Successful Completion Means Seamless Delivery of Broader, Stronger, and More Widespread Packaging and Services Offering to All Customers
Berlin Packaging, a leading full-service supplier of plastic, glass, and metal containers and closures, today announced it has successfully completed its integration of United States Container Corporation (USCC), a California-based distributor of industrial and rigid packaging. The milestone, which follows Berlin Packaging’s October 2012 acquisition of USCC, ensures seamless and unified operations, sales and support procedures, and product and service offerings for all of the company’s customers.
The full integration of USCC with Berlin Packaging included the rebranding of USCC sales and warehouse locations in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Phoenix. All locations now do business as Berlin Packaging. In addition, USCC’s back-office business systems have also been migrated to Berlin Packaging’s award-winning Oracle/PeopleSoft enterprise resource planning (ERP) platform, enabling former USCC customers and suppliers access to Berlin’s advanced order, inventory, and delivery management systems. Oracle/PeopleSoft technology has played a central role in maximizing Berlin Packaging’s customer service, including helping the company achieve 99% on-time delivery every month for more than eight years.
“Our goal with the acquisition of USCC was to create a stronger company, where 1+1=3 for all of our customers and suppliers,” said Andrew T. Berlin, Chairman and CEO of Berlin Packaging. “With the integration completed, we can continue the momentum we’ve made in our first three months together with greater buying power, more efficient quoting, deeper use of our service division, industry-leading on-time delivery rates, and substantial freight savings. Directly or indirectly, customers will notice and appreciate the benefits of a stronger, even more responsive Berlin Packaging.”
As a result of the USCC acquisition, Berlin Packaging now serves the market and its customers with over 90 sales and warehouse locations across North America, more than 120 packaging consultants and sales managers, and greater resources for cost-effective packaging, inventory management, and value-added services.
Berlin Packaging’s customers benefit from the acquisition via broader and deeper teams in the Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Phoenix areas; four new warehouses; a strengthened industrial packaging portfolio; and easy online access to stock packaging via Sunburst Bottle, a USCC business unit now partnered with Berlin Packaging’s Freund Container & Supply division.
USCC’s former customers also gain the benefit of Berlin Packaging’s nationwide geographic coverage; access to specialty offerings including Qorpak lab supplies, Dangerous Goods shipping systems, and Freund Container in-stock packaging and industrial supplies; and custom packaging and graphic design, global sourcing, capital lending, and consulting services provided by Berlin Packaging at no charge in exchange for new packaging business.
The acquisition of United States Container Corporation closed on October 23, 2012. The transaction marked Berlin Packaging’s fourth acquisition since the purchase of Pittsburgh-based All-Pak, Inc., in March 2010. The company acquired Chicago-based Continental Packaging Solutions in December 2010 and Connecticut-based Lerman Container in May 2012.
