support necessary to seize the
opportunities offered by the
market.
At the same time we have
pursued the already consolidated
strategy of broadening our
product range, especially in BRP
(Berco Rubberized Products), both
agricultural and industrial, and
BMP (Berco Mining Products),
where the winning of a number
of important orders has enabled
us by now to cover a good part
of the range.
The continuing rapid evolution of
the market (take-overs, splits,
mergers, new production units,
etc.) hasn’t caught us unawares,
thanks to the excellent relations
with all the ‘players’, and thanks
above all to the completeness of
the Berco range, with its ‘onestop-shop’
logic, from coengineering
right through to field
tests, via the most modern
production processes. This is
particularly true in the emerging
markets of the Far East, where
Berco’s capacity to respond to
every need has proved right in
many cases, despite the very sharp
competition.
The Asiatic market has undergone
a remarkable increase (+34%),
driven by China’s apparently
limitless expansion. And we’ve
even managed to increase our
share of the sluggish Japanese
market, a cause for great
satisfaction.
European manufacturers have
also increased their volumes, but
only starting from the second half
of the year, and are expected to
remain essentially stable at the
end of the year, comparable to
the previous year.
On the Nafta market, however,
the fall has been more notable
and the recovery more difficult
than elsewhere, despite the
enormous potential. For Berco,
this has translated into holding
on to its position in the excavator
market, despite a drop in overall
demand, and a slight reduction
in the dozer market, mainly due
to the situation on the American
market.
Signs of recovery at the beginning
of the summer confirmed hopes
that the improvement was
consolidating and, despite the
current unknowns (and the
possibility of war), make us look
to the future with a certain
degree of confidence.
Dr. Sandro Mastellari
Sales Manager, OEM

In times characterised by a
world-wide recession, initiated
with a weakening North
American market since early 2001
and precipitated after the Sept.
11 events and the increasing risk
of a military intervention in Iraq,
with a Latin American continent
stumbling from one crisis to the
next one, with a Japan which
does not seem to find a way out
of its home made problems and
a Europe speaking with dozens
of differing political voices, in
times like these it is not easy to
find something positive.
Berco has, however, overcome in
relatively good shape, although
not totally unhurt, the turmoil of
the market thanks to its ability
to shift production and shipments
from the deeply hit OEM market
to the aftermarket. Two years with
decreasing demand above 10%
p.a. could be compensated by
substantial increases of our
supplies of spare parts into the
same areas where our OEM
clients have their manufacturing
facilities, i.e. Europe, North
America and Asia. In fact the
sales to the aftermarket increased
by 23 % in the business – year
2000/2001 and remained against
our expectations at the same high
level during the complete
business-year which just now has
been terminated. This positive
development allowed us to
maintain the necessary load of
our factories and resulted in a
share of the aftermarket sales of
55% of our total undercarriagesales,
well up from the normal
share of 45%.
Where are the reasons for this
capacity to compensate a weak
market which might surprise
because altogether we are talking
about the same product and if
the market is down, it should be
down all over?
1. Berco undoubtedly has gained
market-share as well in the
“traditional” markets like North
America and Europe as in
“new” markets like for example
Russia and China.
2. Gaining market-share when
world-wide the demand is
decreasing and consequently
all competitors are fighting
even harder for the remaining
rest is a proof of strength of
the distribution-net.
Distributors who for 40 years
have created the image of our
products in the aftermarket and
are deeply rooted in their local
environment will not be blown
away by the first guts of an
economic tempest.
3. The strength of the distributionnet
needs to be continuously
fed by an ever larger product
range, continuity in the quality
of the product, a reasonable
price-policy and seriousness in
Front Page
THE AFTERMARKET: FOR
BERCO A MARKET IN
CONTINUOUS EXPANSION
business of the supplier.
4. Improved deliveries as a
consequence of Berco’s
continuous enormous
investments in the productionfacilities
bring about increased
efficiency and allows our
distributors to respond even to
spot-demands. The well
assorted and rich inventory
available at the warehouses of
our distributors is a winning
argument in the market.
5. Improved communications
making available with Internettechnology
to our world-wide
dealers all the technical
product-knowledge of Berco
accumulated in over half a
century, helps our distributors
to identify securely the
products needed by the enduser,
thus accelerating the final
phase of the sale to machineowners.
6. Last but not least the tendency
that fleet-owners in moments
of big uncertainty tend to
postpone the purchase of new
machinery repairing and using
their existing fleets longer has
been confirmed. This trend
brings about a higher use of
spare parts favouring those
aftermarket-dealers who have
the right products of a proven
quality available.
It goes without saying that in this
occasion we cannot but thank
heartily our distributors for the
engagement shown in this
difficult time and assuring them
of our continuous full support
also for the time to come even if
some dark clouds can still be seen
at the horizon.
THE WIDEST DISTRIBUTION NET OF UNDERCARRIAGE
COMPONENTS FOR TRACK-TYPE MACHINES
BN32 • 4th Quarter 2002 5

Product innovation
BERCO TRACKED SKID STEER LOADER
Berco further extends its product range
The tracked skid steer loader
market has grown considerably
in recent years, and it’s enough to
look at medium term sales
forecasts in the United States alone
to see the enormous potential of
these products (see fig.1). With
the change from wheeled to
tracked, these new earth
movement systems have become
even more flexible and are being
seen as rivals to
…on the 15th of October a new
unit for testing rubber-coated
rollers for machines such as the
John Deere 8000T/9000T will be
6 BN32 • 4th Quarter 2002
small bulldozers and track loaders.
In addition, loaders are available
on the market with multiple
tooling configurations, which
means they can be used
in previously inaccessible market
areas (agriculture, forestry,
landscaping in general,
snowploughs, highway
maintenance, etc.).
On realising the enormous market
potential, Berco decided to
concentrate its efforts on these
new products, building on the
consolidated expertise and
knowledge of BMU (Berco Mini
Undercarriage) division.
The rubber-tracked
undercarriage
proposed by
Berco is the
‘high drive’
(triangular)
installed in the Materials
Development and Testing Centre.
The new unit, designed entirely at
Berco by a team from the
type, with a high,
positive-drive
sprocket and greased
front idler; this keeps
the sprocket off the
ground and protects
it from damage.
This solution also
makes the machine’s
centre of gravity
lower than the
wheeled version and thus
considerably increases its work
capacity. The tracked machine is
also more stable than the wheeled
version (greater area of contact
with the ground), and the reduced
specific pressure on the ground
means that the machines can also
be used on muddy surfaces or land
particularly liable to subsidence.
The new Berco solution for skid
steer loaders will be for 3t to 4t
machines in the 55 to 100 HP
power range, to meet the needs
of the widest range of customers.
As well as supplying
components such as idlers,
Engineering, Systems and Quality
Department, will be able to
reproduce the stresses that the
rubber-coated rollers are subject
to during use in agricultural work,
simulating acceleration and
braking of varying degrees of
harshness, ‘runs’ at more than
35 km/h and axial and radial
loads up to 20 kN and 200 kN
respectively, these being
characteristic of the way these
machines are used .
The new testing unit will be
entirely managed by a
computerised system that will
UNITS PRODUCED
rollers, etc., Berco can also provide
OEMs with a complete solution,
including the track frame. and the
rubber belt.
With this solution, all the
manufacturer will have to do in
the undercarriage assembly stage
is couple the already assembled
Berco product to the machine.
Berco is currently working on
various projects for numerous
OEMs, both in its own workshops
and in partnerships with major
tyre manufacturers, and is ready
to offer the market an innovative,
high quality range of products.
Driven by the necessity to test products used in steel-rubber systems, like for
example those for the rubber tractors of the John Deere 8000T/9000T series and
the new genetaion of rubber tracke skid steer loaders…
allow the selection of the different
test stages and the acquisition
of data from sensors (e.g.
thermocouples, etc.) positioned at
critical points around the roller,
such as at the seal group or the
rubber coating.
The management system will also
be able to signal hazard situations
such as tread bursts, and exceeding
temperature and load limits.
The testing unit will be completely
enclosed in a soundproof booth
with an automatic fire-prevention
system and low environmental
impact.

Tigercat, a leading
manufacturer of forestry feller
bunchers and a Berco customer
right from the start (Berco
supplies 100% of the tracks for
Tigercat machines), celebrated
its 10th year of business on the
21st of August.
The quality of the Berco
undercarriage stands out even
more in forestry applications,
considering the “extremely heavy
duty” conditions the components
are subject to, due to the
impervious nature of the ground
and the steep slopes (see snow
scene in photo below).
These work environments are
extremely harsh and inaccessible,
with very rough ground that
inevitably puts a great strain
on the undercarriage
components, but it is in these
very conditions that the quality
and durability of Berco products
comes to the fore.
A key factor in this process,
though, is not just the quality
but also the service that goes
with the product, such as the
extremely efficient distribution
network of Berco of America,
which, offers the best product
on the market, the Berco
undercarriage, on a just-in-time
basis from its own factories.
BACKGROUND
It all started in 1992, when a
small group of engineers from
Canada, on the basis of a market
survey in the south-eastern USA,
established that the American
10 YEARS TIGERCAT
10 YEARS IN PARTNERSHIP
WITH BERCO
‘deforestation’ market
had a need for more
versatile and productive
machines.
The prototype of the first
machine designed by the Tigercat
engineers, the Tigercat 726, was
launched in 1992 at the Tifton
Logging Exposition, and was sold
immediately after the fair. Over
the next decade Tigercat was
transformed from a small, singleproduct
factory to a company
producing a whole line of
machines for forestry felling and
bunching.
Tigercat produces a wide range
of forestry machines, including:
• Delimber (barker) with a weight
of 37 t (260 Hp): for stripping
bark of felled trees
• Shovel logger (logger with
mechanical shove) with a
weight of 33 t (260 Hp)
• Harvester (forestry combine
harvester) with a weight of 24
t (230 Hp): for felling the trees,
stripping of the limbs and
leaves and then cutting them
into measured logs, in a single
solution
• Track loader (tracked timber
loader) (174 Hp)
• Track feller buncher (tracked
forestry feller and buncher)
with Berco D6 up to FH400
undercarriage (230-260 Hp),
weighing from 21-36 t and
with shoes of up to 915 mm:
for felling trees and bunching
them with a rigid, vertical
mechanical grip.
The company, with branches in
Canada and Sweden, has a
workforce of over 230 and
markets in USA, Europe,
Russia, Chile, Brazil,
Argentina, Australia and New
Zealand.
Berco and Berco of America
representatives were present at
the tenth anniversary
celebrations.
We would like to thank our
friends from Tigercat for their
warmth and hospitality. This is a
young but solid company that
continues to grow thanks to the
enthusiasm and commitment of
its founders and partners.
7

Product innovation
8 BN32 • 4th Quarter 2002
LIFETIME SEALS FOR LUBRICATED
TRACK CHAINS
A new product without
equal on the market
Berco, ever attentive to the performance demands
of undercarriage parts even in the harshest of
conditions, announces the introduction of a
new lubricated track chain seal for applications
in which the life of the seal becomes the critical
factor for the life and wear of the bushing.
These circumstances occur, for example, when
the machine has to travel at steady speeds for
a long time before reaching the work area, or,
as in the case of some coal mines (low external
bushing wear), when the track chain has to be
serviced because the useful life of the seal has
ended.
This patented seal, which we have called ‘lifetime’
with reference to the life and external wear of
the bushing, is applicable to geometrically
standard adjacent track chain components (pins,
track links, bushings and spacers), in place of the
normal seals.
As with all new products produced with stateof-the-art
design and manufacture techniques,
after extensive laboratory testing the product
development has to be completed with field
trials. These are currently taking place, under the
direct supervision of Berco personnel, in different
applications and in different environmental
conditions in various parts of the world.
The new seal is currently available on request
for lubricated track chains for large-size, high
power dozers: Caterpillar D10N/R, D11N/R;
Komatsu D375A-3, D475A-3.
Codes:
• for Caterpillar D11N/R: lubricated track chain
without shoes: CR6187;
• for Caterpillar D10N/R: lubricated track chain
without shoes: CR6376;
• for Komatsu D475A-3: lubricated track chain
without shoes: KM3231;
• for Komatsu D375A-3: lubricated track chain
without shoes: KM3202.
Further details can be found on BOPIS.
Ing. Carlo Bellini
Manager Product Support

HIGH WEAR-RESISTANT BUSHINGS
FOR LUBRICATED TRACK CHAINS
A revolutionary solution to high wear problems
The problem of prolonging wear
life has always been a central
question in undercarriage
component design requirements,
and is a crucial factor not only
in terms of design strategy but
also in relation to servicing
economy throughout the entire
life of the machine.
These, in fact, are some of the
very reasons why lubricated
track chains were first
introduced.
As yet, however, there is no
perfect solution to this problem,
and the critical aspect, in many
applications, is the external
wear limit of the bushings.
As we know, bushing wear is
essentially abrasive, due to
contact under load and the
interrelated movements of the
sprockets and the bushings
themselves.
Currently, there are a number
of different solutions on the
market, all of which tend to
limit the phenomenon in certain
ways. The most widespread of
these is the ‘rotating bushing’
solution, patented by Caterpillar.
Berco research has been focused
more on innovative materials
and heat treatments rather
than on geometric design. This
has led to the development of
bushings with a suitable blend
of surface hardness and ductility,
together with base materials
with tribological characteristics
that also guarantee good mating
with the sprocket materials.
The advantages of that this
solution (currently being
patented) has over the current
market alternatives are many,
including:
1. simplicity of construction
(photo 3): apart from the
bushing, the other track chain
components are the same as
in currently existing solutions;
2. track chain repairability: the
pins and bushings can still
be rotated;
3. the absolute compatibility
of these track chains with
other undercarriage
components, i.e. shoes and,
above all, sprockets.
4. The reduction of bushingsprocket
meshing noise, a
characteristic requested more
and more often because of
tighter noise control
legislation.
The field of application is the
same as that mentioned above,
i.e. low or moderate impact
and high abrasion.
A highly ambitious test plan
has been drawn up to validate
the new solution, with trials
on about 40 machines in
different parts of the world and
under different environmental
conditions, although always in
full observance of applicative
constraints. The tests are already
being run on a number of
different machines.
This product line is currently
aimed at medium-small dozer
classes, from class D4 (standard
and heavy duty) to class D6
(963, D6H heavy duty). See
BOPIS for more details.
Ing. Carlo Bellini
Manager Product Support
CAT solution
CASE solution
Berco solution
BN32 • 4th Quarter 2002 9

10
AUTOMECHANIKA 2002
BN32 • 4th Quarter 2002
The 23rd edition of
“Automechanika”, the biggest
automobile market event of
2002, was staged in Frankfurt
from the 17th to the 22nd of
September. In the 6 days of the
fair, more than
159,000 visitors from 130
countries came to see the latest
creations of the 4,291 exhibitors
from 70 countries in a display
area covering 300,000 square
metres. More than 12 machines
were on display at the Berco 200
LYNX2000
Preview of new gantry for automatic shaft loading/unloading at 23° BiMu
Since its launch on the market
just two years ago, the Lynx2000
has been winning an increasing
number of customers with its
great versatility, simplicity and
productivity. The Lynx2000,
designed for small and medium
series production and the
reconditioning of large batches
of shafts, is the answer to grinding
both camshafts and crankshafts
with a single machine, a feature
particularly appreciated by
customers who have been using
it in their factories for many
months and whose precious
advice has helped us to develop
new grinding programs (software)
and a range of new accessories,
such as the gantry for the
automatic loading and unloading
of the shafts. This ‘accessory’, in
combination with the CBN
grinding wheels and selfcentering
chuck (see photo) allow
a marked increase in productivity
levels and make the Lynx2000 a
real production machine.
The gantry is made up of a
Cartesian handling unit with two
degrees of freedom, equipped
with brushless servomotors and
position controls with absolute
encoders, and is capable of
handling shafts of up to 60 kg in
weight, maximum length 1500
mm and maximum overall
diameter of 300 mm. The
maximum transfer speed reaches
sq.m stand: the ACP, the STC, the
RTM 225 and the RV20 attracted
numerous operators. Also, the
photo exhibition on the
Lynx2000 (not at the fair
because of the overlap with the
BiMu show) contributed to the
quality of the Berco stand.
We would like to use this
occasion to thank all the dealers
and customers who visited our
stand at Frankfurt and who
helped to make this fair a
success.
90 m/minute and movement is
by means of recirculating ball
screws with precision pre-loaded
pads. The entire process is
managed by numerical control.
The 23rd edition of the Milan
BiMu fair (Machine Tools Biennial)
provided the setting for the
official preview of the Lynx2000
with gantry.

PEOPLE THAT "MAKE
THE HISTORY" VISIT
BERCO
Also this year Dr. Cromme,
chairman of the ThyssenKrupp
supervisory board, has come to
visit us together with a group of
friends and their wives. Dr. Keitel
(president of the largest
construction company in Germany)
and Dr. Liesen (former Volkswagen
president) are very important
persons in the German industry
and are very close friends of Dr.
Cromme. This year, during their
visit, they have been joined in
Berco by Mr. Clement, prime
minister of the North Rhine
Westfalia state, which is the
highest populated state of
Germany with almost 20 million
inhabitants. It is important to
remember that Mr. Clement is the
successor of Mr. Rau, current
president of the German Republic,
as chief of this state which is
characterized by heavy industry
and coal mining. This also explains
the close relationship with Dr.
Cromme, being representative of
the most important company in
the North Rhine Westfalia. We also
want to underline that Dr. Cromme
has been appointed by the German
Chancellor chairman of a
commission of experts whose main
objective is to define the new
"corporate ethics code" for the
German Industry, certainly not an
easy task in a period of scandals
like Enron, Worldcom, etc. The
proposal for this corporate ethics
code, already passed by the
MEETING WITH CORUS
SPECIAL PROFILES
Skinningrove September 18/19
Against the background of increasing integration with the main Berco
Group suppliers, on the 19th of September a meeting was held at the
Skinningrove factory with CORUS SPECIAL PROFILES, the shoe profile
manufacturer, attended by Bruno Saturni and Luca Baraldi.
The visit was planned on the occasion of changes in the management
of the English factory: the previous Managing Director, John Dawson,
left the company to take on a new role in CORUS and his place was
taken by Peter Strikwerda. The meeting also had the purpose of drawing
up common strategies for the forthcoming years, with a policy of joint
work on possible measures for increasing market penetration, with
mutual benefits to both companies. We would like to thank John Dawson
once more for all his help and co-operation during his period of office
and wish all the best to Peter Strikwerda in his new job.
Ing. Bertoni, Dr. Cromme, Mr. Clement and Ing. Salvi
visiting the water purification plant
government, has been approved
by the German parliament and will
certainly have a strong influence
in the European legislation.
Talking about corporate ethics and
An important meeting was held
at Berco recently on possible
synergies in the purchase of
robots. As well as Mr. Balducci
and Mr. Guzzinati from Berco, the
meeting was also attended by
representatives of different
companies in the ThyssenKrupp
Group.
The event was promoted and coordinated
by Mr. Hans-Jörg Barth,
Director of the ThyssenKrupp AG
Materials Management Corporate
Division, who, over recent years,
has been drawing up guidelines
for research into purchasing
economies, with the formation
of a number of working groups
at both European and local level.
The main item on the agenda was
the verification of a proposed
European Basic Contract with
European robot suppliers, covering
not only the purchase of the
machines but also the spare parts
service and the management of
Inside Berco
socio-political responsbility it is
certainly not a coincidence that
Dr. Cromme and Mr. Clement were
so interested in the new
Purification Plant!
ROBOTS INTERNATIONAL
WORK GROUP MEETING
the parts within the individual
companies.
During the meeting, which lasted
two days, our guests were given
an account of Berco’s past and
present by Bruno Saturni, and
were also able to see different
robot applications in action on
the shop floor(e.g. machining
centres supporting oxygen-lance
shoe cutting stations, the
machining of pins on track link
milling/hardening/boring lines
and the machining of shafts and
rollers), being truly impressed by
the wide variety of solutions
devised.
The concluding session was also
attended by Giovanni Bertoni,
who underlined the importance
of these meetings aimed at
achieving synergies between
ThyssenKrupp companies, and
thanked Mr. Barth for all his
efforts in this area.

VISION 2000
UNI EN ISO9001:2000
QUALITY CERTIFICATION SYSTEM
Yet again, Berco has decided to keep ahead of the times by certifying its quality
management system with the new version of the UNI EN ISO 9001: 2000
Standard, known as VISION2000. This decision has been taken well in advance
of the international expiry date, set for the end of 2003, when the previous
version of the Standard (UNI EN 9001:1994) will cease to be valid.
This decision, and the consequent undertaking at company level, was officially
acknowledged by ICIM in September 2002. ICIM, the certifying body that has
dealt with Berco throughout its long history of quality certification, has audited
the quality system in the three factories and issued the certificates of
compliance to the new Standard.
In addition to these three certificates, there is also a fourth ‘corporate’ document,
i.e. a single certificate for the three production units of Copparo, Castelfranco
Veneto and Busano Canavese that certifies the unity of management
principles within the group.