Sometimes it happens in life that a friendly relationship grows and develops into a close friendship. It’s hard to know under what conditions this will happen, and whether the good connection will survive the changes experienced by each of the partners, or perhaps, in fact, strengthen the relationship. As with people, so with companies. Sometimes a modest relationship can develop into a very close partnership, for the benefit of both parties. In the case of Bermad and Rion, this is exactly what happened.
How did it all begin?
As already described in the article about the relationship between Rion and the parent company Plasson, the 2008 crisis brought about quite a few changes. While our manufacturing activity for Plasson was in decline, at Rion we were taking our first steps as a sub-contractor,offering injection molding services. As part of our efforts to find customers we began to build the relationship with Bermad, from the neighboring kibbutz of Evron. Bermad, a world-renowned company of water flow engineering and management systems, began to work with Rion as one of its injection molding suppliers.
Doubts dispelled
At Rion we believe that one of the important roles of an injection molding sub-contractor is to give its customer a competitive advantage. Moreover, such success is the key to productive and effective activity that benefits both companies. Our work with Bermad reflected this notion, and when extensive manufacturing availability was required, we rose to the occasion and happily responded. Such events only served to deepen the relationship, which reached an interesting point during 2012.
Bermad deepens its partnership with Rion
Sometimes life leads you to make significant decisions, and this is what happened at Bermad in 2012. The leading company decided to focus on its expertise and the added value to its customers – in other words to plan, install and market excellent water management solutions. The manufacturing activity, that includes plastic injection molding and CNC machining, could be transferred to suppliers with extensive experience and technical knowledge who would perform these tasks at a high quality level and on their own. This decision had significant ramifications for both companies. Bermad could direct infrastructures and resources to the activity of real interest to the company, while at Rion we were happy to take upon ourselves this important manufacturing activity for Bermad, which includes injection molding of reinforced nylon and use of molds with moving parts and a complex geometry. In preparing appropriately for Rion’s increased activity with Bermad we acquired injection molding machines with a high wear coefficient, and established a designated manufacturing department to provide manufacturing redundancy. Furthermore, we also opened a supplemental processing department, which entailed the acquisition of milling and etching processing facilities, as well integrating automation and other technical capabilities for efficient performance of tasks such as threading and tapping.
It doesn’t end there
Part of the collaboration also included managing Bermad’s inventory at Rion and establishing an additional Bermad assembly plant close to the Rion plant in Cabri. What’s more, the immediate availability of position holders at all levels from both plants and their proximity only serves to improve the collaborative relationship. Rion team members are available for technical consultation, which facilitates product manufacturing, and in certain instances, Rion’s manufacturing capacity at the Plastokit site has also proven to be useful.
Ultimately, both companies benefit from the fruitful relationship. Production has increased significantly and provides a respectable livelihood to both plants, while the geographic proximity and the shared kibbutz DNA only serve to help – at the end of the day it is a matter of people working with people. At Rion we like these kind of stories – because we think they’re the best kind. How about you?
