Wood industry: In 2009 there's a question of survival

Wood industry companies, which cumulated losses of above 40m euros last year, say there are no signs of recession fading out, with the bottom to be reached in the first quarter of 2010. “2009 is still a difficult year, during which we will fight to survive, exit the crisis. The first quarter of 2010 will be a highly difficult period, maybe even more difficult than 2009,” believes Cosmin Capra, manager of Holzindustrie Schweighofer Romania, a leading player on the market. He states firms in the field were forced to cut prices, with percentages being negotiated with each client. According to him, 2008 was very difficult for the wood industry, with declines both domestically and abroad. Within Holzindustrie, around 75-80% of production goes abroad. Last year, the Austrian group reached 148m-euro turnover and 8.5m-euro losses. The number of employees rose to 893 from 2007.