Lugoj-based Mondial, a manufacturer of sanitary ware and a division owned by the German Villeroy & Boch group, expects to derive a turnover of 33.5 million euros this year, an increase of around 3% on 2006.
"The 3.4% increase targeted this year is dictated to by our current production capacities, and not essentially by high market demand," stated the company's representatives.
However, in the first quarter of the year, the company saw a 16% increase on the Romanian market against the same period in 2006, therefore beating the growth forecast for this year.
The company has budgeted investments worth 1.3m euros for 2007, which will be used to improve the production process and develop marketing and promotion.
Mondial has a production centre in Lugoj and employs around 1,000 people. Since 1996, the German group has invested around 25 million euros in the Lugoj-based plant.
Mondial's product portfolio particularly targets the low and medium level segments of the market, but the company plans to launch some new products for the high-end segments of the market. These products will be unique in both design and technical features.
In 1996, Mondial was taken over by the German concern Villeroy & Boch, which at the time purchased 51% in Mondial for 10 million euros. At present, Villeroy & Boch owns 99.56% in Mondial. In 1999, the company accounted for 17% of the domestic market and now accounts for 45%, according to its own estimates.
Mondial's main competitor is Romanceram, a producer of ceramic tiles, which at the end of last year was acquired by Cersanit, a Polish company. According to market sources the 77.85% stake was sold for 2.3 million euros.
Distributors such as Delta Distribution and SSAB Impex also operate on the market of sanitary ware. However, sanitary ware accounts for only 7% of Delta Distribution's turnover. In the case of SSAB Impex, sanitary ware contributes to 50% of the turnover.
The market of sanitary ware does not have a high value, but is currently being boosted by the positive dynamics of the constructions market.
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