The constructions industry in Japan is the main destination for the timber made by Austrian Holzindustrie Schweighofer Company in Sebes.
"Output is exported 95% and is shipped to construction companies across Japan. We also export to Italy and the Arab countries," Cosmin Capra, executive manager of the mill says.
"There are about 1 million houses built in Japan every year, two thirds of which are made of wood so that the demand for prefabs is great," he added. The company does not produce raw timber, but finished and semifabricated products for the constructions industry, using resinous wood as raw material only.
The new mill in Sebes, which began production several months ago, was built by the Austrians from the ground up, following a 60 million euro investment and will come to post 100 million euro turnover by 2005. The investment has created 250 jobs thus far, with 120 more people scheduled to be hired by the end of the year.
Most of the logs used as raw material - spruce fir, pine or fir, come from Romania's forests. The mill in Sebes started production in October last year and will be running at full capacity by the end of 2004, its officials say.
"Since the start of operations until now we've processed approximately 200,000 cubic metres of logs, 95% of which were exported," Capra said.
The processing capacity is 800,000 cubic metres a year, which means the turnover should be about 100 million euros, a target we will attain in 2005," he added. Although the output is mainly destined to the constructions industry, the management is also contemplating the furniture industry.
"The timber we make is not intended for the furniture industry, but we do not rule out co-operation with the domestic furniture makers," Capra said.
The investment in the mill in Sebes began in August 2002 and was finished in a year. The facilities built on a 27 ha plot of land so far include the sawing line, the processing room and two dryers, with new investments scheduled for this year.
"We will build five more dryers this year. We will begin producing in shifts by mid this year, so that the number of employees will increase by another 120 people," Capra says.
The mill is held by Austrian businessman Gerald Schweighofer, who also owns wood processing factories in Austria and Czech Republic.
georgiana.stavarache@zf.ro
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