International Tenaris group, one of the world's top piping producers, which this year took over Silcotub Zalau, has held talks with officials from the Dacia Pitesti carmaker to become a supplier to all the locations in the world that manufacture the Logan car, Paolo Bassetti, Tenaris manager for the Community of Independent States and Eastern Europe, told Ziarul Financiar. Bassetti is also the executive deputy chairman of Tenaris Silcotub Romania.
"We think the Logan will be an incredible success. We want to be the suppliers to the entire worldwide network of locations where the Dacia Logan is to be manufactured. We already became a supplier for Dacia in the first half of this year. Tenaris Silcotub aims to integrate its production with industries such as the car, petrochemical, oil and shipyards industries" said Bassetti.
This summer, Tenaris entered the Romanian market through the acquisition of Tubman International, a company that owned Silcotub Zalau, Tubinox Bucharest and Laminorul Braila. The total value of the transaction amounted to 42 million dollars.
Tenaris' main aim in transaction was the take over of Silcotub Zalau, and the investor recently divested itself of Laminorul Braila. In the July-November period, Tenaris cut the debts of the Braila-based company by 4 million dollars, practically halving them, and then freely ceded the company to the State Assets Resolution Agency (AVAS). Once the contract for the transfer of the majority stake from Tenaris to AVAS had been signed, agreement was reached for the closure of the case for the annulment of the privatisation contract of the Braila-based company launched by the state one year ago against the former shareholder, Tubman International.
In the case of Silcotub Zalau, two months ago, Tenaris started an investment programme worth 11-12 million dollars for the modernisation of production capacities. The programme will be finalised by next July.
Tenaris will build a car parts plant in Zalau by next summer, according to a Tenaris official.
"The degree of production integration at Silcotub will rise from 30% to 70% by the end of this year and will reach 100% over the next 2-3 years," explained Bassetti.
Silcotub produces carbon steel and non-welded alloy pipes for the construction, oil and gas, energy, chemical and car-making industries.
According to Bassetti, Silcotub's pipe production will increase from 136,000 tonnes to 180,000 tonnes by next July, while the company's turnover will grow in a similar fashion over the same period.
Around 15% of production costs at Tenaris Silcotub are related to electrical power consumption, and these costs are set to increase due to utility price increases designed to bring tariffs into line with European Union standards. The increasing power costs are putting pressure on the production process.
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