Coindu expands its operations in Romania

The Portuguese automotive parts manufacturer Coindu will open a second production facility in Romania, this time in Drobeta-Turnu Severin, the Mehedinti County, the investment amounting to 10 million euro. In the new plant for which construction works will start in the very next period there will be manufactured auto parts for BMW, Volkswagen, Mercedes and Audi, according to Adevarul.

For this project, the domestic subsidiary, Coindu Romania, has acquired a 4.5 hectares plot in the Airport area in Drobeta-Turnu Severin and after launching construction it will also proceed with recruiting employees – estimations indicates that 1200 jobs will be created – hence, the first of them, about 400, will be hired this fall.

“At this point, it is the first major investment in the region, after the Revolution, with respect to creating jobs. It is about some 1.200 jobs and I believe that this is great news for Drobeta-Turnu Severin and the Mehedinti County”, Marius Secreriu, the Deputy Mayor of Drobeta-Turnu Severin, said, quoted by Adevarul. He also explained that the investment will be divided so as half of the 10 million euro will be destined to buildings, while the other half will be allocated to technology and equipments.

Apparently, the town on the Danube was the third option for establishing the automotive parts plant, as Coindu initially targeted Iasi and Alba Iulia, according to Alexandru Baleanu, architect within the Drobeta-Turnu Severin City Hall – “Following discussions with them, it seems that they had several attempt in Iasi and Alba Iulia. Their authorization project is being carried out. Once the Zonal Urban Plan is approved, we will be able to request a certificate of urbanism and then obtain a building permit. I have already told them that we can start works for water supply, sewerage and power supply, as they are the land owners”, he explained, as per the aforementioned source.

Established in 1988, Coindu works exclusively in the automobile parts sector, producing and supplying leather, fabric and PVC upholstery, also manufacturing interior accessories, such as armrests, headrests, and door panels. In Romania, Coindu operates a production facility located in Western Romania, in Curtici, near Arad where over 1000 people are employed. Last year, the domestic branch had a turnover of approximately 233 million lei, while the net profit came to nearly 9.4 million lei.