Continental group, the biggest German investor in the car parts industry, will come to have 5,000 employees in Romania around 2010, compared with the current 3,500.
"We plan to double the production of the Contitech unit in Timisoara and the research centre in Sibiu is going to reach 300 employees, from the almost 200 at present, over the next three years," stated Thomas Sattelberger, the Continental board member in charge of the human resources department.
The Germans also announced they intended to expand the Timisoara-based Continental Automotive Products plant, with its production capacity due to rise to 16 million tyres per year by 2008, from 12.5 million tyres at the moment.
Romania is increasingly more attractive for Continental as a retail market, too amid the accelerated growth the car industry has been witnessing in recent years.
"The markets of Eastern Europe and of Romania particularly are growing, which is only natural. If you want to grow, you have to serve developing markets," commented Sattelberger. Approximately 90 percent of Continental production in Romania is currently exported.
The Germans will also boost their investments in the training of their current or future employees, by setting up an education programme in partnership with the technical universities in Sibiu and Timisoara.
"Cooperation with these universities will make our recruitment process easier.
"We are concentrating on attracting young graduates, especially for the research centre in Sibiu," added Thomas Sattelberger.
Partnerships with the technical universities of Sibiu and Timisoara could translate into postgraduate programmes for Continental's employees in Romania or internships and training programmes for students and implicitly in the possibility of subsequently working in the group's production facilities starting next year. @N_
