The groundbreaking dig on March 13, 2019 marked the official start of work on the new extension at WITTENSTEIN’s Romanian facility in Șura Mică, not far from Sibiu, as a center of competence for mechatronic drive components and stators within the WITTENSTEIN group. WITTENSTEIN SRL in Romania has been manufacturing gearbox components and stators for WITTENSTEIN’s mechatronic drives ever since 2008. With 88 people on the payroll in the meantime, the present building has reached the limits of its capacity and extra space is urgently needed as the WITTENSTEIN group continues to grow.

“The machining and stator production expertise we’ve acquired and built up over the last few years and the excellent conditions we enjoy here were fundamental aspects in our decision to further enlarge the Romanian facility”, said Markus Rothenfels, Managing Director in Șura Mică. The overall complex, which has a total area of about 23,500 square meters, will be completed in five separate construction phases.
The second construction phase has just begun: it will duplicate the existing building and create space on site for up to 160 people. The production area will be doubled to 2400 square meters as a result. The recreation rooms, which at present are far too small, will be increased in size accordingly.


Scheduled for completion in September 2019

The construction work will begin on April 1, 2019. This intensive building phase is based on a tight schedule and will hopefully allow production in the new extension to get off the ground in October 2019. The total investment in the construction project and the production lines will amount to approximately 8.5 million euros over the next three years. “To date, the project has been distinguished by constructive collaboration on the part of the Romanian-German planning team as well as pragmatic and unbureaucratic cooperation with the local authorities in Șura Mică and the Sibiu region. The client, the planners and the contractors have worked together so far without any problems at all. I’m absolutely confident that the team will get the construction project finished on time and on budget”, Rothenfels continued.


Space for 30 new workplaces 

About 30 new workplaces will have been created at the Șura Mică facility by the end of 2020. The extra space and personnel in Romania are part of the Group’s plans for global expansion. “The envisaged investment will ensure our future ability to deliver in our core segment. It will be a win-win situation for our Romanian subsidiary and for the WITTENSTEIN group as a whole”, emphasized Dr. Anna-Katharina Wittenstein of the WITTENSTEIN SE Management Board in Igersheim (Germany). 

Markus Rothenfels (Managing Director, WITTENSTEIN SRL) was joined at the symbolic groundbreaking dig on March 13, 2019 by Dr. Felix Szabo (Director SCM) and Nicoleta Adam (Head of Corporate Services) representing the local management team, Alexandru Gavozdea (local architect), Valentin Ristea (Mayor of Șura Mică) and Paul Eugen Gruian (Managing Director of Șura Mică business park).

Photos:

Photo 1: A perfect day for the ground-breaking dig on March 13, 2019 (from left to right): Alexandru Gavozdea (architect), Nicoleta Adam, Markus Rothenfels, Dr. Felix Szabo (all WITTENSTEIN SRL), Valentin Ristea (Mayor of Șura Mică) and Paul Eugen Gruian (Managing Director of Șura Mică business park)
Source: WITTENSTEIN SRL / Photographer: H. Mateiu

Photo 2: A look into the future: what WITTENSTEN SRL will look like after work on the extension is completed.