Pilkington expects 11m-euro turnover after Gimarom takeover

The management of Pilkington Automation, a British company that is part of the Japanese Nippon Sheet Glass (NSG) group, which recently took over Gimarom, an auto glass distribution and installation company based in Cluj-Napoca, estimates turnover worth more than 11 million euros on the Romanian market this year. The takeover was part of a deal whereby Pilkington bought Hungarian-based Gima group, the majority shareholder of the company in Romania. Pilkington does not own any other business in Romania besides the ones operated through Gimarom. The company in Romania is expected to generate more than 50% of Gima’s total estimated turnover this year. “The relevant sector of our business in Romania is Auto Glass Replacement (AGR). This is a rising segment in Europe, while in Romania we are dealing with a fragmented market, with strong competition from domestic specialised companies,” David Roycroft, Head of Corporate Affairs of Pilkington Group Limited. Gimarom’s business in Romania amounted to some 10m euros last year, an increase of about 12% on 2006.