Romet Buzau business is up 7%, to 200m euros

Constantin Toma, owner of the Romet Buzau group, which operates in the water, energy, and farming sectors, says it saw a 7% turnover rise last year, to over 800 million RON (around 200 million euros), thanks to expanding export operations and to boosting the number of contracts for supplying products and services for EU-funded projects. Toma, one of the richest men in Buzau, started out in the business world in 1990 by selling fences and farming equipment, and later expanded his operations into the water industry.

"Last year we started our own anticrisis programme, which entailed both drastic costs cuts, and coming up with new products and technologies. As far as fixed costs are concerned, the biggest cut was made by cutting personnel not directly involved in production by 15% and salaries that exceeded a certain level by 30%," Toma told ZF. The Romet group ended last year with 500 employees, 16% fewer against the previous year.