“We come after 2024, the year in which we grew the Hatboru team, reaching 100 colleagues, we increased production, since November 2024, we started the second shift, and we continue to grow. However, we focused on the uncertainty of project financing and the labor crisis. The main market of Hatboru Romania S.A. is infrastructure projects, which depend on the economic and political situation. We also had concerns about the labor force, a current topic in any European country. The result is in line with expectations,” says Horia Enciu, shareholder of Hatboru Romania.
The facility from Giurgiu manufactures spiral welded steel pipes with diameters up to 2.540 mm used in the construction of pipelines for natural gas, crude oil, petroleum products, irrigation systems, sewerage, district heating, road and bridge construction, shore protection and port expansions.
The strengths of the Romanian business environment are, according to Hatboru, the industrial tradition, the innovation that comes from the IT field, and the stability of the exchange rate.
The weaknesses come from poor education, the lack of a coherent policy regarding education, and the lack of predictability, which also translates into projects being tendered without a budget, implementation calendar, and allocated resources. We operate in a thick fog, in which whoever can do what they can.
What are the expectations from the Romanian authorities
”First, the authorities can support local investors who are expanding and need a specialized workforce. We need more projects supporting the reindustrialization of Romania and training specialists in production. To succeed in attracting a workforce, we have started to support the educational environment in Romania. Our company provides scholarships for high school students in Giurgiu, and it has started discussions with the Politehnica University of Bucharest to attract students for internships. At the same time, Hatboru is investing in the arrangement of classrooms in the factory space. On the other hand, it is vital to see a sustained concern in maximizing the use of budgetary resources", says Horia Enciu.
Hatboru will continue its efforts to operate the factory in 3 shifts and pursue projects in the EU and Romania to ensure sustainable growth. In addition, the company will also focus on increasing its employees' knowledge level to ensure the dynamic efficiency of each process.
Comany's management estimates that in 2025 the European industry will suffer due to factors such as the energy transition and the global economic and political context. In addition, they see further capacity reductions in the metallurgical-related industry, and many companies will suffer.
