Bistrita-based company Rombat, a producer of alternators, automotive batteries and electric cells is getting ready to become one of Dacia-Renault's main suppliers for the Logan model.
"The company has already supplied 3,000 batteries for Dacia Logan and we estimate deliveries for this brand will reach 200,000 units next year," Ioan Repede, Rombat's chief executive told Ziarul Financiar.
He added Rombat's batteries were to be validated for the Logan next week.
The Pitesti-based carmaker is, after all, the main client of the company from Bistrita. "Last year, Rombat delivered 67% of its output to Dacia and the fact that it has been selected by Dacia for the Logan will boost the quantities supplied by 15% in 2005," Rombat's chief executive added.
Rombat's official says this co-operation is the result of the investments made in the company. Rombat investments included $1.6 million in car battery manufacturing.
Investments will continue this year, with the company having budgeted for approximately $2.5 million in this regard. Part of the money will be destined to making the production facilities and the warehouses that store used batteries in Copsa Mica operational, as well as to expanding the car battery assembly facility.
The company concluded last year with $20.7 million turnover, up 20% from 2002 but its officials would not provide estimates for 2004.
Rombat Bistrita's shareholders, that is its management and employees have been disbursed an average annual dividend of $1.36/share over the last four years.
The company makes five types of batteries (Pilot, Calciu, Cyclon Magma and Heavy Duty) for cars, trucks and locomotives and accounts for 67% of this market.
It exports about 6.5% of its total production, largely to Russia, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Hungary and Finland.
The Romanian automotive subassembly industry could attract hundreds of millions of euros in investments over the next few years, as more Western European component producers find themselves forced to look for new ways to cut production costs.
The 21 suppliers the Renault Group brought to Romania for the Logan model have already invested more than 110 million euros here.
At the same time, several Western European groups have invested hundreds of millions of euros in partnerships with Romanian companies in the centre and West of the country.
transilvania@zf.ro
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