Anna Maria Vikarius, manager of Heineken Romania's Miercurea-Ciuc-based brewery, says one of the reasons for dropping the malt production division within the plant was the fact that it accounted for less than half of the facility's required production.

"We will keep the malt storage area and will most probably use the remaining space for other purposes," said Anna Maria Vikarius, who has been managing the biggest beer plant within Heineken Romania for almost six years. Vikarius has not mentioned what the area will be used for. Vikarius, 50, is the only woman at the helm of a Heineken brewery in Central and Eastern Europe. She started to work within the Miercurea-Ciuc plant 26 years ago, immediately after graduating from the faculty of Organic Chemical Technology within Babes Bolyai University in Cluj. Her first job in the plant was as an engineering intern within the physical and chemical tests lab.

In mid September Heineken Romania announced it would close malt divisions in Hateg, Craiova and Miercurea-Ciuc starting in mid-October, and make 61 employees redundant. Company officials then gave as reasons for this the fact that malt divisions entailed very high costs, due to the significant consumption of energy and water, with the costs now being completely eliminated since malt is acquired from suppliers in Romania and the EU.

"Following the closure of the malt division, 18 people have been made redundant, with their contracts lasting until the end of October. They will receive severance pay and assistance in finding a new job," said the manager of the factory that currently employs 317 staff.

Heineken Romania, a beer producer that posted 225 million euros in turnover last year and a 40 million-euro profit, has five factories, in Miercurea Ciuc, Craiova, Hateg, Constanta and Bere Mures, with the latter acquired a year ago.

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