September 20 (SeeNews) - French auto parts maker Faurecia said on Tuesday it has inaugurated an automotive seat cover plant in Ramnicu Valcea, in southwestern Romania, following a 12 million euro ($13.4 million) investment.
The new plant has a total surface of 12,000 square meters, the company said in a press release.
"The investment generated over 700 new jobs. Our objectives for the next period are to increase our production capacity in order to deliver over 280,000 covers this year, and to recruit some 600 new employees by 2017”, Faurecia automotive seating executive vice president, Hagen Wiesner said in the press release.
This is Faurecia's fourth plant in Romania. It currently operates another automotive seating plant in Talmaciu, in the central county of Sibiu, an emissions control technologies plant in southwestern city of Craiova, and an interior systems factory in the central-southern city of Pitești.
In September 2013, Faurecia received a 122.5 million euro loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to back its expansion in four countries, including Romania.
Faurecia employs over 3,000 people in Romania. It generated sales of 203 million euro from Romanian operations last year and 119 million euro in the first half of 2016.
At group level, the automotive equipment supplier employs over 103,000 people in 34 countries.
($ = 0.894 euro)