ROBUSTUS: the new rotating bushing track system ... - Berco S.p.A

BercoNews
english edition > year y
16
issue 59 > july 2010
Free Company Information PeriodicP
eriodical
Editor-in-Chief: Silvia Ungaro
Auth. n° n 17/94 of Court t of FerrF
errara, a, 5-12-1994
ROBUSTUS: the new rotating
bushing track system patented by
BERCO, officially
presented at Bauma 2010
NEWS & EVENTS
> BercoSul receives the Fiat “Quality Awards 2009”
NEWS & EVENTS
> Operational at last - the Berco branch in India
FROM THE SUBSIDIARIES
> Berco Deutschland: 50 years of successes

Editorial
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3
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5
6-7
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9
10-11
IN THIS ISSUE:
EDITORIAL
Supporting the recovery
with renewed commitment
NEWS & EVENTS
Il Dr. Hippe visits Copparo
BercoSul receives
the FIAT “Quality Awards 2009”
NEWS & EVENTS
Bauma 2010: signs of recovery
on the earth moving machinery market
PRODUCTS & SERVICES
ROBUSTUS: the new rotating
bushing track system
New mining undercarriages:
EX1800-3, EX1900-5
FROM THE SUBSIDIARIES
Operational at last
the Berco branch in India
Berco quality for the Chinese market
PRODUCTS & SERVICES
Much more than just
suppliers of mining products
FROM THE SUBSIDIARIES
Berco Deutschland: 50 years of successes
ENVIRONMENT & SAFETY
Objective: “Zero accidents”
BercoNews is a six-monthly periodical published for Berco
employees, customers, suppliers and friends. The articles and
photos can be copied only if expressly authorised by the
Editor.
Front Cover: Berco stand at Bauma 2010
Published by: BERCO S.p.A. - Communications Department
Via 1° Maggio, 237 - 44034 Copparo (FE) Italy
Tel. +39 0532 864116 - fax +39 0532 864462,
e-mail: berconews@berco.com
Editor-in-Chief: Silvia Ungaro
Tel. +39 0532 864116 - fax +39 0532 864462,
e-mail: s.ungaro@berco.com
Editorial Committee: E. Bacilieri, S. Bottacin, L. Guzzinati,
S. Mastellari, G. Neodo, S. Salatini, S. Salvi, M. Seghieri,
D. Musacci
Editorial Secretary: D. Roversi
Tel. +39 0532 864 270 - e-mail: d.roversi@berco.com
Graphics and pagination: Communications Department
Printed: Chinchio Industria Grafica S.p.A. (PD)
Circulation: Italian 3800, English 4.000
SUPPORTING THE
RECOVERY WITH
RENEWED
COMMITMENT
Dear readers,
only a few months have
passed since the last issue of
our company magazine and
we find ourselves operating
in a situation quite different
to the one in my last
introductory notes.
Even though our reference
markets and main customers
are not yet back to normal
sales levels, we are
witnessing a gradual but constant growth in demand -
undifferentiated throughout the different geographical
areas - on both the original equipment and spare parts
markets.
It is likely that this growth is greater than expected due to
stock of previously unsold machines is virtually being
depleted, the same is said of the essential components
required for building new ones.
In fact, our production volumes are almost double those of
the last six months, taking us back up to about 75% of our
total production capacity.
In parallel, new branches and major investments - made
recently to enable us to seize opportunities arising in
rapidly growing markets such as China, India and Brazil -
have begun to contribute to this growth.
Thanks to the renowned quality of the components from
Italy, local production and locally available services, these
branches are gaining new customers and rapidly acquiring
larger market shares.
Our ability to compete is expected to be strengthened by
the important production process rationalisation and
optimisation measures to be introduced in our two - year
investment plan, which will also have positive effects on
company costs and efficiency, provided they are
implemented within the set times and with the active
contribution of all personnel in the various production
units.
In addition, after being strongly penalised by exchange
rates for a long period, the more favourable currency
situation will help us to take on competitors who, up to
now, have been able to gain ground in some areas mainly
due to the weakness of their currencies.
We are now able to look more optimistically at the
immediate future, in the hope that the signs of recovery
glimpsed so far can transform themselves into a stable,
consolidated positive trend.

News & Events
However, this is no time to sit back and deceive ourselves
into thinking that everything is back to normal.
On the contrary, we have to press ahead with renewed
determination and team spirit, using all our industrial and
organisational talents to the best advantage and relying,
even more, on the strength of our ideas and continuous
product and process innovation.
I am sure that we can count on the unstinting support and
positive contribution of each single one of you, whatever
your role, in order to emerge from the recent difficulties
even stronger than before and, at long last, to look
forward in the hope that the worst is now behind us.
My kindest regards to yourselves, your co-workers and your
families,
Bruno Saturni,
Managing Director
DR. HIPPE VISITS COPPARO
On the 30th April we had the pleasure of a visit to
Copparo by Dr. Alan Hippe, member of the
ThyssenKrupp AG Executive Board since 2009 with
corporate responsibility for the entire administration
and finance area.
Dr. Hippe, on his first visit to Berco, was accompanied
by Erkan Keles, a board member in the Components
Technology business area with responsibility for
Management Control.
The visit began with an introductory talk on the
company and ended with a tour round the factory,
during which Dr. Hippe commented favourably on
the high technological level of our lines and the
important role played by Berco in its market.
BERCOSUL RECEIVES THE
FIAT “QUALITY AWARD 2009”
From left to right: Mr. Bacilieri, Berco's Director of Administration, Mr. Keles,
Components Technology business area board member, Mr. Hippe, ThyssenKrupp AG
Executive Board member and Mr. Bruno Saturni, Managing Director of Berco
QUALITAS AWARDS 2009, the prestigious
awards ceremony for the best suppliers
to the FIAT group in Brazil, took place
at the beginning of June.
For the first time the prize went to
BercoSul, exclusive supplier of
undercarriage components for CNH
machines in Brazil.
The plaque was presented by the
Chairman and the Director of Purchasing
of CNH Brazil to Giovanni Pelà, Bercosul's
General Manager.
Several of the FIAT group's top managers
were amongst the speakers at the event.
In many of the speeches, the need to
develop “global competitiveness” was
stressed, meaning that intrinsic product
quality alone is not sufficient for
overcoming the challenge of world
markets.
The choice of suppliers is still, in the
main, based on the technical
characteristics of the product, but other
essential factors such as the quality of
pre - and after-sales services, just-in-time
logistics and willingness to discuss
alternative solutions are nowadays taken
into account when selecting a restricted
group of strategic suppliers.
For eight years consecutively, FIAT has
been the leading seller in Brazil, which
is now the fourth most important car
market in the world.
Usually, these awards are won by
automotive suppliers, as they produce
the largest volume of components
purchased by the FIAT group in Brazil.
The fact that the award went to Bercosul,
which operates exclusively in the earthmoving
market, shows that the joint
efforts made to overcome the crisis,
the stronger partnership with CNH
represented by the signing of a long-term
contract and the investments made to
strengthen stock and improve the quality
of the service have outweighed overall
sales volumes.
It is with pride that I thank the Bercosul
team for helping the company achieve
this prestigious award.
Giovanni Pelá
General Manager, Bercosul
BN59 > july 2010
3

News & Events
BAUMA 2010:
SIGNS OF RECOVERY
ON THE EARTH MOVING
MACHINERY MARKET
Bauma, now in its 29th edition, took
place in Munich from the 15th to the
25th of April.
With an exhibition area of 555,000
sq.m and the proportion of international
exhibitors at 60%, the event has set
new records for number of exhibitors,
international participation and surface
area covered.
There was a significant increase in the
number of exhibitors from China, India
and Turkey.
The negative economic situation in the
months leading up to Bauma and the
sudden halt to air traffic caused by the
eruption of the Icelandic volcano
Eyjafjallajokull did, however, have an
impact on the total number of visitors.
Bauma 2010 had about 415,000 visitors,
17% less than the 2007 edition.
There were 3,150 exhibitors from 53
countries.
“Despite the immediate counter-measures
taken by Messe München (…), in the
second half of the week as well, when
attendance is usually higher, it was not
possible to bring the number of operators
expected from Asia, India and America
to Munich. Nevertheless, in the light
of the trend reversal before Bauma
2010, we are very optimistic about the
forthcoming edition of Bauma China
2010 in Shanghai, which is already
fully booked” stresses Klaus Dittrich,
Chairman of Messe München GmbH.
conjunction with the German branch,
Berco Deutschland, now in its 50th
year of activity, an important anniversary
that was celebrated by both the German
branch and Berco SpA, together with our
customers, on the afternoon of the
22nd of April, during the fair.
The festivities were opened by Pier
Hahn and Kurt Jonas, the Directors of
Berco Deutschland, and the Berco SpA
Managing Director, Bruno Saturni, who,
in their speeches, discussed the salient
points in the history of the branch and
thanked all those who contribute to
the company's success on a daily basis:
the customers, for their loyalty to the
brand, and the employees for their
efforts and devotion to their work in the
company.
THE NEW DESIGNS ON DISPLAY
The most significant newcomer to the
stand was definitely the Robustus, the
new rotating pin and bushing system
patented by Berco, previewed in public
for the very first time.
The Robustus is a track system that
benefits from all the advantages of
rotating bushings without having to
revert to complex, costly and not very
versatile dedicated systems.
Of exceptional interest in the complete
systems area were a number of new
designs for CTL machines, a sector in
which Berco has won a big slice of the
OEM market thanks above all to its
patented “Sliding Frame” system.
Also worthy of note amongst the many
new designs in complete systems was
one of Berco's latest projects, a paver
undercarriage designed in close
cooperation with a road construction
equipment manufacturer.
The undercarriage is designed for
one of the most powerful and
high-performance pavers of its kind,
with a laying width of up to 16 m.
Another feature on show was a PC450
frame.
These extendable undercarriages are
currently assembled at Berco UK,
the British branch, and supplied
just-in-time directly to the manufacturer
in Britain.
In the components area, particular
emphasis was given to the mining
products range and to the Chinese
branch, highlighting the company
strategy of guaranteeing Berco quality
standards on products destined for
Asiatic markets - products such as track
chains and rollers, which are actually
assembled locally from a mixture of
locally manufactured components and
components forged in the Italian
factories.
During the event, despite the absences
caused by the flight cancellations, many
fruitful meetings took place and
important contracts were signed; let's
hope that these are real signs of the start
of a gradual, but steady, recovery.
4
BERCO AT THE FAIR
Despite the uncertainty of the market
situation, Berco was back in its usual
stand location at Bauma.
This fair is still the most important
international event in the in the industry
and it is not by chance that it was
chosen as the place to confirm Berco's
image as a leading company on the
world stage.
Berco's participation was organised in
BN59 > july 2010

Product & Services
ROBUSTUS: THE NEW
ROTATING BUSHING TRACK SYSTEM
At Bauma 2010 Berco
officially presented ROBUSTUS,
acronym for its brand
new ROtating BUShing
Track Undercarriage System.
According to common
experience, 50% or more of
the maintenance costs
during the life of a crawler
dozer or loader belongs to
undercarriage maintenance
and repairs.
Increasing the life of
undercarriage components is
the winning strategy to reduce
ownership and operating costs.
CHARACTERISTICS
The core feature of the new system is the
rotating bushing.
In a machine fitted out with traditional
undercarriage the sprocket slides on the
external surface of the bushing during
normal operation, causing bushing and
sprocket wear.
In the new system the bushing rotates
when in contact with the sprocket,
reducing the bushing and sprocket friction
and wear and thus enabling longer life.
As a consequence, it is not necessary
to turn bushings and pins and replace
sprocket segments during the whole life
of the undercarriage.
A wider track link rail (“big footprint” track
link) provides an extended running
surface area, balancing the wear of all
components and eliminating scalloping
wear in the contact between chain and
roller and between chain and idler.
The reinforced hardware improves joint
stability. The resulting dampening of
vibrations and noise assures more
comfortable ride and maximum control
of the machine during the operations.
Berco Pin Retention (BPR) and an
improved seal design produce a lasting
seal capacity and assure long life to the
complete system.
COMPATIBILITY
The new system is fully compatible with
existing frames and standard components:
older machines can be easily upgraded
to increase their productivity and the
life of the undercarriage.
In the same way ROBUSTUS is forwardcompatible
with the new generation
undercarriages equipped with parallel
or twin links.
The innovative rotating bushing tracks
system can be easily installed on any
machine at any time. With a simple
operation and no extra work you can
extend the life of your undercarriage,
improving reliability and reducing costs.
Berco field tests proved that the new
system increases the track life of 35
percent with a maximum of 6,000 hours
of operation, reducing operating costs by
15 to 25 percent.
Stefano Salatini
Key Account Manager, OEM America
NEW MINING
UNDERCARRIAGES:
EX1800-3, EX1900-5
With the aim of extending its market
share in mining by broadening its
product range, Berco will be
introducing the first EX1800-3 and
EX1900-5 undercarriages on to the
market in July.
We decided to focus on Hitachi
excavators, amongst the most
longstanding and popular machines
in and around the 200-ton class, in
the certainty of targeting a more
extensive and receptive market than
those of the other models in the
same category.
Most of the first batch, due to be
ready at the end of July, has already
been sold on the North American,
Canadian and Australian markets.
Please contact a Berco dealer for
further information.
BN59 > july 2010
5

From the Subsidiaries
6
OPERATIONAL AT LAST
THE BERCO BRANCH IN INDIA
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
As usual, the flight to India lands deep
in the night and after a few tiring
minutes we find ourselves in the long
queue for customs checks.
As soon as we are out of the air
conditioned terminal buildings we are
hit with the intense and unmistakeable
scent of India, common to all regions,
both north and south.
The night-time journey from the new and
beautiful Rajiv Ghandi airport to the
hotel is beyond all expectations: a long
motorway link with neat flower beds
in the central reservation. The first
impression is that of an orderly, pleasant
city.
Hyderabad, together with Secunderabad,
forms a big urban conglomerate with a
population of about seven million.
The two cities stand right next to each
other and are in fact known as the
“twin cities”.
The car journey in the morning from
Hyderabad to Cherlapally (the town to
the north-east where Berco
Undercarriages Pvt. Ltd. is situated) is
pleasant, despite the heat outside,
which is already rising and will reach a
temperature of 43°C by around
BN59 > july 2010
lunchtime.
After the last few bends in the country
road we get our first glimpse of the
Berco factory, which is a real surprise.
An industrial structure, but with a
definite touch of architectural style
and design. The colours are strictly
white and red, with a building of 8,000
sq.m and a total surface area of 35,000
sq.m.
The factory strikes you as being
considerably above the average for the
country.
It has an aspect and a functionality
which, at first sight, are decidedly
'Western', a combination of European
style and rigour and the great constancy
and technology of India.
PRESENT AND FUTURE
At the entrance we were met by the
entire Berco India staff who paid homage
to us with the usual Indian welcome
for new arrivals - a garland of dried
flowers placed around our necks.
The operational personnel, efficiently
headed by COO-General Manager
S. Shakti Kumar, showed us the progress
made from the very beginning, when
the land was still part of the jungle,
right up to the present-day factory. The
civil building works and the installation
of all the industrial systems was
completed in about two years, managed
by Orazio Astolfi, head of the Foreign
Branches Service.
The actual production area is vast.
So far, the first two assembly lines have
been installed, one for rollers and the
other for track chains, together with
the paint booth and a functional
materials warehouse capable of housing
1000 pallets and expandable to
accommodate a further 1000 in the
future. The washing process line is
currently being installed.
The production area is big enough to
house another 5 assembly lines: 3 for
rollers, 2 for track chains and 1 for
front idlers, together with 2 painting
lines.
There is also a currently unoccupied
area of about 2,000 sq.m where, in the
near future, a machining line is to be
installed for on-site components
manufacture.
The total order portfolio in the country
in 2010 will reach about 15 million
euros, and this will grow sharply over
the next three years. The main OEM
customers to be served initially by the
new factory will include L&T Komatsu,
Telcon Hitachi and JCB, to be joined in
the future by Kobelco and Volvo and
many other aftermarket customers.
Finally, at the end of the visit, we are
proud to report that on the 25th of
May 2010, thanks to the precious and
indispensable work of the two specialist
Italian engineers, the production line
was started up. With all the personnel
in attendance, together with Managing
Director Bruno Saturni, Orazio Astolfi,
S. Shakti Kumar and the undersigned,
the manufacture of the first “made in
India” track chain was begun and
completed.
In conclusion, I would like to give
special thanks to the ThyssenKrupp
India staff, represented by Mr. D.
Damania, for all the support they gave
us in the building of our factory.
Namaskar Namaste.
Federico Maurilli
General Manager
Berco Undercarriages (India)

BERCO QUALITY FOR THE CHINESE MARKET
Producing competitive components locally without foregoing Berco quality.
This is the task of the new factory in the Chinese branch, inaugurated in October
Work is beginning in the Chinese branch
on a new range of products for the
Asiatic market.
The manufacturing activities are based
on products made from a combination
of locally purchased components whose
technical characteristics are checked
with rigorous quality control procedures
and forged components made in the
Berco factories in Italy.
A PRODUCTION RANGE AIMED AT
ASIATIC MARKETS
Last Autumn, the Chinese branch opened
a new factory in the Lingag Industrial
Park, near the port where Berco's customs
warehouse is situated.
In October 2009, the first cast sprockets
were machined in the factory, and in
March 2010 work began on the assembly
of track chains and rollers.
The factory, which has a total surface
area of 25,000 sq.m - 13,000 of which
are covered - is divided into four
workshops and is designed to
accommodate all the planned production
and commercial activities: machining,
heat treatment, assembly, quality control,
procurement, distribution of Berco
products on the Chinese market and
services for both OEM and aftermarket
customers.
The new project, based on the the 4M1E
method (man, material, method,
machine, environment), was implemented
according to a precise program drawn
up by Berco SpA management:
- the necessary personnel were recruited
and the heads of departments were sent
to the Berco factories in Italy for
specific training in heat treatment
and CNC machining processes
- standard work and production cycles
were set up and, with the help
of external consultants, a “lean
production” system was created
- pin and bushing production lines with
heat treatment furnaces are currently
being installed, along with an induction
hardening line; the production tests
are scheduled for the beginning of
August
- production tooling sets have been
prepared for the various production
programs
- with the help of personnel from
Copparo, local raw material suppliers
have been selected and qualified and
supplies have been scheduled for the
production tests
- all the lines have been installed in
direct collaboration with the factories
in Italy and with Italian engineers
on site
- Navision MPR management training
programs are being devised for
personnel.
All these activities are expected to be
completed and launched by the start
of the new financial year.
When fully operational, the following
assembly and manufacturing processes
will take place in the Chinese branch:
- cast sprockets and track adjusters
- pins and bushings for medium class
machines
- support assembly
- track chain assembly and painting
- assembly of complete undercarriages,
including the frames and drive systems
- assembly of rollers for small and
medium class machines.
Half of the current world production
of excavators now takes place in China.
Berco's business expansion goals in
this area will be achieved thanks to
the crucial contribution of local
production activities in the new Berco
Shanghai factory.
Given the fundamental importance of
this project, both Berco SpA and
Thyssenkrupp have dedicated special
attention to it and have been highly
supportive in all the stages of its
implementation.
We are convinced that, after an initial
start-up period, the local production
will bring great results to the entire
group.
Yi Zeng,
General Manager Berco Shanghai
Visit by Berco SpA and ThyssenKrupp China top management to the new factory in China. From
left to right: Michael Wang, General Manager of ThyssenKrupp Shanghai, Yi Zeng, General Manager
of Berco Shanghai, Wolfhart Schmitz-Meimbresse, General Director of Berco SpA Foreign Branches,
Chairman of Berco Shanghai, Alfred Wewers, Chairman and Managing Director of ThyssenKrupp
China, Sven Arend, Director of Sales of Berco SpA, Bruno Saturni, Managing Director of Berco SpA
BN59 > july 2010
7

Products & Services
MUCH MORE THAN
JUST SUPPLIERS OF MINING PRODUCTS
Berco commits itself not just to the design and construction of superior quality components for
demanding environments such as mines, but to the provision of a complete consultancy service, offering
the end customer a level of support on a par with that of OEM dealers.
It is well known that mining
machines are subject to the
most extreme and tough
operating conditions, ranging
from iron-rich Australian
deserts to the bituminous
sands of Canada.
Berco has always made great
headway with these products,
dedicating time and skilled
resources to laboratory
testing and field trials.
Up to 2008, the mining
industry was in a state of
continuous growth,
generating a vast market
conducive to the conquest
of new shares.
Since 2008, however, the drop in prices
and the subsequent volatility of the
main raw materials have forced many
mining companies either to close down
or cease developing many of their
activities due to a sharp contraction in
the market.
The main priority for mining companies
has been to reduce fleet running and
maintenance costs whilst constantly
increasing the reliability of the machines.
To achieve this, mining companies and
contractors have been compiling ever
more detailed and consistent data on the
machines in the field and translating
them into statistics on the average life
of components, making it possible to
calculate a detailed “hourly cost” factor
and compare the performance of different
products for evaluating new suppliers.
8
AN ALL-ROUND SERVICE
In light of this, Berco and its dealers have
adopted a new approach, aimed at
offering the customer a valid alternative
to OEM dealers, in order to win over
new shares of the aftermarket.
The first step either requested by the
customer or proposed by Berco itself is
to prove the quality of our products in
BN59 > july 2010
field trials by measuring the life of a
component in a specific application on
a specific machine.
Thanks to the staff training provided
by Berco, our network of dealers is now
able to assist customers with these
trials, by monitoring machines (sometimes
in quite remote regions) at preset
intervals and collecting data on
undercarriage wear.
This allows Berco Product Support
engineers and dealers, working as a
team, to set time schedules for their
personal inspections of undercarriages
- usually when specific duration targets
are reached, or at the end of a trial - in
order to draw conclusions together with
the customer.
Another initiative we have taken is
to offer major customers specially targeted
courses for their operators and mechanics,
held directly on the mining sites, to
train them in undercarriage maintenance
component inspection.
All this has transformed Berco from a
simple supplier of components into a
bona fide consultancy service
provider, bringing benefits to all parties
concerned.
The dealer, in fact, becomes a
key player in the
management of
the customer's stock,
guaranteeing not
only prompt delivery
on the basis of a
maintenance plan
but also component
reconditioning and
on-site services.
The end customer, on
the other hand, not
only gets a valid
alternative supply to
the
OEM,
but also receives
specially tailored staff
training from Berco
with suggestions on how to improve
checking and preventive maintenance
procedures on the undercarriages, thus
leading to consistent reductions in
downtime and costs.
IMPROVING OUR PRODUCT
Berco itself also benefits from this
process, by establishing a dialogue with
operators and mechanics as they cope
with a vast variety of situations and
conditions on a daily basis, thus collecting
important data from the field in order
to be able to improve its products.
Currently, Berco is listed as a qualified
supplier in a number of mines in South
America, thanks to the dealer Agro
Costa, in South East Asia thanks to the
support of USG, in Canada thanks to
ESS and Union Tractor and in several
mines in the former Soviet Union.
These successes tell us that the approach
is right, and the presence of our branches
all over the world, together with a dense
network of dealers, allows us to extend
this initiative rapidly to an ever growing
number of customers.
Matteo Seghieri
Area Manager, Asia Pacific

From the Subsidiaries
BERCO DEUTSCHLAND:
50 YEARS OF SUCCESSES
Berco Deutschland has grown from a small-scale distributor
of spare parts to an established supplier of undercarriage
systems to all the major European manufacturers
THE BEGINNINGS
This year, Berco Deutschland celebrates
a special anniversary: 50 years of the
Berco trademark in Germany.
Berco's story in Germany began in 1960
with the founding of Traktor Ersatzteil
GmbH (TEG) by Dieter Curland, who,
with 20,000 Deutschmarks of capital, set
up a business for marketing earth moving
machinery spare parts.
These beginnings were right in the
middle of the so-called German
“Wirtschaftswunder” (economic miracle),
a period of rapid reconstruction and
economic development in West Germany
and Austria starting from the years
immediately after the second world war.
This term, coined by
the American “Time” magazine in 1950,
refers to this flourishing period in the
German economy, characterised in
particular by the change from the existing
currency to the new German mark and
by the funding established in the Marshall
plan from 1948 to 1952.
TEG BECOMES
EXCLUSIVE SELLER
The contract with Berco was a crucial step
in the company's success story. It was
signed on the 8th of January 1964 and
gave TEG the role of official distributor
for the Berco trade mark in
Germany.
In the same year, the
company's headquarters were
transferred from Hagen to
Ennepetal, about thirty
kilometres from Essen, where
they have remained to this
day.
At the end of the 70s TEG became part
of Hoesch AG, just as Berco SpA came
under the partial control of the same
German group.
On the 10th of August 1998, after the
purchase of the remaining Berco SpA
shares by Hoesch AG in 1986 and the
subsequent merger between Krupp and
Hoesch, the company changed its name
to Krupp Berco Deutschland.
Initially, TEG was active only on the
aftermarket, concentrating exclusively
on the sale of spare parts, but later
managed to establish a solid position
on the OEM market as well.
BERCO DEUTSCHLAND NOW
Currently, Berco Deutschland, headed
by its two directors Pier Hahn and Kurt
Jonas in a factory of 18,000 sq.m, is
capable of handling 10,000 tonnes of
finished product, guaranteeing its
customers a just-in-time delivery service.
The Berco Deutschland staff (almost) all together. Above, the Ennepetal headquarters
Its 60 experienced and skilled employees
meet the demands of the OEM and
aftermarket customers not only with
normal selling activities, but also with
the development and production of
specifically made-to-measure components
on request.
For a long time now, the company has also
been specialising in building undercarriages
(frames) and providing OEM customers with
complete systems for tracked vehicles.
The vast range of articles sold includes
standard components for earth moving
machines (track links, track shoes, carrier
and track rollers, sprockets and track
adjusters) and complete sets of equipment
for the machines made by all the major
domestic and international manufacturers,
such as Liebherr, Bucyrus, Volvo, Atlas
Copco and the Wirtgen group.
Berco Deutschland is the distributor for
the Berco trade mark in all German
speaking markets and, since 2008, in
Scandinavia and all the
Eastern European
regions, including the
Ukraine and Georgia.
BN59 > july 2010
9

Environment & Safety
OBJECTIVE:
“ZERO ACCIDENTS”
10
THYSSENKRUPP
SAFETY AT WORK INITIATIVE
In 2005 the ThyssenKrupp AG Executive Board
launched a group-wide “Zero Accidents” initiative
which, starting from Germany, was then to be
extended to all ThyssenKrupp sites throughout the
world.
Ten occupational safety guidelines were drawn up
by the ThyssenKrupp AG Executive Board in agreement
with the European Group Works Council.
The aim of the project is to make safety a group value
and to develop a “safety culture”, by creating a set
of shared values that regulate ways of behaving,
making decisions and acting within an organisation.
This “safety culture” must start from the top levels
of the company and permeate the entire
organisational structure. In fact, one of the salient
points of the guidelines is the principle that
workplace safety must be of the same importance
to the company as economic success and product
quality.
The safety culture can be disseminated convincingly
only if followed up directly and consistently by
BN59 > july 2010
the managerial staff “in
person”. Managers, in fact, must be a role model for
employees and must carry out their occupational
health and safety duties with absolute rigour.
Following this, a managerial level training scheme
was drawn up for ThyssenKrupp companies in
Germany, involving about 5,000 managers from
the group's German-based companies. The first
campaign outside Germany is now taking place in
Italy.
THE “ZERO ACCIDENTS” CAMPAIGN IN ITALY
The opening conference was held on the 28th of
May 2009 in Rome, attended by the Managing
Directors of the ItalianThyssenKrupp companies
together with Ralph Labonte, the AG Executive
Board member responsible for Italy.
In the conference, the aims of the campaign were
clearly stated: to illustrate the ThyssenKrupp safety
standards to managerial
personnel in relation to
binding legislation and
heighten awareness with
regard to specific obligations
and responsibilities.
The target participants were
defined as all personnel
in charge of their sectors,
and not just operational
personnel, but also those
in areas normally considered
as low-risk, such as
administration.
Italian legislation, applied
on the basis of specific
responsibilities and functions,
breaks the managerial level
down into two categories:
“managers”, with managerial
functions (i.e. the organisation
of work activities), and
“supervisors”, with functions
and responsibilities that are
more operational, such as
supervising actual work
activities and guaranteeing
the implementation of
directives. Prevention and

Protection Service Managers and Delegates
(RSPP/ASPP) and Workers' Safety
Representatives (RLS) are also attending
the courses.
The program for the training course in
Italy has been drawn up in collaboration
with ISPESL (the Occupational Health
and Safety governing body, recently
incorporated into the INAIL National
Insurance organisation), based on the
scheme tested out in Germany. The
seminars are divided into eight modules
(see diagram, top right).
In the seminars, the
legal aspects - i.e. basic occupational
safety legislation, managerial role and
the organisation of the safety system
in Italy - are dealt with by ISPESL.
The illustration of the concepts of “safety
rules and culture in the Italian
companies”, accidents analysis” and
“best practices” of the group, etc., on the
other hand, is done by ThyssenKrupp
tutors (from the prevention and protection
services of the most representative TK
companies in the country, including
Berco's Saverio Salvi, who is also the
group's National Coordinator for safety,
and S. Di Mauro).
The participants are involved actively
in the seminars and an interchange of
experiences is encouraged between
people from different sectors and
companies.
The number of participants set for each
seminar is not more than 30.
The managerial seminars organised in
2009 took place in Rome, Ferrara, Terni
and Milan and were well attended (more
than 88% of the managers took part in
the scheme).
The feedback from the seminars was
positive, as evidenced by the forms
completed by the participants, which
confirm the high level of teaching,
content and methods.
The training of the supervisors, RSPP,
ASPP and RLS personnel is currently
taking place in all the ThyssenKrupp
companies in Italy (about 630
participants). 18 seminars are planned,
up to 2012.
Saverio Salvi
Head of Prevention and Protection Services
BN59 > july 2010
11