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Berlin Packaging Acquires Freund Container
“The strength of their company, as with any fine organization, has been their people. They are a professional and committed group we look forward to growing with!”
Berlin Packaging, LLC, a Chicago-based supplier of rigid packaging, completes the acquisition of its long time competitor in the packaging catalog business, Freund Container. Headquartered in Chicago, Freund has been the leader in selling packaging through their catalog for more than 65 years. Thousands of styles and sizes of metal, plastic, glass and fiberboard containers, corrugate and packaging equipment are shipped to the market and supported by a staff of 34 people, each having more than an average of 13 years of experience in the industry. Freund mails over 1,000,000 catalogs annually to a variety of industries. Moreover, they are the largest packaging supplier through catalog sales in America. Berlin Packaging was the second largest. Together, Berlin’s new Freund division comprises over 30% of the market’s packaging catalog business.
Berlin Packaging introduced their catalog division, IntellipakÔ, in 1995 along with a full catalog of containers that could be purchased in any quantity. With a full staff of customer service representatives dedicated solely to IntellipakÔ, the catalog division became an ever- increasing competitive segment of the business. This division will now be merged into the Freund Container group.
Berlin Packaging is a privately owned company, who traces its roots to 1898 when the original company was started in Omaha, Nebraska. Freund Container was family owned and operated through three generations. The synergistic benefits of this acquisition are not only shared business philosophies, but also the two companies share many of the same suppliers and products. In addition, Freund Container brings to Berlin’s product mix, the expansion into flexible packaging and light machinery. With the completion of this acquisition, Freund will retain its trade name as “Freund Container, a division of Berlin Packaging.”
Gail Vargas Larson, Vice President and General Manager of Freund remarks, “We are extremely excited about Berlin and Freund joining forces. With their packaging expertise and extraordinary resources poised to invest heavily in our catalog company, our customers, employees and suppliers stand to benefit tremendously throughout the coming years!” Andrew Berlin, President and C.E.O. of Berlin Packaging, agrees. “Freund is a fabulous company that we have watched for many years. The strength of their company, as with any fine organization, has been with their people. They are a professional and committed group we look forward to growing with!” To see the complete Freund line of packaging, please visit www.freundcontainer.com.
Berlin Packaging is North America’s largest stocking supplier of glass, plastic, and metal containers and closures. The company’s annual sales are in excess of $200,000,000. Berlin currently has 21 sales offices and stocking warehouses coast to coast across the United States. For more information, please visit our website: www.berlinpackaging.com.