Furniture output worth $785m

Furniture output amounted to $785m last year, with exports accounting for some 80% ($614m). According to analysts, raw materials account for almost 50% of the production costs, whereas the margin averages some 10%. Therefore, the total cost of the raw material used in the industry amounts to about $350m. However, this amount does not entirely go into the pockets of producers, since many of the furniture plants, especially the big-sized companies, have their own wood processing facilities. Pitesti-based company Alprom used to export some 1,000 tones of plywood per month in the previous year, but because of the European downturn, exports were cut to half, Violeta Anton, economic director of the company, said. ZF