Austria's Lasselsberger Group, one of the most powerful family businesses on the European construction supplies market, is planning to start manufacturing operations on the Romanian market through all of its three divisions - ceramic tiles, construction supplies and raw materials, and gravel pits and quarries.
The news was announced by Geza Fordos, chief executive of Lasselsberger SA Bucharest, formerly know as Cesarom.
Market conditions are currently highly favourable to investors, thanks to the strong growth in the construction supplies industry.
Last year Lasselsberger acquired Romania's two most important tile makers - Sanex Cluj and Cesarom Bucharest. Cesarom later took over the tile business of Mondial Lugoj.
"The other two divisions of the group will also enter Romania. Lasselsberger Building Materials will become a producer on the Romanian market," Fordos said yesterday.
He did not specify whether Lasselsberger's expansion strategy would involve acquisitions or greenfield projects.
The group imports and distributes plasterboard in Romania through a partnership with Knauf.
In line with Romanian accounting standards, Sanex and Cesarom both turned in profits for 2004, said Fordos.
Lasselsberger has a production capacity in Romania in excess of 13 million square metres of tiles - 6.6 million square metres of which represents capacity at Sanex, with 4.5 million and 2.1 million square metre capacities respectively for their factories in Bucharest and Lugoj. This capacity, along with imports, allows the Austrian company to control more than half of the local market.
The group plans to extend its ceramic tiles range to more than 15,000 products and launch a complete range of adhesives, putty, and accessories. They are planning to build a large surface area showroom in Bucharest, though the value of the investment was not revealed.
Lasselsberger is the third leading maker of ceramic tiles in the world, a position it acquired after taking over the facilities in Romania.
Lasselsberger's output accounts for around 1% on a highly fragmented international market, which is estimated at 6 billion cubic metres. adrian.mirsanu@zf.ro
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