Other companies have described their purpose in a way that sounds good to the outside world. But honestly, that's not who we are. Therefore, we have put unimaginable heart, thought and time into our purpose. We have remembered our roots, what has happened since 1957. We have been guided by what the people in our BERNER Family live today. They are the inspiration. What shapes us is a performance culture. What shapes us is a community culture. People who give more than others.

My father started the company with only five years of schooling. He had neither money, nor higher education. In the early days, he only came home on Saturdays to eat and do paperwork. On Sundays he rested and left again on Monday before sunrise. He must have traveled more than six million kilometers on the road himself. He developed the best chemical innovations, drills and dowels in the world without having a degree. Impossible? Possible!

At the age of 28, I was one of the youngest board members in Europe to take over a company that was actually about to be sold or broken up. For me, believing in the impossible and believing in this company every day has been the reason I've gotten up. I have always believed in the team, in the BERNER Family. I didn't believe those who said it wasn't possible. Today we define the market. Impossible? Possible!

But much more important are our employees. All my life I have spent with people who love this company, who always give everything for this company and their colleagues.

Our colleagues in the field, who get up early every morning, fight and make everything possible for our customers. Driving 400 kilometers just to help a colleague's customer. Who help customers on their weekends with their projects to keep their business running. The colleagues in logistics, who work for our customers even on Saturdays, are there and know no limits in an emergency, so that the goods get out to our customers. The colleagues in the offices who connect everything together and thus make perfection possible for our customers. For more than half a century, we have been making all that is impossible possible.

On the other hand, I grew up in a company that takes care not only of itself, but, above all, for others. We have always taken on social responsibility and will continue to do so. And we have great customers. Customers who do so much positive work every day. I love our customers.

Our purpose is therefore: "We are pushing the limits of the possible for the shapers of a better tomorrow". The first part stands for our own aspirations. For our customers, for ourselves, we accept no limits. There's no “No”, there's no "Can't do." We find solutions. That is deeply anchored in our DNA. We have made all our impossible goals possible.

But the most important thing in our corporate purpose is that we serve. Since I joined BERNER, we have been serving our customers. We serve the community. We serve each other. Therefore, "for the shapers of a better tomorrow."

This means first and foremost: our customers. Who helps us deal with challenges like climate change? Our customers! They make the world change by improvising, optimizing, maintaining, and recycling. We want to serve them and change the world together with them. The second "shapers of a better tomorrow" are our employees. With their initiative, their commitment, they have changed the lives of so many people in recent years with over 300 social projects across Europe. Together, for example, we were able to support the people of Ukraine with over half a million euro, as one of the first companies in Europe.

We want to be there for the people who are changing the world. With large but also with small contributions. Every day. We do not believe in fear and wait and see but in sleeves up and look ahead. For those who really want to make a difference, we are the right people.

We are pushing the limits.

Christian A. W. Berner