| Type | Public (BSE: 509480, NSE: BERGEPAINT) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Paint |
| Founded | 17 December 1923 |
| Headquarters | Kolkata, India |
| Key people | Subir Bose (MD) |
| Revenue | 2,105 crore (US$399.95 million) [1] |
| Profit | 148 crore (US$28.12 million)[1] |
| Employees | 2,300 (2009) |
| Website | bergerpaints.com |
Berger Paints India Limited (BSE: 509480, NSE: BERGEPAINT) is an Indian paint company which operates chiefly in India headquartered in Kolkata, India. It has come a long way since its inception in the year 1923. India’s second largest decorative paint player, Berger Paints is headquartered in Kolkata and services the market through a distribution network of 82 stock points and 12,000+ paint retailers.
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One can trace the history of Berger Paints to the 18th century. In 1870, Louis Steinberger moved from Frankfurt to London to sell a Prussian blue colour, which was made using his own formula. He then changed his name to Lewis Berger and by 1870 Berger was selling 19 different pigments, including black lead, sulphur, sealing wax and mustard.
After the demise of Lewis Berger his sons took over the business. Sherwin-Williams, an American company bought control of the company in the 1900s.
By the 1940s Mr. Hadfield; set up Hadfield's (India) Ltd a small paint company in Calcutta on 17 December 1923. Towards the end of 1947 British Paints acquired Hadfield's (India) Ltd and thus British Paints (India) Ltd was incorporated in the State of West Bengal.
In 1951, sales offices were opened in Delhi and Mumbai and a depot was started in Guwahati. This resulted in sales rising to Rs.6 million in 1952. In 1969 Berger, Jenson Nicholson Limited, UK bought the British Paints (India) Ltd. This marked the beginning of Lewis Berger’s legacy in India - which the company would later take forward to enviable heights.
Mr. D. Madhukar took over as the Managing Director in the year 1973. Under him the company became the fastest growing company in the paint industry as sales figures reached over Rs. 160 million by 1978.
The 80s and the 90s saw the launch of many new products such as emulsions and distempers. The COLOR BANK tinting system was launched through which the consumer can select from a range of over 5000 colors.
Mr. Subir Bose has been the Managing Director since 1994, under whom Berger's team currently runs.
Apart from operations in Russia, with a production facility at the Berger manufacturing unit at Krasnodar, Berger has also expanded its footprint in Nepal by setting up a second unit. Today Berger’s sister company in Bangladesh is the dominant leader with over 65% market share. In keeping with the Company’s dynamic growth plan, Berger has also acquired Bolix SA of Poland, a leading provider of External Insulation Finishing Systems (EIFS) in Eastern Europe. As Berger continues to grow internationally it also continues to be the second largest paint company in India.
Berger is the lone supplier to Nuclear Power Plants with its protective coatings. The automotive sector, be it cars or bikes, is primarily ruled by Berger’s automotive coatings. Luxury cars including Mercedes make use of Berger’s products. Companies like Nokia use Berger’s services as well. Berger has tied up with Becker of Sweden to manufacture coil coatings for steel surfaces.