Austrian timber producer Holzindustrie Schweighofer has started the operation at the new sawmill in Romania, located Reci, Covasna county.

The new factory, which required an investment of EUR 150 million, is the company’s third sawmill in Romania. The other two are located in Sebes (opened in 2003) and Radauti.

The factory in Reci will create 650 jobs directly, and another 2,000 jobs in related industries, according to a company statement. It currently employs 300 people.

The new plant, whose construction started in 2013, covers 70 hectares and has a cutting capacity of 800,000 cubic meters of round wood per year. The wood comes from forests in Romania, as well as forests located in other countries such as Poland, Hungary, Austria, Croatia, and Slovenia.

Following this investment, Holzindustrie Schweighofer becomes one of the largest employers in the area. It will also be one of Covasna county’s main contributors to the state budget, with annual contributions of EUR 6.8 million.

Holzindustrie Schweighofer is part of Schweighofer Group. The company has invested EUR 778 million in Romania since its entering on the local market.

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Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com