Mondex Sibiu banks on 15% growth in 2004

Sibiu-based textiles producer Mondex SA projects turnover of more than 8.2 million dollars for 2004, 15% higher than in 2003.

Over the last four years, the company has invested about 12 million euros in new tools and production installations. In line with internal company estimates, Mondex holds a 25% market share.

About 60% of production is distributed on the domestic market, with the remaining 40% being exported on foreign markets – in Germany, Italy, Belgium or the Netherlands, according to Maria Brandasu, the firm’s general manager.

Mondex annually produces 12 million pairs of socks and about 9.6 million pairs of tights.

Brandasu stated the company does not plan to increase its production capacity for the time being.

“At this moment, we do not consider it to be worth raising our production capacity, as long as demand is not on the increase. We are adjusting our production to the demands of this market,” said the Mondex manager.

Beside its classic products, Mondex has recently introduced a number of technologies allowing for the use of certain special threads. “We consider that the reinvestment of our profit in state of the art technologies has raised the quality of our products,” Brandasu explained.

Beside promoting its own brand, Mondex has also promoted two other brands-Shara and Tuareg, with the latter including small textile products.

In the future, the company will more intensely focus on seasonal products or products dedicated to a certain type of activity.

“We are already manufacturing socks targeted at sportspeople. Through the equipment we have, we can produce different structures depending on the type of activity that is being addressed. In Romania, stores specialising in sports products are starting to emerge, and this is the main reason why we have included special products in our portfolio,” Brandasu continued.

To maintain its low prices, Mondex has opened three stores in Sibiu and will expand into several Romanian cities by the end of this year.
transilvania@zf.ro