Kaercher invested EUR20 million in the plant 150 kilometers away from Bucharest, 40% of which in form of state aid.
“When we first start operations at the plant we will have 100 to 120 employees but we want to boost the number to 150-200 by yearend and then grow further. We will reach 280 to 300 employees next year and plan to grow and develop our business so as to reach 800 employees for our manufacturing operations in Romania,” says Ion Bican, managing director of CER Cleaning Equipment, the operator of Kaercher’s plant in Romania.
He is talking about the long-term plans of the German group for Romania, as the land in Curtea de Arges allows for expansion and the doubling of the production capacity. Kaercher bought a five-hectare plot in 2010 and will begin manufacturing soon. The group had previously been making vacuum cleaners in partnership with Curtea de Arges-based Electroarges.
“We set out to make about 800,000 units of industrial and household cleaning equipment in 2017. We estimate revenue to reach EUR40 million to EUR45 million next year.”
The revenue will put Kaercher among the leading home appliances manufacturers in Romania.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)