Holzindustrie Schweighofer starts operations in its newest sawmill in Reci The 150 million euro investment will create 650 jobs in the sawmill Reci, October 27th, 2015 - Holzindustrie Schweighofer has started the operations in its newest sawmill in Reci, Covasna County. This project represents an investment of 150 million euro and will create 650 jobs directly in the sawmill and other 2,000 jobs in the region. The new sawmill, whose construction started in December 2013, spans over an area of 70 hectares and has an annual cutting capacity of 800,000 m3 round wood, sourced exclusively from sustainably managed forests from Romania and other countries such as Poland, Hungary, Austria, Croatia, Slovenia etc. Following this investment, Holzindustrie Schweighofer becomes one of the largest private employers in the region. Currently the factory hosts over 300 employees, but their number will reach 650 when the factory runs at full capacity. Also, drawing on past experiences from other sawmills, the company estimates that other more than 2,000 new jobs will be created in the region, in related industries, due to its cooperation with other firms. At the same time, Holzindustrie Schweighofer will become one of the main contributors to the state budget in Covasna County, as the new sawmill is expected to bring to the buget over 6.8 million euro per year in taxes. “Ever since the beginning of our investment in Reci, we trusted that this project would contribute to the development of the woodworking industry, as well as to the economic growth in Covasna County, by creating job opportunities for the local workforce and by diversifying and supporting economic activities in the region. Thus, the new sawmill in Reci is part of Holzindustrie Schweighofer’s commitment to be one of the main strategic investors in Romanian and one of the top employers in this industry”, said Dan Banacu, Holzindustrie Schweighofer. The project in Reci is Holzindustrie Schweighofer’s third sawmill opened in Romania, alongside the ones in Sebes and Radauti. Also, the company has an edged glued panel factory in Siret and a blockboard manufacturing unit in Comanesti. Most of the timber produced in Reci will further undergo higher processing. The lowest quality timber which cannot be used for other purposes receives an added value in Comanesti and Siret factories. At the same time, the new sawmill in Reci is an important project for the local community in Covasna County, which benefits from Holzindustrie Schweighofer’s support in several social projects in the cultural, education and healthcare sectors, following the model of the other locations in Romania where the company is active. About Holzindustrie Schweighofer Holzindustrie Schweighofer is part of the Schweighofer Group and has its roots in an Austrian family business with more than 400 years of experience in woodworking. Currently, the company is leader in the European wood processing industry and is also active in viscose pulp production, bioenergy production, forestry and real estate. Holzindustrie Schweighofer opened its first sawmill in Romania in 2003, at Sebes. Currently, the company is running on the local market other two sawmills in Radauti and Reci, an edged glued panel factory in Siret and a blockboard factory in Comanesti, generating over 3,000 people directly in these locations and more than 10,000 in related industries. Since entering the local market until now, Holzindustrie Schweighofer has invested 778 million euro in Romania, and in the last 4 years it has contributed to the state budget with over 100 million euro. The profit made by the company in the last 10 years is reinvested in Romania, creating each year new jobs. Holzindustrie Schweighofer imports annually from neighbouring countries over 1 million m3 of logs, for which it pays taxes to the Romanian state amounting over 40 million RON, while Romania exports every year especially to the Far East about 400,000 m3 of unprocessed wood. .