“Our group is currently looking to hire 2,000 people in all our companies in Romania. Of these, 300 people will work in the extended production unit in Carei (northern Romania),” Christian von Albrichsfeld, general manager of Continental Automotive Romania, told a news conference Wednesday.
The Continental group has been present on the Romanian market for the past 11 years and has eight production units and three research and development centers in Timisoara (Western Romania), Sibiu (central Romania), Carei (northern Romania), Arad (western Romania), and Iasi (eastern Romania).
The group also has a tire distribution center for Eastenr Europe in Sacalaz (Timis county, western Romania), owns a metallic cord production unit together with Pirelli in Slatina (southern Romania), and is set to open a fuel pump factory in Brasov (central Romania).
The general manager of Continental Anvelope Timisoara, Pedro Carreira, told MEDIAFAX Tuesday the group has started a project to expand its facility in Timisoara, which entails investments of over EUR40 million and 300 new employees.
The Economy Ministry said in a press release last week the German group plans to invest over EUR140 million in its Romanian operations in the next four years. The ministry said Continental plans to continue investing in 2012 and 2013 in Timisoara, where it will spend EUR71 million and create 400 new jobs, in Sibiu, where the company will invest around EUR35 million and create 300 jobs, and in Brasov, where it will open a fuel pump factory following a EUR20 million investment that will create 500 jobs. Continental is also set to invest EUR15.7 million to expand its Contitech Fluid Automotive production facility in Carei.
Christian von Albrichsfeld said the group has requested state aid for the investment in Carei and is awaiting the Government’s response.
The German group’s six companies in Romania posted a cumulated turnover of EUR1.1 billion last year, 45% higher than in 2009, according to Finance Ministry data. The group currently employs around 10,000 people in Romania.
The group posted a turnover of EUR26 billion last year, up 30% from 2009, and employed 150,000 people in 46 countries.