ELECTROPRECIZIA is the leading producer of electrical motors and equipment for the automotive industry in Romania. Founded in 1936 as a producer of dashboards for German aircraft, it has accumulated manufacturing experience that spans over 80 years. Currently listed on the RASDAQ, ELECTROPRECIZIA is a large, 100% Romanian-owned business group with nine subsidiaries engaging in a range of complementary activities.

Could you walk us through the company’s long history?

The activity of Electroprecizia started in 1936 as a German, Czech and Romanian joint-stock company in Brașov, specialized in aeronautical instrumentation. Today, it is a leading manufacturer in Romania of electrical and electronic equipment for the automotive industry, as well as the main manufacturer of single-phase and three-phase electrical motors.

I took control of the company in 2008. It could be said that it was not the ideal moment, given that just a few months later, the crisis of 2008 hit us hard and we had to take the necessary measures for the survival of the company. We had to drastically reduce the personnel, we eliminated activities that caused losses and we critically reviewed all of our activities, while scouting opportunities for further development. This led us to the decision of dividing what was until then an integrated company, into several specialized subsidiaries. This allowed for a more efficient operation of each business activity and for a correct allocation of responsibilities. I could say that these two decisions: the response to the 2008 crisis and the transformation into a holding company, are the founding decisions that have made us what we are today. A third founding decision, if you will, came more recently, by establishing the Electroprecizia Industrial and Logistics Park, which leverages on the outstanding real estate we have.

What does the business look like today?

Electroprecizia Electrical Motors is the spotlight of the group, providing our domestic and international clients with high-quality motors for pumps, automation, HVAC, hydraulic packs and other industrial applications. Over the years, we have attained a total annual capacity of more than 300,000 units of electrical motors, of which 85% are customized solutions. In the years to come, we plan to reach a yearly capacity of over 400,000 units.

Recently, however, we have also allocated considerable investments to the industrial park in Săcele, which was developed to provide clients, looking for industrial and logistic halls, with the opportunity to benefit from the strategic positioning and the already existing facilities.

The tenants of the park currently benefit from over 65,000 square-meters of rented built spaces, of the total 100,000 square-meters available, built on 20 hectares.

What is also important to our strategic direction is the expansion of our industrial park through greenfield investment projects. As a vision for the future, we aim to rent out 100,000 square-meters of new logistic and industrial halls to reputable tenants within the next 3-5 years, thus taking advantage of the additional 20 hectares available on the platform.

What are the plans and projects for the next few years and how would you define the next development steps for Electroprecizia?

Because of the ever-changing nature of today’s environment, we need to make sure that we are correctly allocating our resources to those activities that are most profitable, with the strongest growth potential. Hoping to accomplish this, the company placed its focus on its long-term business strategy of improving the efficiency and optimizing its business portfolio, activities that will continue in the coming years.

Most of our investment and attention will be focused on the Electrical Motors company and the industrial and logistics park, which consists of new constructions, infrastructure and the integration of new technologies towards a more automized production. Therefore, we estimate an investment budget of more than €80 million for the next few years.

Electroprecizia is based in the Brasov area, which has become a regional hub for international companies. What makes Brasov so interesting for German companies?

I would like to highlight the high professionalism and long experience in the industrial field that have already made way for many German-Romanian success stories. Another reason why our area represents an opportunity for German companies is our access to a qualified labor force. We are aware of the challenges companies face nowadays regarding the shortage of an experienced and qualified workforce. As Brasov is a city with numerous technical universities, trade schools and research centers, we believe that foreign companies should capitalize on this and look into the area of Brasov and the possible partnerships that can be forged in the future.

You mentioned you are setting up a company in Germany. What is the plan?

An interesting fact is that Brasov has a long-standing history with Germany, as it is a city founded by Germans. By setting up a company in Germany, we are looking to reinforce our ties with the German market by promoting and selling our AC electrical motors. We have already met with several important German players and R&D departments, looking for partners who are interested in our customized products. As we operate on a niche market, we have secured some influential international players as our clients over the years. Therefore, we were able to leverage this competitive advantage and engage in fruitful discussions with more than 30 companies. Even though we will still keep our production facilities in Romania, setting up a subsidiary and placing our staff in Germany will allow us to respond more promptly and efficiently to our clients’ needs.

Do you have a final message for Die Welt readers?

Electroprecizia is an important industrial actor in Brasov (Kronstadt), a city founded by Germans and thus has an industrial and commercial tradition of hundreds of years. I invite you, readers, to come here as investors or as tourists. In any case, you will feel at home and might be surprised by this wonderful city in an open, welcoming and European country.