Orders from car and wind energy industries drive Schaeffler sales to 300m euros

Germany's Schaeffler Romania producer, which owns a bearing plant in Braşov, last year generated turnover of around 300m euros, up around 27% year-on-year, switching thus back to growth after the only decline it registered in Romania, in 2009.
Schaeffler Romania manufactures large bearings for various fields, such as the automotive, industry or wind energy sectors in Braşov, with production being almost entirely exported.
"2010 was for Schaeffler group in general, as well as for Schaeffler Romania in particular, the best year financially since set up. Schaeffler Romania exited the crisis, posting the best performance in the short six-year existence of the plant in Cristian, Braşov county," Alexandru Blemovici, general manager of Schaeffler Romania, told ZF Transilvania.
Thus, the bearing plant got from 35m-euro sales in 2005, the first production year, to 300m-euro turnover in 2010, considering the Romanian economy did not overcome recession last year.
The plant's export focus helped the Germans, though, return to growth and recruit further in 2010, after several hundred people had left the plant a year before and turnover dropped by 40m euros.