Major European clothing manufacturers are choosing to locate their factories in Romania, mainly because of the cheap workforce and the possibility of their investment quickly paying off, companies in the industry say.

"When Romania becomes a EU member, the domestic textile industry will strengthen, due to faster deliveries as well as the highly-qualified workforce it offers," states Dietmar Stiel, general manager of Avanz M. C, a German consultancy firm, which has been operating locally since 1992.

Although some of the domestic players, such as the representatives of Pasmatex Timisoara argue that companies will no longer work under the outsourcing system in Romania, a series of foreign manufacturers are interested in expanding their business locally, by collaborating with domestic producers.

"We intend to get in touch with Romanian textile manufacturers," says Taner Kacamak, marketing manager of Akin Tekstil, one of the largest textile manufacturers in Turkey.

"We try to develop our client portfolio as much as possible. For the time being, we supply raw material to stores such as U.S-based Gap, as well as to other companies from Germany, France and Great Britain," added Kacamak. The company intends to develop its business by sealing contracts with textile manufacturers and then entering the local market.

"The Romanian textile industry has great potential," offered Kacamak.

The manufacturer Akrom Akal Textile Romania, one of the largest players on the domestic textile market, intends to promote new products for local manufacturers.

The company is the fifth factory owned by Turkish AK-AL Textile Industry and has been operating locally since 1999. Its production is focused on mixtures of wool, cotton and special threads.

Akrom Akal currently supplies raw material to foreign manufacturers such as Lotto, Jeniffer, La Redo