Carbochim Cluj celebrates 75 years since its foundation

SC Carbochim SA Cluj-napoca, the largest producer of professional abrasives in Romania, celebrates its 75th anniversary at the beginning of May, during which it has operated without interruption.

Recently, the factory has gone through an extensive process of relocation and refurbishment, with the aim of making production more efficient and reducing operating costs.

The investment amounted to over 5 million euros and included both the purchase of state-of-the-art machines and equipment, as well as the implementation of photovoltaic panels to support energy consumption from renewable resources.

Future plans include continued investments in the efficiency of technological lines and an increase in the value of production to over 9 million euros.

The Carbochim story, on its 75th anniversary

The path of the Cluj factory, started in 1949, was one with many challenges, but over time, it became a model of good practices through the way it developed.

Especially because, today, Carbochim SA is among the few factories that resisted privatization and the transition of society to capitalism, and even represents a high-performing industrial landmark for Cluj-Napoca and for Romania.

Until 2023, the factory operated on the former industrial platform located in Piața 1 Mai, an area far too large for the current needs of the factory and which meant financial and operating pressure difficult to manage. This is because the old platform was only used in proportion to 30% of the total area, the rest being residual spaces, which generated auxiliary losses.

Relocated sections

“Relocating to a space adapted to current needs and for a modern and cost-effective technological flow has been a goal of ours for a very long time.

It is a great joy that, on the 75th anniversary of our establishment, we are producing abrasive materials of even better quality, in locations with a conducive working environment and equipped with high-performance, much more cost-effective machines. We look even more confidently at the future of the factory, keeping Carbochim a name of local and, why not, national pride.

We are a symbol for the Cluj industry and we are grateful that we can continue to contribute to the development of this sector of the economy, but also to the realization of future large-scale projects.

It is a success that we were able to achieve with the support of the IULIUS company, which became the majority shareholder in 2020, when the development plans also began”, said Viorel Popoviciu, general director of Carbochim SA

Currently, the sections of abrasive bodies with ceramic binder and abrasive bodies with organic binder and cutting discs operate in the new location in Bulevardul Muncii no. 18, while the section of abrasives on the support is in Orăștiei street.

Modern facilities

In both locations, modern machinery has been installed, such as automated drying and burning ovens, much more efficient in terms of both productivity and energy consumption (reduced consumption by up to 50%), automatic granule dosing facilities abrasives and a 300-ton press (replaces four more than 50-year-old presses).

Thanks to the automated and semi-automated machines, the activity of the nearly 160 employees, of whom 40% are women, is optimized and the working conditions are much better, the temperature and humidity can be controlled and there is an increased intake of natural light. ,

,We are at an important moment for Carbochim SA, in which we managed to implement a development process that was necessary for us to maintain our relevance in a market whose competitiveness is now of an international level.

In addition to the initial investment of 5 million euros, which allowed us to optimize the entire production flow, which primarily means better performing products, but also a significant reduction in operating costs, we will continue our development plan, and another two million euros will be allocated in the coming years to make the production lines more efficient.

We are confident that the factory’s performance will improve, the estimated results for the next two years targeting an increase of even 20% of the business, up to a value of over 9 million euros”, explained Viorel Popoviciu.

Industrial production from Cluj, powered by green energy

Carbochim SA is among the first factories in Cluj that resorted to the installation of photovoltaic panels to reduce consumption and costs, but also to implement new sustainability parameters.

About 920 panels were installed on the building on Bulevardul Muncii, with an estimated annual production of 448 MWh, which would lead to an energy saving of about 18%. Another important aspect is that these panels will remove 230,000 kg of CO2 from the circuit every year.

About Carbochim SA

Carbochim SA is a Romanian factory, founded in 1949, which produces abrasive bodies with ceramic, bakelite, magnesite and elastic binders, abrasive cutting and deburring discs, but also abrasives on paper, cloth and non-woven backing.

After 1990, the manufacturer from Cluj went through a process of modernization and privatization, and in 2020 it was taken over by the IULIUS Group.

Important moments in the 75-year story of Carbochim SA

1952 – within the Electrodes section, experimentation and industrial scale manufacturing of carbonic mass began

1953 – industrial scale production of graphite electrodes began

1957 – a new section of Abrasive Bodies was commissioned

1973 – the new Abrasives on Support section was established

1979 – the Abrasive Bodies section was expanded and modernized

1996 – the Electrocorundum Section was closed, being highly polluting

1999 – the company was included in the Privatization Program initiated by the Romanian Government

2001- a new production capacity was developed in the Abrasives on Support section

2002 – 2020 – period of factory refurbishment

2020 – the majority stake (77.67%) was taken over by the IULIUS Group, through Carbo Europe SRL

2023 – the process of relocating and upgrading the factory was completed, an investment of 5 million euros

Currently, Carbochim is the largest producer of professional abrasives in Romania, with an extensive distribution network both internally and externally, in countries such as Switzerland, Germany, England, Poland, Hungary, Italy, Belgium, Israel, Ireland , Canada. 12% of the annual production goes to export.