Advice to companies in western Romania: Steer clear of the state

Companies should first consolidate their relationship with existing suppliers, which can provide the cheapest loans, by putting off overdue payments, considering that one has less room to manoeuvre where banks are concerned, and that the state's penalising interest rates are very high, is one of the conclusions of the seminar titled "Winning solutions in time of crisis," organised by Ziarul Financiar and Enterprise Investors in Timisoara. After a three-year period (2006-2008), which saw turnovers rise by as much as 700% in some cases, counties in western Romania in turn feel the difficulties of the financial crisis, prompting them to resort to redundancies and to restructuring in order to save their businesses. In order to do that, companies need to also carefully manage their relationship with banks, the state, and suppliers, which can put an end to a company's business. "I recommend that you steer clear of the state. It is the most harmful supplier, alongside banks, considering the penalties it can impose and the fact that one can be held legally responsible for this debt. In my group of firms, we make sure the state and the bank are paid even before the salaries," said Florentin Banu, founder of the BanuInvest group and of businesses such as Artima and Joe wafers.