The Adhesives division of Henkel Romania, part of the German-based Henkel group, will conduct investments worth around 10m euros this year in a new plant located in north-east Romania, which will eventually produce 200,000 tonnes per year, similar to the output of the Campia Turzii (Cluj county) plant, which opened last year.

Henkel owns another adhesive manufacturing unit in Bucharest, which produces 250,000 tonnes per year.

"This year, we'll make further investments and increase production capacities and our product range. At present, we are looking for land for an investment similar to the one carried out in Campia Turzii last year," stated Andrei Dumitrescu, marketing and sales manager with Henkel Romania's Adhesives Unit.

So far, Henkel has invested 30m euros in its adhesives unit in Romania. At present, the company has 600 employees domestically, with 220 working in the plants of Pantelimon and Campia Turzii.

"Domestic production accounted for 90% in the total volume of sales last year, whilst the rest was derived by imports from the group's other plants. In the coming period, the level of imports will shrink as a result of higher investments being directed towards the expansion of production capacities," Dumitrescu added.

This year, Henkel Romania, which includes all Henkel's domestic operations, forecasts a two-digit turnover growth, from 472m RON (141m euros), the level reached last year, when the company saw turnover advance by 36%, according to the company's chief financial officer, Nicolae Olteanu.

Last year, Henkel's results were boosted by the superior production capacities.

As part of Austria's Henkel Central Eastern Europe, the company last year generated EBIT worth above 90m RON (27m euros), compared to pre-tax profit worth 40.3m RON in 2006.

Henkel Romania's operations are divided into 3 units, namely