Less than a year ago, on the right bank of Mures River, in Bejan village near Deva, the building of the former collective farm (CAP) was nothing but a disheartening image. Roofs blown away by the wind, walls shedding plaster, like most buildings, which have failed to find another owner after being deserted.
Now the premises are completely refurbished and Romanian, Italian, United States and European Union flags are waving at the gate, while people in the production hall make helmets for bikers from Italy, Germany and the United States.
The Romanian-Italian joint venture producing motorcycling helmets is called Turbo Helmets SRL and was set up in September last year.
The Romanian party, through Euro Servicii Comerciale Impex, and the Italian one, through Rebel Company, hold equal stakes in the joint venture, but it is the Italians who brought most of the money for the investments made so far.
Turbo Helmets makes linings for biker helmets, part of them being fitted on the inside of the helmet to obtain the end product.
The activity of the company, the only such company in Hunedoara County is supported by 45 employees. “Most of the people are from Hunedoara as it is really hard to find a job in the city,” says Oana-Bianca Mandescu, company administrator.
At present, Turbo Helmets daily sews 4,000 helmet linings for the modern motorbike-riding centaurs, 400 of which are actually fitted inside the plastic helmets to obtain as many complete Turbo helmets.
The remaining linings are fitted at Luca, Italy, until the assembly sector is able to meet the demand. The entire raw material is brought from Italy and benefits from customs incentives, as the activity in Romania is carried out under the lohn system.
Initial investments at Turbo amounted to more than 2bn lei, spent on purchasing the buildings and 5,000 sqm of land, refurbishing and retooling the production hall with 13 sewing machines, a stamping die and a special machine for assembling helmets.
The company shareholders want to open a painting workshop to paint the plastic helmets and purchase a press to make such products locally. They will also buy new sewing machines as soon as possible and hire 20 more people.