Business Forum • 4 October, 2024 at 10:53 AM
EVOLOR, one of the largest players in the Romanian varnish and paint production industry, inaugurates a new high-performance factory, at the technology standards of the future, on the Oltchim Râmnicu Vâlcea industrial platform. The new facility, located on the site of the former Chempro factory, purchased last year by the company, is the result of an extensive modernization and technological process. With a turnover of RON 96.2 million in 2023, EVOLOR marks a new development chapter, aimed at increasing the competitiveness of its products, through new investments planned for the next period.
The inauguration of the new unit marks the start of the next chapter in the accelerated development of the company and in the revitalization of a representative industrial area for Romania. The decorative plaster factory on the Oltchim platform is expected to generate, in the first full year of activity, a production of approx. 10,000 tons of decorative plasters, mosaic plasters and plaster primers.
The new production facility has an area of 3,776 square meters and includes high-performance and robotic operational capabilities, a new research and development laboratory, state-of-the-art technology equipment and logistics and administrative spaces.
Robotic lines, already in operation, worth more than half a million euros, facilitate the safe and modern packaging of products for long-distance transport and reduce the possibility of their damage in the distribution chain. At the same time, the new unit will increase the production capacity of decorative plasters by 15%, increasing the storage capacity of bulk powders by 50%, which will lead to a significant reduction in the amount of paper waste.
"Today we start a new chapter in the development of EVOLOR, a 100% Romanian success story. We thus add to over 30 years of expertise and performance in the varnish and paint industry, the technology, innovation capabilities, know-how and investments necessary to accelerate the transformation of EVOLOR into a formidable player on the European construction materials market,” declares Bogdan Pîrvu, CEO of EVOLOR.
What's next for EVOLOR
Also on Oltchim platform, the company aims, in the coming years, to develop a new production section of washable paints, a production section of ecological varnishes and enamels and a logistics center for the distribution of finished products, in order to expand its distribution area, both domestic and export markets.
For this purpose, EVOLOR purchased 6 plots of land with a total area of 13,518 sqm, in addition to the initial investment in the hall and the related land of 12,321 sqm. Currently, the total area intended for the development of operations is 25,839 sq m.
"The reindustrialization of Romania, our strategic mission at ROCA Industry, means concrete steps and actions, which require investments, teams with vision and implementation capacity and real value added to Made in Romania products. The inauguration of the EVOLOR factory on the Oltchim platform, a strategic investment of the holding, concretely shows that reindustrialization has already begun and we are happy to be promoters of this process. We continue to believe that Romania has every chance to export competitive industrial champions to Europe and fulfill our assumed promises," declares Ionuț Bindea, CEO of ROCA Industry.
EVOLOR is one of the biggest players in Vâlcea, in terms of turnover and a stable employer - the average number of employees has grown steadily, reaching 168 employees in 2024, an increase of 23% compared to the previous year. EVOLOR has registered a business growth of 50% in the last 2 years, since entering the ROCA Industry portfolio, reaching a turnover of RON 96.2 million in 2023, from RON 64.3 million in 2021. For comparison, 10 years ago, EVOLOR recorded a business volume of RON 27.8 million, which underlines the company's development potential.
In the first half of 2024, in a difficult market context for the construction materials industry, EVOLOR recorded a turnover of RON 53.7 million, again marking an increase of 8.3% compared to the same period from 2023.
Since 2023, EVOLOR launched export operations to markets in Israel and Moldova Republic. While commercial relations to Isreal have been stopped at this time, due to the politic context, this year brought new export to the United Kingdom. One of the company's strategic goals in 2025 is to increase export volumes in all foreign markets where it is already active and to open new export channels.
On the domestic market, Evolor has strategic distribution partnerships at national level in DIY store networks (Dedeman, Leroy Merlin, Brico Depot), as well as through local distributors, in more than 1,300 traditional stores.
EVOLOR has a diversified portfolio of products, with a presence in all market segments (economic, medium and premium), through the two main marketed brands, Sticky and Coral, and offering an optimal quality/price ratio. The company's products include: interior and exterior washable paints, decorative plasters, enamels, varnishes, primers, thinners, complementary products, super-concentrated pigments. Recently, EVOLOR launched a series of products with a high degree of embedded technology: non-combustible decorative plasters, washable paints for refreshing facades, which prevent the formation of algae and molds, but also washable paints, enamels and decorative paints for children's rooms.
The company is going through a transformational process that has the effect of its accelerated development, a process started since the end of 2021, with the entry into the ROCA Industry portfolio. It includes the redefinition of commercial strategies, the streamlining of operations and strategic infusions of capital and know-how, to reposition the player in a competitive business partner in foreign markets.