Electrolux cookers go east

Swedish home appliances maker Electrolux raises the bet on Eastern Europe. The company announced it would transfer part of its cooker production from Italy, Germany and Sweden to Romania.
Romania will therefore become the company’s supplier of cookers, while Hungary will supply refrigerators and Poland will make washing machines.
“Our business in Eastern Europe includes a cooker factory in Romania, a refrigerator plant in Hungary and a washing machine factory in Poland, which stand to benefit from this restructuring programme,” Carmen Georgescu, Electrolux Romania marketing manager said.
The Electrolux Romania officials last month announced the cooker factory the group holds in Satu Mare would redouble its output in 2003, following several million euro investments.
More than 400,000 cookers are due to be manufactured in Satu Mare this year, with the productive capacity to reach 700,000 units in 2003, twice the 2001 output.
Most of the output (over 75%) is mainly exported to France, Italy and Spain, as well as to Eastern European countries such as Poland and Hungary.
The Satu Mare-based unit is the only plant in the world making Penny cookers, following a nearly 3 million euro investment from the Swedish group.
Electrolux is the leader of the cooker segment of the Romanian home appliances market, with more than 50% in market share.
Its archrivals here are domestic producers such as Tehnoton and Metalica, but also the international players such as Whirlpool and Bosch-Siemens. Its competitors on the built-in kitchen appliances segment are Gorenje, Alveus and Franke. Electrolux is also a major player on the refrigerator, refrigerating equipment and washing machine segment.