Autoliv has invested 15 million Euros in the steering wheel factory of Sfântu Gheorghe

• The company is hiring 45 people a month, and hopes to reach 1,000 employees by the end of the year

Autoliv România has invested 15 million Euros in the steering wheel plant of Sfântu Gheorghe, and its number of employees has already reached 600. "The target is to have 1,000 employees by the end of the year, and in mid-2013 we want to have 1,500 employees. We are hiring about 45 people per week", said Ionel Fierbinţeanu, the general manager of Autoliv România. Including the employees of Sfântu Gheorghe, Autoliv will reach a number of 5,000 jobs created in Romania.

The company has already reached an output capacity of 1,000 steering wheels a day - 750 for Volkswagen and 250 for BMW. The two customers will also cover in the coming years much of the company's manufacturing ability. For mid-2013, the management of the company has made it its goal to have 6,500 steering wheels leave the plant daily. "This means that, while at the present time, four trucks leave the plant daily, by mid-2013 we will have a number of 15 trucks leave the plant daily", the representatives of the local subsidiary of the Swedish group said.

The Autoliv plant of Sfântu Gheorghe has a total surface of 37,000 sqm, of which 12,000 sqm are built. The building was acquired this year from pants-maker LRO, a company owned by businessman Keresztes Zoltán, whose plant was manufacturing pants under the Brax brand.

• 1 million Euros invested in training

This year, the company will invest one million Euros in training its operators. The company is still looking for workers with experience in sewing, industry, foundry and injection, mechanics, and process, maintenance, quality and logistics engineers.

For this year, Autoliv România has planned a slight increase in turnover, from 434 million Euros in 2011 to 440 million Euros. Autoliv România operates in five locations in Romania, with a total of 7 plants (4 in Braşov, and one in the following locations: Prejmer, Lugoj and Sfântu Gheorghe), two engineering and development centers (in Braşov and Timişoara), a European IT skills center and numerous support functions for the organizations of the company in Romania and Europe. In the seven factories in the country, the company produces safety seatbelts, harnesses for the seatbelts, gas generators for airbags, airbag modules, airbags and steering wheels).

Last year, Autoliv România made a profit of 193.780 million lei, making it by far the most profitable company in Braşov, placing it ahead of Selgros Romania, which reported a gross profit of 102,002 million lei.

Autoliv, one of the largest makers of airbags and seatbelts in the world, last year had total sales of 8.23 billion dollars, up from 7.2 billion dollars in 2010, according to the company's financial statement. The Autoliv group has 48,000 employees in its 80 plants located in 29 countries it is present in.