The three plants make ski boots, and ski straps, wheels and rims for Amer, employing 1,500 people, who generate more than 170 million lei (EUR39 million) revenue.
“The plants we work with are Plastor and Pereno in Oradea and Chimsport in Orastie,” says Heli Harri, communications manager at Amer.
The plant departments working for Amer employ about 1,500 people and Amer owns some of the equipment in those plants and the necessary know-how, but cannot say how much those assets are worth, the Amer official added.
Amer representatives did not say how much of their production is done in Romania but according to ZF data, half of the Salomon ski boots are made in the Eastern European country. The partner plants also make parts for Mavic bicycles.
Romania provides a good industrial infrastructure, as well as raw materials manufacturers, and the market is highly competitive, Amer officials say. Another thing that made them choose this country is its geographic location, which allows transport from plants to the next point of the group (distribution center or assembly facility i.e.) in just one or two days. Moreover, wage costs are stable, Amer representatives added.
Manufacturing industry wages in Romania are among the lowest in Europe, less than EUR400 (the average wage).
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)