Carpatcement Holding, the domestic subsidiary of Germany'sHeidelbergCement group, sent 582 employees on technicalunemployment in November and December, around half of its totalheadcount, as a result of the falling sales volume startingOctober.
The German group's decision to shut down production in Novemberand December contrasts with what has happened in recent years, whenplants had to work even on New Year's Eve because they could notmeet demand.
The company will see its turnover contract by around 20% on thecement segment this year, to some 235m euros, according to thelatest estimates.
Unemployment periods are made up of 12 and 15 days.
The sales downward trend will maintain in the first quarter of2010, with consumption due to halve from the same period of 2009and employees could be sent on technical unemployment again.
"After the plant repair campaign ends, depending on theprogression of the sales volume in 2010 and on the productionresumption date, we will make a decision," Mihai Rohan, chairmanand general manager of Carpatcement Holding, told ZF.
The company in the first nine months of this year saw its salesgo down by 16% in terms of volume against the same period of lastyear. Average prices rose this year after the company introducednew types of more expensive products and sold more cement in sacks,which is more expensive.
Instead, total turnover (cement, aggregates, concrete) willregister a 30% decrease in euros this year, to 262m euros as aresult of the falling investments in offices, commercial, logisticprojects, or hotels and the low number of infrastructureprojects.
"(...) The steepest drops were posted on the aggregate andconcrete markets. Of the two markets, the concrete one is thehardest hit as the problems of both markets cumulate at the levelof this market, since aggregates hold a significant weight in theproduction cost of a cubic metre of concrete," state CarpatcementHolding representatives.
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