“We are encouraged by the fact that the residential and non-residential construction sectors seem to be on a sure growth path but the market needs the infrastructure segment to grow.”
The company does not believe the infrastructure segment will grow considering the relatively low number of projects that have funding available at the moment, as well as the fact that payments for already funded projects are made late.
Residential and non-residential investments were the growth driver of the construction sector in the first half.
Petry says there is no visibility of public investment in infrastructure in Romania. That a general transport masterplan exists is a step forward and he hopes it will be implemented. At the same time, a short-term program has to be clearly defined to indicate what infrastructure projects will be implemented in the next two or three years, he said.
The Romanian economy is performing better than the other economies in Europe, but the lack of predictability remains a serious challenge, he added.
Holcim Romania posted EUR219 million revenue last year, an increase of more than 8%, according to Finance Ministry data. The group expects at least as much revenue as last year in 2015, the company’s CEO said.
Following the Holcim and Lafarge merger, the Romanian cement market is now divided among Holcim Romania, HeidelbergCement and Ireland’s CRH, which bought Lafarge’s assets in the country.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)