Bramac expecting 30% increase in business

“We are close to acquiring a piece of land near the capital and will begin [construction] work this year. The unit is to be finalized in 2009, said the company’s General Manager, Mircea Dumitru.

He declined to provide details on the exact location and production capacity of the new factory, but said it could double current production.

Bramac posted €17.8 million worth of business in 2007, 29 percent higher than in 2006, and estimates a further 20-30 percent growth this year, up to €20 million.

Imports currently make up some 10 percent of the company’s turnover. As of this year, the company will enter the solar panel market, through imports from Austria. “The solar panel market in Romania is not mature enough. Our goal for this year is to introduce the benefits of this product to the public, a product widely used in Western countries, and explain how it helps lower energy costs,” Dumitru said.

The company is part of Austrian company Bramac Dachsysteme International, owned by Wienerberger and Lafarge groups. Its main competitors are Megaprofil, Ruukki, Lindab and Siceram, on a market worth some €130 million.