Rolast sees profit again

Synthetic rubber parts maker Rolast Pitesti will become profitable after the first half of this year, after having posted about $20,000 losses in Q1. The approximately $40,000 profit will come as a result of the company’s successful attempt to boost monthly sales from 62-63bn ROL ($1.8 million) last year, to 70bn ROL ($2.1 million), according to Dan Popescu, Rolast general manager. “We tried to increase the share of exports and we made it. We also resorted to a very strict cost control,” Popescu says. Rolast’s target for this year, as highlighted by the S&R budget is $1.5 million gross profit, following the over $600,000 loss in 2002. Last year’s turnover, 677bn ROL, amounted to only two thirds of what the management had initially set out to attain. Rolast had two slow, loss-making years in 2001 and 2002, so that the shareholders replaced the management team. ZF