BERNSTEIN AG is on track

With an annual turnover of over 70 million Euros, BERNSTEIN AG has achieved an exceptionally good sales growth in 2022. Compared to the previous year 2021, the turnover corresponds to an increase of over 10 percent. The family-owned company was able to achieve its targets despite persistently high raw material and energy prices as well as supply bottlenecks in many areas of industry.

"The tense situation on the procurement markets was particularly challenging last year," confirms Achim Bernstein, Member of the Executive Board at BERNSTEIN AG. "Thanks to forward-looking planning and the professional response of our employees in the event of sudden supply bottlenecks, we succeeded in continuing to supply our customers reliably and also in winning new customers."

BERNSTEIN has employed around 600 people in 10 countries and, as an internationally active family business, is already being managed by the third generation of the siblings Achim and Nicole Bernstein. As one of the world's leading suppliers of industrial safety and enclosure technology, BERNSTEIN combines these competencies in the DETECT and PROTECT divisions. The product portfolio ranges from switches, sensors and enclosures to suspension systems and operating terminals to system solutions for the operation and safeguard of entire machines and manufacturing plants.

"In addition to various replacement investments, various new investments are also planned until the end of 2023, which will create additional capacities for our production," says Achim Bernstein. One example is two robots for powder coating. Thanks to their repeatability, they apply the paint powder to enclosures with consistently high quality. The first of a total of two of these robots moved into the German production plant in Hille/Hartum in summer 2021. Another one is expected to start its service in February. On the site of the production plant, BERNSTEIN created space for new offices in order to have more space available for additional machines within the production halls. The most extensive investment this year is a fully automated machine for the assembly of industrial safety switches, which is expected to be added to production at the end of 2023.

"Reducing CO2 emissions and energy consumption has been a high priority for us and a good argument for new investments - this also applies to the careful use of gas," explains Achim Bernstein. "The main consumer of gas in the company is the oven of our coating plant in Hille/Hartum. By rethinking and reorganizing processes and work steps, we succeeded in reducing our gas consumption there by as much as 15 percent last year. There are also plans to gradually switch the coating plant from gas to green electricity."

The company is optimistic about the upcoming 2023 business year: "The turbulent times will accompany us for some time, but we see ourselves well positioned to successfully master the challenges ahead," Nicole and Achim Bernstein concluded.