Constantin Stroe, the man whose professional development in the last three decades from an engineering intern to chief executive has blended with that of the Romanian carmaker Dacia Pitesti, is no longer an employee of Dacia as of this month.
"What I've done with Dacia until now I want to do with the automotive industry in Romania," Stroe told Ziarul Financiar. He is no longer functioning as Dacia's general strategy director as of this month. He will retain his position as vice-chairman of the Board until his term expires in 2007. Stroe is also the chairman of the Association of Automotive Manufacturers in Romania (ACAROM), an organisation whose goal is to help the suppliers in Romania develop so as to boost the national integration of the Dacia car manufacturing and more.
Stroe says the decision to leave an executive position had been made since as early as last year, but it did not materialise until this year because of the launch of the Dacia Logan model.
"I'd been waiting for this model for a long time, I could not have missed its launch. My mission to help the company overcome the hardships ended with the launch of this model. Now I can take care of other things," Stroe said. Dacia plant's former manager until 2002 and then its strategy vice-president says his new goal is to develop the automotive industry horizontally.
"I don't want to just develop the supplier network for Dacia-Renault. The local suppliers have a tremendous opportunity now, as the major foreign automotive component makers are eyeing the Romanian market. This is an opportunity the automotive industry has never had before and must not be missed," Stroe added.
He says that if the Romanian suppliers are skilful enough to take advantage of the favourable current circumstances, the business of the automotive industry companies in Romania could grow four times by 2010.
"They need to learn to meet the requirements and make the deadlines, though," ACAROM's chairman said.
The foreign investment attracted by the automotive component manufacturing industry in Romania has reached more than half a billion euros thus far, and is due to increase significantly over the next few years.
"The first step was made by the investments in the Western Romanian cities, with the reason behind these being strictly connected to the infrastructure and the proximity of these cities to the Western European countries," Stroe said.
Once Renault became a Dacia shareholder, investments in the automotive component-manufacturing sector reached the southern part of the country, as well as the central Romania.
The launch of the Logan model, that is the 5,000 euro car was Renault's most ambitious project announced when acquiring Dacia.
ionut.bonoiu@zf.ro
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