Cersanit, a manufacturer of sanitary ware and ceramic tiles controlled by Michal Solowow (62), Poland’s wealthiest individual, is contemplating the permanent cessation of production at two of its facilities in Roman, Neamț County
The number of employees at the Romanian factory decreased by 65% last year. The information, which was first announced on Profit Insider, indicates that the company is discussing shutting down its porcelain sanitary ware and terracotta tile production sections. This follows a temporary suspension of operations announced in September 2022. The average number of employees at the Roman plant dropped to 209 in 2023, a 65% reduction.
The company’s revenue fell by 22% to €32.2 million in 2023, while losses slightly decreased to approximately €1 million. Cersanit had planned to obtain an integrated environmental permit for producing ceramic products through firing, including tiles, bricks, and porcelain items, with a production capacity exceeding 75 tons/day and/or a kiln capacity exceeding 4 cubic meters with a density of over 300 kilograms per cubic meter. This process was halted in December 2023 after the company informed the Neamț Environmental Protection Agency of its decision to cease production in both sections.
In December 2023, Cersanit received approval from the Neamț Environmental Protection Agency for dismantling equipment from the sanitary ware section, which was housed in three buildings of the Roman factory. The dismantling included a kiln, a glazing robot, two slip mills with a capacity of 12,000 liters, another mill with a capacity of 25,000 liters, five casting machines, and two dusting booths. Dismantling work was also proposed for a 1,000 square meter metal-structured storage tent.
At the upcoming General Ordinary and Extraordinary Shareholders’ Meeting scheduled for October, the Polish shareholder is expected to approve the sale of equipment from the closed production sections. The meeting will also propose the appointment of Tomasz Olszewski, the new CEO of Cersanit Group and former director at Philip Morris International, as the Chairman of the Board of Cersanit Romania.
Janos Lupaș-Țicu, the Director of Cersanit’s South Europe Division, who managed operations in Romania, left the company in July after ten years and joined the construction materials manufacturer Sika. Cersanit Romania did not respond to Profit.ro’s request for details on the closure of the two sections.
In 2023, sales of sanitary ware in Romania declined by approximately 15% compared to the previous year, with market stagnation expected this year. Cersanit entered the Romanian market in 2006 by acquiring the Romanceram factory and was delisted from the Bucharest Stock Exchange’s secondary market in 2015. The factory now occupies 12.7 hectares in the northern part of Roman and exports products to 15 countries. Cersanit operates seven factories: one each in Romania, Ukraine, and Germany, and four in Poland, with a total of 5,500 employees. It is the second-largest ceramic producer in Europe after Austria’s Lasselsberger Ceramics group.
The company is controlled by the Polish Rovese group, one of Europe’s largest sanitary ware manufacturers, owned by Michal Solowow, Poland’s richest man with an estimated net worth of $7.1 billion.
