By yearend, Schaeffler Romania is likely to revert to the number of employees it had in 2008 (around 3,500 people), after the crisis period of 2009, when the company laid off around 300 people as part of a cost cutting program. Besides the layoffs, a natural decline in the number of employees was also registered, namely 10-20 people monthly.
According to the data previously provided by the company, the average net salary in the Brasov plant shrank from RON1,585 in 2008 (EUR430) to RON1,456 in 2009 (EUR345).
The German producer last year extended its working hours, from two or three shifts to four shifts to meet increased demand from its main clients.
At the same time, the company’s officials said 2010 was the best year financially for Schaeffler Romania mainly because of the favorable economic conditions for parts providers for the car and heavy industries. The company last year reached turnover of around EUR300 million, up about 27% year-on-year.
“We see a slight turnover increase for this year from 2010. After the first six months, we expect sales of Brasov plant to go up by 10%-15% from the same period of 2010,” said Alexandru Blemovici, general manager of Schaeffler Romania.
The company plans to boost its production capacity soon, particularly on the automotive segment, because of both new projects and projects underway, and on the industrial segment, for existing products. Schaeffler Romania officials did not specify the percentage by which the capacity would rise. The company’s products are manufactured under INA and FAG brands.