Agenția pentru Dezvoltare Regională Nord-Est
Agenția pentru Dezvoltare Regională Nord-Est

Category: NEWS

kaboom-42
29May2023
NEWS Regio Reporter EN SLIDER EN

Playground in Suceava City: a project with big ambitions for the joy of the little ones

29 May 2023

Reporter REGIO: episode 15

Playground in Suceava City: a project with big ambitions for the joy of the little ones

Success stories, possible with the support of Regio Nord-Est 2014-2020                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

A family business from Suceava, with a tradition in the Horeca field, has expanded through the North-East Regional Operational Program 2014-2020, with a project worth 1,6 million euros, of which 870k euros is non-repayable. Together with his sister, Alexandru Filipciuc continues this family business, nurtured over time by their father, and together they manage a complex consisting of restaurant areas, accommodation, and event spaces in Suceava. The idea of a unique and comprehensive playground, dedicated to families who come to spend quality time together, emerged a few years ago, and they decided to materialize it with the help of European funds.

The need for a children's playground

As the father of two boys aged 4 and 8, Alexandru felt the need for a dedicated space for children to play. Since the complex already had an available sports field with an area of 1400 square meters, Alexandru and his sister thought of utilizing it to build a children’s playground. But not just any playground, they envisioned an attractive, versatile, and age-appropriate play area. „The need for a children’s playground is constant and evident. We already had a space for children in the summer garden, but it was somehow seasonal and opened only during the summer. Parents would stay on the terrace while the children played. We decided to create a permanent open space, a generous playground with various attractions for all age groups. Having this available space, we believed there was enough room for kids to feel comfortable. We planned the project around 2019 and realized that we wanted something extraordinary and ambitious, so we turned to European funds. We submitted the project, and we were extremely happy when we won. It was our first experience of this kind, and from our point of view, things have gone very well so far„, recalls Alexandru Filipciuc. Thus, Kaboom Kids World opened its doors in Suceava in January of this year.

Interior Design by Internationally Renowned Company

Although the interior design was not budgeted for in the project funded through the North-East Regional Operational Program 2014-2020, Alexandru and his sister hired an internationally renowned playground design company from Bulgaria. They chose to work with experts in the field because they wanted the result to be spectacular. „In Suceava, there was no space of this size, with this much surface area, attractions, and complexity. We wanted it to be different, and so our proposals aligned with the ideas of the designers, resulting in climbing walls, trampolines, a three-level modular slide with an area of 300 square meters, games that stimulate competitiveness, games with rewards, Lego zones, creative and drawing areas. There is also mini-bowling, virtual reality machines, and a special area for children under 3 years old. We wanted to create attractions for a wider range of ages. Some machines can also be used by adults since they technically support up to 140 kg,” smiles Alexandru.

A technologically advanced and inclusive Playground

Within the project funded through the North-East Regional Operational Program, 35 recreational and fun equipment pieces for children were acquired. The funding also covered the heating and air conditioning system, sound system, furniture, IT equipment, and licenses, as well as video surveillance, detection, and alarm equipment. „We tried to automate everything related to our activities. We have counting software for all the attractions; each machine has a reader, and the child comes with either a card or a bracelet, scans it, and enters the respective attraction. The cards have a certain number of points, depending on their value. We tried to create packages for everyone. Moreover, this entire space is adapted for children with disabilities„, adds Alexandru.

   

Kaboom Kids World has a capacity of 200 people, and the attractions are dedicated to children aged up to 15 years old. The concept is carefully thought out, from the recreational area to the zones for private parties and dining areas. Children can stay active and develop their skills and talents as they please, through games and new experiences. „It is a beautiful business, filled with children, parents, and joy. We know that Suceava is not as big as Bucharest, Timișoara, or Iași, but the children here also deserve a beautiful place to have fun. My kids would sleep here if they could, especially the older one. We all wish for our children to have a better childhood than we had„, says Alexandru Filipciuc.

Reporter REGIO is a new North-East RDA initiative, which focuses on promoting the successful projects of our beneficiaries, projects that have managed to stand out by bringing added value and impact to the community. At a time when negative news predominates, we offer you beautiful but true stories for reading, meant to strengthen the belief that „it is possible”! Be part of the story!

Are you a Regio beneficiary? Let us tell you the story.

Contact us for details at info@adrnordest.ro

 

1
04May2023
NEWS Regio Reporter EN SLIDER EN

A two-wheeled-business accelerated at REGIO speed

4 May 2023

Reporter REGIO: episode 14

A two-wheeled-business accelerated at REGIO speed

Success stories, possible with the support of Regio Nord-Est 2014-2020                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

The business idea came through college, somewhere in 2007, when entrepreneurship seemed attractive from a student position, and the need for money was very much alive. Passionate about everything that means two wheels, Ovidiu Teofănescu sought to combine passion with entrepreneurship and do something different and new on the market. He is from Piatra Neamț City, graduated from the Faculty of Tourism in Bucharest, and sells, through BizzOnWheels.com, mobility solutions on two wheels: commercial bikes and advertising trailers, all over the world. The production is made in Neamț County, with Romanian materials, and the financing obtained through the 2014-2020 ROP helped the business to increase its production capacity by 500% thanks to the purchased equipment.

An untapped niche in Romania

Searching for business ideas, he found some advertising four-wheeled bicycles on the Internet somewhere in Belgium. That’s when he realized that a bicycle can also perform commercial tasks, not just recreational ones. He created a prototype bicycle with an attached billboard and set up an advertising agency to sell the idea of ​​mobile advertising. „The agency was not successful because I did not insist on it too much, it was difficult to divide school and fun and business at that age. But the idea stayed in my mind and worked continuously as a challenge. Because I’ve always loved bikes, motorcycles and I’m passionate about everything that means two wheels, at the end of college I decided to go ahead and put the idea into practice. At that time, I couldn’t find a correspondent in the market, someone who could do that„, Ovidiu recounts.

Street Food & Food Carts

In 2011, he materialized the idea into a product through the „bici” advertising trailer or AdBicy. It was mobile advertising with some utility bike trailers. He promoted it and slowly the money started to come in as well. From that moment, he reinvested all the money and with the profit from the sales, he started to develop the concept. „Our mission is to help companies and small entrepreneurs. Initially, we thought the target audience was young entrepreneurs starting small businesses, but now we sell to large companies and resorts. In general, we help companies get where their customers need them and can’t get there otherwise. You can exploit any small space, for example in a park, where there are people and they would need ice cream, a coffee, the activity can be carried out in just two square meters. Commercial carts are used in spaces where you can’t make a fixed point of sale, and you can’t enter with a car either. The bicycle creates a new opportunity. That’s how the idea of ​​the mobile store on a bicycle was born, some mobile carts towed by bicycle that can be used in two ways, you push them or pull them„. Bizz on Wheels essentially makes utility bike carts. With these, commercial activities of street sales of ice cream, coffee, barbecue, hot dogs, and street food can be carried out. These carts, depending on the equipment, can be powered by gas or electricity, and some of them are completely energy independent. Sustainability is enhanced by the solar panels and electrical system kits that come with them. „This is how we understand to contribute to the preservation of our planet,” says Ovidiu.

       

 

Street commerce, a super business in other countries

99% of sales are exported, mainly to the USA, but also to 80 other countries around the world. Abroad, this type of street trade is very well developed, with allocated spaces, with annual authorizations. In Romania, Bizz On Wheels sells very few bikes, and not because there is no demand, but because authorizations are very difficult to obtain. Legislation is not very well established in this segment, yet, but authorizations for this type of trade can be obtained during events, festivals, or fairs that have gained success in recent years. „Since we started and until now, things have changed, we also started selling in Romania, but a little, let’s say 1%. Abroad, things are different. In New York it’s a super business, they haven’t eliminated the small street vendors. An authorization in Central Park can reach 400 thousand dollars a year, which means that there is profit. Here, there is only the events market where this kind of business can be done, a market that has developed a lot in recent years„.

Laser technology by REGIO

Ovidiu tells that this business developed very hard. It took a long time, from the first product to the designed Bizz on Wheels, which includes a complex range. „It is very difficult to do both production and sale. They are two completely different activities. Production consumes a lot of resources. We do something for a very small niche, we haven’t reached volumes. An ad trailer cart isn’t for everyone. The market is small, growing but slowly. We promote ourselves at international fairs, but mostly online. We are a business that could not exist without the Internet. I tried to make it grow, but I realize that if that had happened, I wouldn’t have had the ability to produce them.”

In 2019, while he was at a bicycle fair, he came into contact with a consulting firm from Bucharest that told him about the advantage of European funds and how they could help him in production. It seemed like a game to him, he didn’t think for a second that he would have any chance of getting European money, but the project was accepted for financing, and from that moment the game turned into something serious. “The laser cutting machine helped us move from artisanal production to mass production. It allows us to scale and produce a larger number, faster and at a much better quality. It’s micron precision. For mass and series products, it is mandatory to use high-performance machines. This is where the funds helped us enormously. This machine helped us to standardize. We were blocked for a very long time. Even if we had larger orders, we wouldn’t have been able to honor them because we were mostly making them custom. The client told us what he wanted, we made it by hand, it was possible. But the capacity for growth was also very limited. Working manually, the production time was long. At one point, we had about 25 people employed with a fairly small turnover. It was not good„. The machine changed the future outlook for production, standardized the products, and now they are becoming multifunctional, and adaptable. Now, the customer can equip his cart himself, according to his needs, depending on the type of trade he carries out. In this way, the production time decreased a lot and the capacity increased 5 times per shift, with the same people.

``Now we can easily double our turnover with this machine``

The Bizz on Wheels business has had a turnover growth of 30% naturally, every year, since the establishment of the company, but now, with this technology, Ovidiu estimates that it will be much higher. „Production capacity has increased by 500%. The focus will shift to sales now. With this equipment, we solved our biggest problem: production. To scale, we would have needed more people. Now, people only do the assembly, handling, or packaging part, not production”, says Ovidiu Teofănescu. He also tells us that the objective of the business was not the financial part. He considers himself attached to the products and the creative side. “Bizz on Wheels is a living thing. I still see it as a manifestation of me. I fed on the creative side and got emotionally attached to the products because production gives you the advantage of being unique. It’s just that when we talk about business, the magic of entrepreneurship must also materialize in money. All the money that came into the business, I reinvested it in the business as well. And now we can easily double our turnover with this machine. We started the year really well on the sales side. It feels good. The European funds helped me advance at least 5 years in the evolution of the company„.

Reporter REGIO is a new North-East RDA initiative, which focuses on promoting the successful projects of our beneficiaries, projects that have managed to stand out by bringing added value and impact to the community. At a time when negative news predominates, we offer you beautiful but true stories for reading, meant to strengthen the belief that „it is possible”! Be part of the story!

Are you a Regio beneficiary? Let us tell you the story.

Contact us for details at info@adrnordest.ro

 

1
31Mar2023
NEWS Regio Reporter EN

A business back on its feet with the help of REGIO

31 March 2023

Reporter REGIO: episode 13

A business back on its feet with the help of REGIO

Success stories, possible with the support of Regio Nord-Est 2014-2020

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

„We move on!” These words have become a motto over time for the main character of this episode’s success story. At 65 years old, he has a lot of energy, he is a recent graduate of the theology faculty and believes that you have to train your brain continues to not lose it. Cornel Iftime founded Dimold Impex SRL, with his wife, 25 years ago, in Bacău City and wanted to do manufacturing. He chose the manufacturing of shoe accessories because it was closer to their first job and soul. With the help of a non-refundable financing of 200k euros from the 2014-2020 ROP, he managed the personnel crisis he was facing and managed to respond favorably to the orders received, acquiring 4 state-of-the-art pieces of equipment in the field of footwear components.

Lack of labor and the need for technology

Engineers by profession – his wife in the tannery at the former Partizanul shoe factory in Bacău, and he, a mechanical engineer in the field of machinery – decided in `98 to start a shoe accessory production workshop on their own: insoles, cleats, and more. Today, they collaborate with shoe factories from all over the region of Moldova, but their biggest customers come from Italy. „We started working with an Italian for a large company about 10 years ago. For two years they only sent us trial orders, until we gained their trust. They work with a big name in this industry in Germany, a company that makes over a million pairs of shoes per season. A season, in the footwear industry, means about 5 months of work in a year, for the next season. We, for example, work with them for the winter season, the summer season being partially covered internally„, explains Cornel Iftime. This customer from Italy prefers accessories to be made by hand, with people. Satisfied with the quality he received, after a while he began to increase the number of orders. This was a problem for the Iftime`s because the labor market in Moldova was quite unstable and no people were willing to work. They had jobs listed at the County Employment Agency in Bacău for many years, but those who came did so only to obtain a denial of work. None came to work. „Many of my friends, who have shoe factories, asked me why I don`t get European funding. They were taking funds and I was actually helping them choose their machines. At the time, I didn’t want to because the Italian company I had been working with for so long insisted we do the work manually. They thought that with the automatic machines was a higher risk of mistakes. Mistakes that can`t be seen, a whole batch of shoes can be compromised, and the damage are enormous. But as they asked me to increase production, to offer them more, I told them that without automatic machines I cannot respond to their orders because there are no more people to work with. 6, 7 women worked for two thousand pairs a day, and the orders were for 3-4 thousand pairs a day. That was the moment when I asked him if I can work with machines„, Cornel Iftime recounts.

``If a house has a foundation, a shoe has an insole``

So, two years ago, they decided it was time to go to the next level with the help of European funds. They submitted a project and purchased 4 high-performance machines and heat pumps. If they used iron knives to cut the insoles, now they use the automatic machine and they have almost doubled the production in a working day with fewer people. „For a shoe model, with the whole range of numbers, you need 16 knives of special steel, knives that cost money. Last year we scrapped 10 tons of knives because every year we used over a thousand knives to cut. Now we only work like this if we have a small order. We now have a machine that cuts automatically. We needed 10-12 people to place the blade very precisely. Now the machine does it. The third machine is for mounting the insoles. The automatic stamping machine is also very useful. 15 people work for us now, in manufacturing. Before, more than 20 people were needed. It helps us a lot.„

Automation of production flow

The operations performed by the purchased equipment are highly precise, and with its help, any human error is eliminated. If, for example, the metal glen is not placed in a technically well-defined position, then in a high-heeled shoe the heel will step in a different direction. Or, if other parts do not overlap perfectly, the leather will suffer internal stresses in the structure and the shoe will come out crooked. Even if the Italians demanded for a long time that the accessories should be made by hand, now they are convinced that the technology is also good, and they can make a big order with no risk that the order cannot be honored.

And the heat pumps purchased through the project brought a real benefit to the accessories workshop. „I recommend them to anyone. Now, with heat pumps, we pay about 60% of the amount of wood we would have paid in a month. Someone came to make the fire early in the morning and it took a long time to heat up before, and now it heats up in 15 minutes after I press the button. These types of equipment and heat pumps are the best things„, says Cornel Iftime, smiling.

``Funding helps us survive``

They already have a lot of work for the upcoming season and, for the first time, the Iftime`s are not afraid that they will not be able to honor the incoming orders. „You won’t see a sudden increase in turnover now, with this financing. These machines help us survive. Maybe we will rise a little, having continuity in the work. This year we will see what happens. This is how we have oscillated so far, between minus and plus. We have some very cheap semi-finished products, 0.4 euro. If I propose a price increase of 0.42 euros, the customer will find another supplier. And there’s something else, if we have less than a thousand pairs a day, we’re at a loss, at all costs, we end up below zero. If it’s over a thousand, we also start to earn a little, because that’s how you earn in the shoe accessories industry. And with all that, I say it will be fine. By the end of this year, maybe the gain will explode. Now we have something to produce, we have these machines that we are very proud of„.

``Thanks to this funding, we are moving forward``

For 20 years, Cornel Iftime has been going to international trade fairs and keeping up to date with all the news in the field. He’s already made a name in this business, but he hopes others will get to know him, especially now that he can handle bigger orders. „Until now, I was afraid to tell them how much I can produce per day. I told them that I can’t do more than that. But now I’m not afraid anymore. It is very important to respect the delivery times when you pick up an order. If you are not looking to modernize production, raise the level of the product, and be able to answer a customer’s question about whether or not you can increase the number of products delivered, you will not survive. Thanks to this funding, we are moving forward. Otherwise, we were limiting ourselves or maybe, slowly, going down. If we don’t modernize, we stop. If you limit yourself to what you know and learned a long time ago, you have no chance. You have to come up with the latest technique„.

Student at 60 years old

Although he finished college in the 80s, Cornel Iftime felt the need for a new challenge at 60 years old. He wanted to study for a doctorate in his field, but somehow life directed him to theology. He had some questions, he was looking for answers and wanted to study further. „Study keeps you going, keeps you alive. You don’t know how good studying is at 60. From a certain age, you start to forget, and the untrained brain dies. In the first session, I cried. I wanted to quit about 20 times during the 4 years of college, but my family always encouraged me to keep going. And I studied like never. I was a grandfather to my college mates. I started the Faculty of Theology in Iași, I did it day by day, I also stayed in the student dorm 3 nights a week, last year I got my license and took the oath at the Cathedral. I didn’t go to college for a degree, and although I’m proud of it, I want to understand some things. After I finished college, I found the answer to my questions, but a thousand more questions arose. So… we move on, both with school and with production, we don’t stop„. Or, as we would say, the journey continues!

Reporter REGIO is a new North-East RDA initiative, which focuses on promoting the successful projects of our beneficiaries, projects that have managed to stand out by bringing added value and impact to the community. At a time when negative news predominates, we offer you beautiful but true stories for reading, meant to strengthen the belief that „it is possible”! Be part of the story!

Are you a Regio beneficiary? Let us tell you the story.

Contact us for details at info@adrnordest.ro

1-2
27Feb2023
NEWS Regio Reporter EN

Entrepreneurial spirit packaged in a business for the future

27 February 2023

Reporter REGIO: episode 13

Entrepreneurial spirit packaged in a business for the future

Success stories, possible with the support of Regio Nord-Est 2014-2020

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

He saw Iasi city as an exotic adventure, from the desire to try something new as a young high school graduate from Craiova city. He preferred to go to college away from home and try his luck in entrepreneurship since he was a student. Now, Tiberiu Stoian runs Exonia Holding, a company that he founded in 2003, which produces biodegradable paper packaging, a company that benefited from a non-refundable 2014-2020 ROP financing of almost one million euros. He sees entrepreneurship as an electrocardiogram, with ups and downs, and the funding obtained through Regio has given him an increase in productivity and turnover that he only hoped for a few years ago.

A business started in the student dormitory

An Oltenian in the capital of Moldova, as he likes to say, Tiberiu Stoian wanted to be a mini-explorer after finishing high school and chose Iași city also out of a desire to prove that he can manage far from home. Because he didn’t want to accept money from his parents during college, he decided to get a job. He tried several jobs, not necessarily spectacular, then started working with one of the greatest food and alcohol distribution companies in the area, where he had a lot to learn. At the moment when the shareholders of that company decided to exit the Romanian market due to legislative instability, Tiberiu had to make his first important decision: to accept a position within some companies that had been his clients or to start a self-employed activity. „Back then it wasn’t really easy to start a business, especially since it overlapped with my financial situation, which wasn’t great. However, I decided to give it a try. I was in my second year of college and wanted to try something in the IT distribution area. With the money I saved, I managed to buy a good computer, and a printer”. Because he wanted to recover at least part of the costs of this first investment, Tiberiu started to do technical editing and listing services of the diploma theses of his older colleagues. This business was doing great and he recruited a few more dorm mates to whom he outsourced some of the work he couldn’t seem to finish. After 3 weeks, the idea of ​​bankruptcy sprouted for the first time: a new cartridge costs as much as a printer. „I learned my first lesson then, as a beginner entrepreneur: that you always have to analyze all your costs very carefully”, recalls Tiberiu. But he discovered, in a short time, at a profile fair in Bucharest, a manufacturer from South Korea who had invented some kits for refilling printer cartridges. That was a business saver. He refilled them, then invested in a banner that he hung on the window of the dorm room for the visibility of the services he offered, and 3 years later, Tiberiu ended up owning a network of 17 office supplies stores in as many counties. He was now a national distributor of computers, printers, and copying systems.

A good marketing idea: personalized bags

Tiberiu Stoian wanted to offer personalized bags to all the clients that bought from his stores, 50 thousand bags, that’s about how many he used then. If they had been personalized and used in 17 counties, they would have represented an impactful and fairly cheap way of advertising. He started looking for suppliers to put his ads on the bags. He found a local supplier, but the quality was low. Then he found a supplier in Italy, but because Romania was not a member of the European Union back then, a shipment could take up to a month. So he turned to another supplier, this time from Turkey, a country with better transport relations. The effect of the personalized bags was quickly seen so that some of the customers wanted to have such bags as well. And they asked Tiberiu for more bags. This time, for them. “After seeing this kind of request, I thought it was a good opportunity, especially since I knew how complicated it is to find a good supplier. Therefore, in 2003, we founded Exonia, the current Exonia packaging factory, which at the time was called Reklama Shop. Later, I decided that this area of ​​personalized packaging is a big area, which is why I no longer need to diversify and sell all kinds of other promotional materials„, says the entrepreneur.

From plastic to paper was just a project through ROP

In 2010, he bought a company from Iași that produced packaging and all the machinery he owned. It wasn’t a big company, but there were very experienced people, people who are still working at Exonia Holding nowadays. He set up a plastic packaging factory, and a year later he purchased the entire equipment park of the plastics plant, Moldoplast from Iași. These actions increased the production capacity. During all this time, Tiberiu was also interested in the decisions of the European Union, the measures being implemented within the Member States, and priority areas. „One of these priority areas, I noticed would be the one related to the production of sustainable packaging. Ever since then, there have been discussions of green energy and I considered it to be the future. This is the reason why I started to pay close attention to the technologies required for the production of biodegradable packaging, especially from paper. I read almost everything that could be read about this field of activity, I visited many factories and profile exhibitions where I had the opportunity to consult with specialists in the field. I like that when I start to do something, to be well informed about what I am going to do, to increase my chances of successfully implementing a project„, says Tiberiu Stoian.

The production of biodegradable paper products with high-performance machines required very large investments. In 2016, Exonia had low profitability, and some investments of several million euros were difficult to cover. The entrepreneur found a financing solution in the banking system, but it was not enough and he started looking for other sources of co-financing. „We already knew what it means to produce low-performance equipment, so we targeted top equipment manufacturers. With the resources I had, plus a bank credit, I would have been able to buy equipment made in China or worse or cheaper. But in 2018, a call was launched on ROP 2014-2020, for SMEs, on 2.2, a call that also had a component on printing areas, and that is exactly what I was doing. It fit perfectly, I was eligible for the purchase of a high-performance and complex flexographic printing technology line„.

The pandemic and funds, launching ramp

He wrote the project with the help of a consultant, it was approved and signed in 2019, and in 2020, just as the machines left the manufacturer’s factory, the lockdown was decreed and the borders were blocked. „As much as we were excited that the machines were coming, we panicked that they couldn’t enter the country. We even asked for the help of the authorities to try to offer us a solution. The people were quite understanding and we were able to bring into the country both the machines and the foreign specialists we needed to put them into operation. Like an electrocardiogram, it was. We got excited when we put them into operation and then we cried because another decision of the Government blocked the activity of shopping centers and we found that we no longer had anyone to produce customized bags for. It seemed like an insurmountable problem because we didn’t even have an estimate of how long it would take to resolve the situation. In the meantime, we also hired about 15 people to work with the new line. It was a very difficult period„, remembers Tiberiu. But the pulse of entrepreneurship would rise again. The reduced mobility imposed by the authorities has led to a significant increase in home delivery orders, especially for food products. And the food products required some bags in which to be delivered. Personalized. The pandemic and the implementation of the project through the 2014-2020 ROP were for Exonia the second launch ramp, as the demand for customized bags increased overnight. The factory’s maximum production capacity was reached in a very short time. Although they initially predicted a catastrophic situation for 2020, Exonia ended the year with a 40% increase in turnover, and 2021 will end on the plus side with 130%. „In all this time, we have accumulated a lot of experience in using this high-performance technological line, and it mattered enormously that we chose a more expensive and good quality one. During this period, we also started to develop some innovations that helped us to work with this technological line at a higher speed than the speed provided in their technical book, we increased the productivity a lot„. Also through the Regio grant project, they purchased a server and implemented an ERP application within the company, which helps them enormously and which they continuously improve with other modules.

In continuous growth since the implementation of the project

2022 ended on a positive note, with a 30% increase in turnover, also as a result of increased productivity thanks to the line purchased through European funds. As planned, Tiberiu Stoian wants to multiply this business recipe, increase the production and processing capacity, and expand the premises for production. „Now we are analyzing a mix of financing solutions that will be based on bank loans, we are waiting to see financing lines with a grant component that could be addressed to producers. We also intend to access the capital market, towards the end of the year there are very good premises to be the first company producing biodegradable paper bags listed on the Bucharest Stock Exchange„.

Tiberiu Stoian still owns the company established in the dormitory, 24 years ago. He chose to focus on the production of biodegradable bags because it is an area that he likes, he is passionate about, it is a profitable field and, he says, this is how he manages to get closer to the mission he set out for himself even before implementing the project through the ROP, that of making a change in people’s mentality regarding the environment and the idea of ​​being more responsible. „More than 50% of the paper we use in the production of the bags is 100% recycled. I became more responsible as I became a father of 3, and I think about their future and what the environment will look like in some time. Through the products we manufacture now, we contribute to the protection of the environment and we are constantly working to educate the public about sustainable consumption.”

Reporter REGIO is a new North-East RDA initiative, which focuses on promoting the successful projects of our beneficiaries, projects that have managed to stand out by bringing added value and impact to the community. At a time when negative news predominates, we offer you beautiful but true stories for reading, meant to strengthen the belief that „it is possible”! Be part of the story!

Are you a Regio beneficiary? Let us tell you the story.

Contact us for details at info@adrnordest.ro

4_1
30Jan2023
Fără categorie NEWS Regio Reporter EN

The Curse of Gold and the Taming of the White Wolf

30 January 2023

Reporter REGIO: episode 11

The Curse of Gold and the Taming of the White Wolf

Success stories, possible with the support of Regio Nord-Est 2014-2020

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

 

We found Mircea Căldăraru working along with some workers. They were building an extension to the workshop together, increasing the space on the ground floor, and the first thing he told us, proudly, was that he was expanding the workshop thanks to the equipment bought with European funds.

Mircea Căldăraru has been a jeweler for over 30 years, and the equipment acquired through REGIO helped him modernize jewelry production, but also to diversify the models. Now he works with last-generation software equipment that helps him save a lot of time. He introduces us to each piece of equipment, what it does, and how each has its well-thought-out role in production. Like any person passionate about his job, Mircea documented a lot and went to numerous exhibitions abroad. At one of them, in Italy, about 6 years ago, he saw a group of Koreans staring in fascination at a 3D printer as it printed a human head from resin. Then he saw the same printer in Istanbul. It cost around 40k euros and he realized that he really wanted one too. He imagined how much such a printer would cut down on work time. This is how the idea of ​​a project with European funding started.

From a project of 40k to one of 180k euros

He got home and looked for a consultant in European funds. He had heard that a lot of people were taking funds and said he should try it too. “I went to a consultant and told him I also wanted funds for a 3D printer. The consultant started laughing. He replied that no one moves a mountain of papers for 40k euros. I asked him how much was he moving for. At least a hundred thousand was the answer. I said that I have nothing to do with such money. I don’t need that much„, Mircea recalls, laughing. He was told he was eligible, met the conditions, and could look for other equipment he dreamed of, but he didn’t dare get his hopes up. He went to exhibitions, he also went to factories to see how the machines he was interested in working. „For the laser, I went to a factory in Germany, for the oven, for each piece of equipment I went to the manufacturer to see how it is made, how it is produced. I buy them to work with it and I need to know how each one works. I traveled a lot in Germany and Italy during that time. The exhibitions lasted 3 days. For two days I sat with them to show me how each one works„, says Mircea. And from exhibition to exhibition, from equipment to equipment, he reached an approved project of almost 180 thousand euros, with 165 thousand euros non-refundable value.

The job of mold technician

Mircea Căldăraru was born in Panciu and grew up in Galati city. He went to vocational school in Brașov city because he was good at math, and his mother heard about a highly sought-after profile at the time, where you entered with a high grade. The profile was for a mold technician at the Hydromechanics Professional School. He didn’t know what it meant at that time, but he was going to find out and make a passion out of it. „Nothing on earth cannot be made in a mold. The mold technician is the one who, based on a project, makes a mold. It is a job above that of a jeweler. As a molder, you have to know how to work on absolutely anything. It was easy for me to go from molder to jeweler. Back then, during high school, I worked a lot in copper, and plexiglass. I was making rings, and necklaces and gave them to the girls. I had even managed to earn a penny. I was making rings of 3,4,5 colors. From the file and the saw. A little bit rudimentary we can say„, says Mircea Căldăraru.

After the Revolution, he tried to learn the trade wherever he could. No one was willing to share the secrets of the jewels. He was giving beer in exchange for information to some boys from Galati who had a workshop, and that’s how he managed to learn a few more things.

The Story of the White Wolf

In ’92 he moved to Gura Humorului, and two years later he opened his company whose name he had known for a long time: The White Wolf. A fan of a nonconformist writer who wrote after the Revolution, some SF books, Pavel Coruț chose a Dacian symbol from his writings, the white wolf. When he founded the company, he wanted to do something special: provide jewelry that no one had. So he bought magazines from abroad, in English, and had them translated. Then he got two CDs with pictures and information from a seller in Istanbul who didn’t know how to get rid of him because he was asking so many questions. He gathered information wherever he could and slowly began to work on his own, making jewelry castings at a foundry he received from an older man from Galați who was making jewelry. This man gave him the foundry but did not teach him how to actually use it. „I had a few grams of gold and I poured like about 16 times. It didn’t work out. Every time I wrote in my diary: it didn’t work out because… and I wrote down the reason to figure it out. I still have that notebook. But at some point, 2 rings came out. When I saw them, I said God blessed me. Did I make two rings? I jumped for joy. Then I realized why the other time didn’t come out. That’s how I learned, through trials, and now I don’t miss a single casting anymore„, says Mircea.

Certified by gemologist

Like any self-respecting jeweler, he also wanted to be qualified for gemstones. He commuted by plane to Timișoara city for almost 2 months to Dan Giurgiu’s gemology school, where he obtained his certificate. „I knew how to do anything, I worked on anything, but I knew nothing about stones. At that time nothing was known about stones. Now I know what a diamond is, I know how to tell a synthetic ruby ​​from a natural one. It is your prestige as a jeweler to know all this. Besides, I wanted to know what we were selling. No one will come to me and tell me that I sell glass instead of diamonds. Now I can give a gemological certificate to anyone if they want to check a stone„. This school of gemology brought him not only the certificate but also a group of very good friends who are passionate about working with gold. And because in his time no one shared the secrets of this job with him, he had to steal, Mircea shared now his knowledge with these friends. „I, for example, have helped four people open jewelry businesses. They came to me, sat with me, and actually learned how to make jewelry. It’s a market where there are people who have the information, but they don’t pass it on, they’re afraid of competition. Someone came from Bacău to teach him, from Sibiu, Cluj, I have a girl who even now writes me greeting letters from Greece. Many are also interested in how we obtained the European funds. I tell them everything because no one taught me and I wasted a lot of time and energy to learn by myself„.

Mircea Căldăraru now has two jewelry stores, one in Gura Humorului and one in Fălticeni, and he would need about 3 more people to learn the trade and stay with him. He advertised for an apprentice, but no one came. “I’m not only paying him, I’m also teaching him a trade. Nobody was interested. Now I want to go to the high school, talk to the principal about the possibility of teaching there. To arouse students’ interest in a job. I could take them with me, to learn. I could even do a jewelry school, also with European funding, why not? It’s very easy to go abroad, but if you learn a trade you can stay in your country. Not everyone has to go to college. And like me, there are people in the city who could teach a job, let’s keep the young people in the city, so they don’t leave. If someone comes to me to work, in 6 months he knows his job. I have tools for 4 more of these workshops. Some people collect dresses or shoes, I collect tools.„

``You have to be honest with gold``

Asked if jewelry production is a profitable business, Mircea Căldăraru says that those who work with gold cannot die poor. At the same time, there is a law of compensation, you have to be very honest when working with gold. Don’t cheat, don’t steal, and don’t make fun of your job. „If you come to work for me for a day, and at the end of the day you wash your hands, I don’t throw that water away. Because gold comes out of that water. Just from the trash in the workshop, I annually extract one hundred, and two hundred grams of gold, depending on the volume I work at. But you have to be very fair with it because gold is cursed. Everything bad that happened on this earth was because of gold. He who has gold has power, although it is now said that he who has information has power. But this information also leads you to gold. The wealth of a country is about how much gold it has. Gold is cursed anyway, and if you’re not honest with it, want to cheat someone, or steal, you don’t end up well. This is a jeweler’s law. Whoever works with gold is not allowed to steal or cheat„.

He wants a factory as he saw abroad

Mircea says that his dream is to build a factory as he saw abroad, a compartmented hall, with temperature and conditions for each piece of equipment. „They are machines that are not allowed to sit in the dust or need a certain temperature to work. The 3D printer does not work, for example, below 22 degrees. All must be in a controlled environment. It needs an air purification plant to be dust free. I want to make a hall for the production of jewelry, with European funds, as Romania does not have. And I’m not saying it out of grandiosity. I want to compete with Tiffany, Cartier, with the big brands. Because what they do, I can also do, and the equipment bought through the funds brought me closer to my dream„.

Reporter REGIO is a new North-East RDA initiative, which focuses on promoting the successful projects of our beneficiaries, projects that have managed to stand out by bringing added value and impact to the community. At a time when negative news predominates, we offer you beautiful but true stories for reading, meant to strengthen the belief that „it is possible”! Be part of the story!

Are you a Regio beneficiary? Let us tell you the story.

Contact us for details at info@adrnordest.ro

 

ACP-5-of-224-2048x1366
13Jan2023
NEWS Regio Reporter EN

Perfect smiles with REGIO

13 January 2023

Reporter REGIO: episode 10

Perfect smiles with REGIO

Success stories, possible with the support of Regio Nord-Est 2014-2020

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

They have been together since the 5th grade, they grew up in Vaslui and graduated from the University of Dental Medicine in Iași City, in the 2000s. Acatrinei spouses raised 5 children together: their daughter and 4 dental practices where they invested a lot of time and passion throughout the years. The last „child” is raised and developed with the support of European funds through the Regional Operational Program 2014-2020: Dr. Acatrinei Clinic. The project implemented in Iași, in the heart of Copou Park, meant ” Consolidation, modernization of the building „, a project with a non-reimbursable financial assistance in the amount of 742k euros.

From Iași City to Moldovița Village and back

After finishing their residency in Iași, Dragoș and Laura Acatrinei decided to move to the countryside, with their parents, to Moldovița Village in Suceava county, to start something of their own, on their own. They opened a dental office at the dispensary in the village and worked there for 3 years. However, Dragoș felt the need for a bigger city to do his job, and the closest one was Câmpulung Moldovenesc, 30 km away. In a space that was not necessarily intended for a dental practice, it was more of a hallway, they set up a suitable place for dental work, in medical centre of the city, and practiced there until 2012. For a while, Laura went to Moldovița, and Dragoș at Câmpulung, but when she returned from maternity leave, she also gave up the dental office in the countryside and chose the city. When their daughter started school, they decided to move back to Iași, considering that a big city has more opportunities for children. With savings and the help of their parents, they built a house and in the basement they set up, again, another dental office. The third one. „We thought it was the last one. I didn’t give up the dental office in Câmpulung. I went there 3 days a week until I handed everything over to another doctor. And I worked at the home dental office until March 2022, when I opened the clinic„, says Laura.

The pandemic and its benefits

Laura Acatrinei believes that she has always met the right people, at the right time, throughout her professional career so far. That’s how she found out about the opportunity for European funds. Through people. The fact that her husband, being a surgeon, performs a complicated dental operation, brought them patients, through recommendations, from all over the region of Moldova. At one point he also had a patient who was a consultant on European funds. He whetted their appetite for funds by telling them about projects and opened calls at that time. „I admit, I had colleagues who accessed funds and I kept telling my husband to submit a project too. Even though most of them told us that „it’s very difficult, you don’t need something like that, better not”. You need a little bit of madness to get into something like this, and we have that dose of madness, honestly. Everyone said it’s easier to get equipment on funds, but things get complicated if you also do construction. However, we were not discouraged. We had already a building, it was the old TeleM television headquarters in Copou Park, which we bought at a certain point, with the idea that we would capitalize on it someday. And we submitted the project„. It was an old building that had to be demolished. In the summer of 2019, the work began. Everything was going well except that, in March 2020, the pandemic came. „Initially we panicked, like everyone else, our offices were closed, and going to the dentist was the last priority then. But I can say that it was for our good because my husband stayed with the builders all that time and saw every screw put in place. He is a perfectionist, and I don’t think it was a pleasure for the builders. In the end, I said that this pandemic was fine for us. In other conditions, my husband would not have been able to supervise the work, and you really have to stay with the builders if you want it to turn out as it should. During the pandemic we had continuous occupation„, says Laura.

A dental clinic with top-of-the-line equipment

With a project of 1,1 million euros and a non-refundable financial assistance of 742k euros, Acatrinei spouses built a new clinic with top-of-the-line equipment, from dental chairs to the operating room. Also, they really wanted to provide services for children with disabilities, but they still haven’t found that colleague, an anesthesiologist, willing to work with these children. „Now we are in discussions with someone and we are waiting to see if he agrees. We will do it, it is our dream to help children with disabilities, but we are waiting to find the right person„, says Laura Acatrinei.

The right person at the right place

Valentina joined the team at Acatrinei’s dental clinic in 2016 as an office manager. She is the one who took care of all the administrative parts of the submission and then the implementation of the project. She worked closely with the consultants and obtained all the necessary documents from the authorities. She remembers, smiling, that… „everything was on the last mile. Now, looking back, it’s funny, but at that time, all phones were on fire. Each time, I submitted documents on the last day that they could be submitted. That’s how it is when you work with institutions. You submit a request and unfortunately, sometimes you have to wait more than 30 days. It was always stressful. It takes a long time to get all the approvals. I remember that the construction authorisation also came out with difficulty. I took it, scanned it, and sent it to North-East RDA. That’s how all went. You go through a lot, but when you get to the point where you realize it’s over, it doesn’t even matter how hard it was. I always said that this project was my first child, then the second followed, my own child„, says Valentina, with emotion. Then Laura said „that’s why it’s important to meet the right people in life. I was also very lucky with Valentina, if it wasn’t for her to take care of all the paperwork, I don’t know how we would have done it„.

Patients, invited to the inauguration of the clinic

The inauguration of the clinic took place in March 2022, and as a sign of gratitude, Acatrinei spouses invited to the launching event all those who have contributed, in one way or another, to the success of the project: builders, architects, designer, consultants, those who helped with the purchase of equipment and, of course, patients. „Because we build friendships, not partnerships. We have patients who come to visit on Holidays, I have maintained close relations with many of them. I like to bond with people. And when we hire, we choose people based on the chemistry between us and the desire to work with each other as a family. I feel that this is the only way we can move forward. We like to build and grow together,” says Laura.

As for future plans, Acatrinei spouses want to enjoy what they have built. They hope their daughter will follow their footsteps and, who knows, maybe she will submit the next project with European Funds. Shortly, they would like to find two or three colleagues to work within the clinic, but they are in no rush because they are convinced that when the time is right, it will happen. „It’s good to be lucky in everything in this life, but most of all in people said Ileana Vulpescu. It is a confirmation of what I think and I want whoever will work with us to be worth it. We are in no rush to hire. Valentina’s sister, for example, worked as a nurse with us for a year, she liked it, she studied dental medicine, now she is in her 6th year and we can’t wait for her to come work with us„, says Laura Acatrinei. She also strongly affirms that nothing they managed to build in the heart of Copou Park would have been possible without the help of European Funds.

Reporter REGIO is a new North-East RDA initiative, which focuses on promoting the successful projects of our beneficiaries, projects that have managed to stand out by bringing added value and impact to the community. At a time when negative news predominates, we offer you beautiful but true stories for reading, meant to strengthen the belief that „it is possible”! Be part of the story!

Are you a Regio beneficiary? Let us tell you the story.

Contact us for details at info@adrnordest.ro

8
28Nov2022
NEWS Regio Reporter EN

Entrepreneurial healthcare lesson from Vaslui City

28 November 2022

Reporter REGIO: episode 9

Entrepreneurial healthcare lesson from Vaslui City

Success stories, possible with the support of Regio Nord-Est 2014-2020

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

She was sitting on a park bench in Copou Park, in Iași City, a few months after giving birth to her second child, and was trying to outline her first project with European founding, thinking of a brighter future for her children. It was 2008. At that time, nobody knew much about European funds, but she, Loredana Radu, knew and she was eager for newly opened calls. Since then, she had three projects financed through the Regional Operational Program, one in the 2007-2013 period and two in 2014-2020, with a non-refundable amount of 1.4 million euros. 12 years after the first funding, Loredana Radu says that each project meant a significant evolution, a doubling of turnover, a larger space, access to the most modern equipment, and an increase in the number of employees, it was like a constantly rolling snowball.

Dana-Loredana Radu

From psychology to medical imaging center and analysis laboratory

Dana-Loredana Radu is a psychologist and audiologist, and in 2001 she opened a cabinet for psychology and hearing aids in Vaslui City: Audiosan. Because she felt that there was a gap in Vaslui`s market in the field of medical services, in 2006 she founded Recumed, and then Audiosan changed its destination and became an imaging center and medical analysis laboratory. These two companies came as a challenge, as a test of the entrepreneur’s capabilities, and, at the same time, offered the citizens of Vaslui good quality medical services. Both were growing progressively and organically, and at some point they felt the need for additional funding to bring more value to the offered services. Friends living abroad advised her to pursue European funding as it is a great benefit and a great way to grow her business. And so it was. She looked for solutions and found the funding she needed through the Regional Operational Program. „It seemed to me in 2010, and it still seems to me now, the best solution for ambitious investments. We knew that was difficult, that we had to be extremely rigorous, we had to think everything through very carefully, with a lot of honesty„, says Loredana. With the help of a consultant, with whom she still works nowadays, in 2010 she obtained the first financing for Audiosan. She purchased a high-performance CT worth 200k euros and equipment for the analysis laboratory. This project brought her a doubling of turnover and the confidence that she does well what she does. Considering that the companies were in continuous growth, the husband also joined in 2012. He is an economist and he is the part that completes Loredana perfectly in their business.

MRI with the only cardiac software in the region of Moldova, through 2014-2020 ROP

In 2019, she submitted two projects for financing through the 2014-2020 ROP, for both companies this time, and obtained 488 k euros for Audiosan and 712 k euros for Recumed. The laboratory was equipped with 45 modern pieces of equipment, the CT was replaced and they purchased a high-performance MRI, which has the only heart software in the region of Moldova and the latest software for breast investigations. „It was a very well-chosen MRI that proved its effectiveness, it helps us a lot to make a differential diagnosis. It was a real challenge to implement two projects at the same time. And I would do it again anytime. There was a high addressability of patients and pressure from very good doctors who wanted to increase the quality of diagnosis„, says Loredana Radu. Because the new imaging equipment was very large, the relocation to a larger space also came as the next step in their evolution.

The Radu couple raised these two companies as their children, with values and the hope that maybe, someday, their boys will proudly and responsibly carry on all their work. The boys were also the main motivation for the development and growth of the group of companies, even if sometimes, Loredana says, they felt they were sacrificing them. The eldest, who is Audiosan’s age, 21 years old, is learning the secrets of business at a reputable university, with the hope that he will continue the family business and maintain the level reached by his parents.

From one employee to 250

Audiosan and Recumed also received support through other programs. But clearly, the financings from the ROP were the most consistent and the ones that developed the businesses the most. „It’s been an evolution in every way. We took huge steps, we went from 200 m2 to 500 m2, in the first project, then in the second, from 500 m2 to 2500 m2 of medical space. From a single employee to 250 people who share the same values ​​and believe in the quality of well-done work. These funds must respond to real needs. I have told all my friends who want to access European funds that if they are thinking about anything other than fairness, to quit. You have to be very honest and not take funds just because they are given. I laugh with my son who wants to make a microchip factory. Yes, the idea is fantastic, but what do we know about microchips? I tell him to work for 2 years in a factory in Taiwan, to gain experience, and then we will have more courage to make a microchip factory„, says Loredana.

Future Plans

The Radu spouses want to leave a complete business to the next generation, with integrated services that meet the many needs of the people of Vaslui. By the end of next year, they want to open the part of the operating room and the intervention area with hospitalization. Also, in addition to the clinic they opened in Bârlad, they want to expand the business to two more locations in the country. „I don’t hide from you the fact that we have a great medical unit project, worth 15 million euros, and although we tried to apply for state aid, the conditions were drastic and we postponed its implementation. We hope that we will succeed through the North East Regional Program 2021-2027. We have everything, design, and sketches, we’re just waiting for the open calls. It’s a project that would have a big impact in the area„, says Loredana.

``It was like crossing a river and someone holds your hand``

Loredana Radu and her husband saw in the European funds an opportunity to grow and provide a quality service, at a fair price, in a market where the consumer really needs it. „To undertake the full financing would have been a great effort for us. I can tell you with sincerity that accessing the funds was the biggest step in our history as a healthcare company. The financing part gave us a certain comfort and allowed us, at the same time, to keep our prices affordable, and to adapt to a real economic market because the incomes of people of Vaslui are not comparable to those in big cities, it’s a different profile of the patient„, says Loredana. She also says that she never perceived the money she received as free but as help. „I didn’t felt alone. I felt like I had a partner. Like I shared the burden with someone. Actually, that’s what happened. Instead of taking on a huge rate, we took on half the rate. And then clearly our motivation increased, it didn’t matter the work or what others call bureaucracy. Each time the funds „forced” us to take big steps more than usual. During the training period, you are indeed like a runner, but you take a deep breath and then you run. You feel like you really have a shoulder next to you and that means a lot. It was like crossing a river, and someone is holding your hand, that’s how we felt„, concludes Loredana Radu.

Reporter REGIO is a new North-East RDA initiative, which focuses on promoting the successful projects of our beneficiaries, projects that have managed to stand out by bringing added value and impact to the community. At a time when negative news predominates, we offer you beautiful but true stories for reading, meant to strengthen the belief that „it is possible”! Be part of the story!

Are you a Regio beneficiary? Let us tell you the story.

Contact us for details at info@adrnordest.ro

 

2
03Nov2022
NEWS Regio Reporter EN

The Technical College Lațcu Vodă, a stepping stone for future craftsmen from North-East

3 November 2022

Reporter REGIO: episode 8

The Technical College Lațcu Vodă, a stepping stone for future craftsmen from North-East

Success stories, possible with the support of Regio Nord-Est 2014-2020

 

 

It was the summer holiday towards the 8th grade and he had a decision to make: what should he do with his future? A decision that no one has asked for and one could think he had all the time in the world, looking at other colleagues of his age , kicking the ball on the soccer field. But, at the age of 14, he was very mature about his direction in life, knowing clearly what he will do next and where he is heading. He received all the support and guidance from his family and during that vacation, he tried to find a way, HIS way. For a short time, he was a waiter. He didn’t like it. Then, being a chef aid didn’t feel like it suited him. Afterwards, his father recommended him to learn how to be a mechanic at the car service in his village, close to home, to see if he likes it. He went there every day for about 6 weeks. He realized from day one that this is what suits him, that he wants to learn more and maybe, one day, he would have his own car service.

Iulian Nichiforel or Nichi, as his friends are calling him, is 19 years old, is in the twelfth grade at Lațcu Vodă Technical College in Siret and he is  one of the direct beneficiaries of the project implemented at the college, with non-refundable European funding of 1.2 million euros, from the Regional Operational Programme. He is very passionate about cars and auto mechanics. With special wisdom for his age, Nichi planned his career step by step, so that he would go through all the stages of learning a job and achieving his dream.

He preferred the vocational school in the small town Siret to the high school in Rădăuți City

He was born in Turrin, Italy, where his parents sought a better life, like many other families in the region of Moldova, 20 years ago. When they divorced, he stayed with his grandmother in Romania, in a village named Horodnic de Sus, near Rădăuți. He finished secondary school at „Bogdan Vodă” in Rădăuți, a famous school in Suceava County and he surprised everyone, colleagues, and teachers when, at the end of the 8th grade, he said that he wanted to attend a vocational school. Not a high school, because he wanted to learn a job and to go through all the stages of practical learning. „I searched for information, I asked teachers, I looked all over the internet and the best school where I could learn what I wanted, in the automotive field, was in Siret, at Lațcu Vodă College. I said I will go there to learn a profession, . because nowadays everybody requires experience, even if you have a university degree. So, I started with the first step and finished three years of vocational training at Lațcu Vodă Technical College. I didn’t want to go straight to high school because once you turn 18, you can’t go to vocational school. That was my decision„, says Iulian.

From car mechanic to transport technician, at Lațcu Vodă College

He finished every year of vocational studies with an average over 9.50. He is the kind of student who stands out, asks many questions, and seeks answers, always concerned about knowing more. He had all the support, since the 9th grade of Mr. foreman Constantin Pintrijel, who took him under his wing and advised him to go to high school, also within the college. He obtained a diploma in auto mechanics, and an „Excellent” qualification in the final vocational school exam and went further towards his dream, entering high school, in the transport technician profile. Now, in the 12th grade, he is seriously preparing for the baccalaureate, the final exam. „Out of 30 students from the vocational school, about 5 of us also chose to go to high school. The rest of them stopped, got the degree and that was it? That’s all they needed. I believe that wherever you go to work and if you have a vocational school it means that you have certain knowledge, you are not starting from scratch. The internship helps you gain the experience so demanded by employers, but the facilities of a college with a technical profile also help enormously. The vocational school helps you a lot. Maybe you know how to unscrew a screw, but then you get stuck because you don’t know what to do next. The years of vocational school can give you the necessary foundation to start something and it gives you the confidence that you can do anything you want„.

``I'd go to foreman school here, gladly!``

Also in high school, he has good grades, average over 9.30, and says, smiling, that he regrets finishing the twelfth grade now. If he could, he would repeat the year just for the sake of the new college facilities. „There are some very high-performance car simulators that you can learn to drive, we have new workshops, very well equipped. There are some devices that we haven’t had the chance to get our hands on so far. On the one hand, I’m sorry that I’m finishing the twelfth grade. Future generations are very lucky. I was actually saying that if I could, I would repeat the year just to enjoy the new equipment more. I am tempted by the idea of ​​staying here and doing a foremen’s school. I would be a mechanic, then an auto technician, foreman, and engineer, so I would step all the stones. Especially now with these benefits, I would love to do foremen’s school here„.

He would like to go to University in Iași City or Suceava City, on an electric automotive profile. He believes that nowadays everything is going electric, especially cars. Now he is at that point when he studies the offers of universities in order to make a decision. Cluj City also tempted him at one point, but he decided that he wanted to stay in the North-East Region, closer to home. For now, his main concern is to get good grades on the final exam.

He has a nice relationship with his father and teachers

Iulian has a special bond with his father, he is the one who guided him and was by his side in all the decisions he made. They are best friends and Nichi tells us what a surprise he got on March 8th, this year: „I had the final driving test exam. I passed it and the first time I got out of the car, I called my father. I tried to fool him and tell him that I failed, but when he started encouraging me and telling me not to be upset, I quickly told him the truth. Then I heard a horn from a parking lot and saw my dad get out of the car and he said, «This is yours, congratulations! » He came all over Germany, where he works, to make this surprise. I have a special father, but I also never upset him, I kept to school, we supported each other. First, he is my friend, then he is my father. It is a beautiful, harmonious relationship, difficult to explain in words. We communicate all the time, I don’t hide anything from him„.

Nichi has also a great relationship with the teachers at school. He has a special relationship with Mr. Deputy Director Antonio Mustață, they go to football together, on Thursdays, to the match between students and teachers, and Iulian says that it is a very nice relationship created between students and teachers from Lațcu Vodă College. Somehow, at Siret, Iulian Nichiforel found his second family. For him, the guidance he received here was very valuable in his choices, and now, in the twelfth grade, he advises those who want to make a career in the automotive field, to take each step towards evolution one by one. The theoretical part is important, but more important is the practice in such a complex field. “I advise anyone to start as low as possible and then work their way up. Then you will have the pride of having gone through all the stages, and the gained knowledge is valuable. There are many who directly target engineering, , in college, but they don’t know anything about the basics. Myself, who I have gone through everything, I can now go to an employer with my heads up. The diplomas prove the experience I have. Lațcu Vodă Technical College offers you the perfect environment to be able to learn a job, especially now after it has been so well equipped and modernized„, says Nichi.

Iulian Nichiforel is one of the students for whom Lațcu Vodă Technical College made a difference. And like Iulian, there are many more students eager to build a future at home, through a job learned at home. And now, with the help of this European funding, the future of a whole generation can be changed.

Reporter REGIO is a new North-East RDA initiative, which focuses on promoting the successful projects of our beneficiaries, projects that have managed to stand out by bringing added value and impact to the community. At a time when negative news predominates, we offer you beautiful but true stories for reading, meant to strengthen the belief that „it is possible”! Be part of the story!

Are you a Regio beneficiary? Let us tell you the story.

Contact us for details at info@adrnordest.ro

 

5
29Sep2022
NEWS Regio Reporter EN

Luxury furniture made with passion and REGIO support

29 September 2022

Reporter REGIO: episode 7

Luxury furniture made with passion and REGIO support

Success stories, possible with the support of Regio Nord-Est 2014-2020                                                                                                                                                                                               

 

A thousand euros. That was the initial investment for Yulmob SRL, in 2006, in Bacău city. With a turnover of 265 k euros in 2021 and a project implemented with European funds of almost 200 k euros, the company climbed step by step on the ladder of success in the field of furniture manufacturing, for 18 years. Two last-generation pieces of equipment, used in furniture production, purchased through the Regional Operational Program 2014-2020, were the inspiration for an entire factory. Iulian Mina is the one who thought and designed, step by step, the entire building in anticipation of the two machinery. On August 30th, 2022, the factory was inaugurated and the successful end of the project was marked.

The secrets of carpentry

He was almost 19 years old when he decided to take his life into his own hands and leave the country. Abroad, in the years `99-2000, seemed hard to reach but, at the same time, more attractive for young people who had just finished school. It was the time when a lot of people were leaving the country clandestinely. With an auto mechanic diploma, Iulian went to Italy, to live with his brother who was already settled there. He worked by his side for almost two years for a large furniture manufacturer. He learned a lot, gained experience, and discovered that he really likes making furniture, especially kitchens. After Italy, he went to England, where he worked on a construction site, then in an Italian restaurant, and in his spare time, he decorated the boss`s house. „After I came back from England because back then you couldn’t come and go from abroad as you pleased, I had to stay at home. A friend contacted me to make him a dressing room, knowing that I had some experience. I bought materials, I made it and I realized that from that closet I made a profit of almost 300 euros, in three days. Back then I had a salary of almost 150 euros„, remembers Iulian. And that was the revelation: it was a business that would bring profit and, above all, he would enjoy it.

Yulmob was ``born`` by word of mouth

He made furniture for many people, and in 2006 he decided it was time to have his own company. He had a thousand euros in savings, which he invested in a self-tapping machine and a 45-degree cutting machine. Then he rented a garage and a shop to display the furniture he was making. But because the rent was high and because he wanted to save money, he sublet to a grocery store. It turned out to be a very good marketing strategy. Whoever came to buy a loaf of bread also saw the furniture. „We had two kitchens and a cupboard displayed on one wall, and another wall was used to sell food. And I was making the furniture in the back. I stayed in that store for 8 years, yet I still wanted to leave the country, even though I had ended up earning more than I would have earned abroad„, says Iulian.

Moving into the first warehouse

Orders started to come and Iulian felt the need to buy other machines and hire people. Then he met the manager of a large double-glazed windows company from Bacău city. Iulian furnished his entire house and the manager offered him a room in his factory. This symbolic rent helped Iulian a lot in growing his business. After some unfortunate events, the warehouse was bought by a new owner, who had two tailoring companies. This new owner allowed Iulian to stay there and offered him the opportunity to buy the hall, at the time he had money.

The first temptation of European funds

Sometime around 2017, Iulian Mina and other companies participated in an info session about European funds organized in Bacău. He was so excited by all the information he learned there and he never doubted for a second that he would win a project with European funds. Now he could get the equipment he wanted so much.

„It all started like a game. I told my employees what to tear down, what to do, and where to change. But when I looked in my wallet, I didn’t have any money. Everything I have earned, I invested. If I won 10 thousand euros, I invest everything. Since 2017 I have invested all the money I earned. I was planning to finish building the factory until the funding file was approved. I built this whole factory from A to Z, sometimes I don’t even know how. The only loan I have made is the one needed for the payment in advance to get the machinery. I am waiting to pay the debts to the bank and then I will buy the space„, says Iulian.

He designed the factory

From the moment he was convinced that he would not only apply for the funds but also win them, he began to design the entire factory according to the machines that would come. The space, walls, doors, cables, and other equipment necessary for the evacuation of dust, sawdust, and everything. The machines he wanted were bulky, he knew them too well, he had studied them in detail. He had learned about CNCs while working at a furniture factory, and the ones for which he submitted the project were from Germany, the top in the field, Biesse. When the machines arrived in the new, state-of-the-art factory, they were like two jewels.

Iulian Mina inaugurated the new factory, with the new machines, on August 30th, with a big party with the employees. He has a lot of plans for the future and wants to technology the factory so that he is no longer needed to operate. Although he now makes bedrooms, living rooms, dressing rooms, and kitchens, with the 8 employees he has, he wants to eventually focus only on kitchens, like the big manufacturers who specialize in a single product. He also believes that vocational schools should be reopened. „We’re looking to hire people and we can’t find any. We are announcing employment for carpenters and at the job interview come waiters. If it were vocational schools, the students would at least know something, they would know how to hold the equipment in their hands. I would invite the students to come and practice here in the factory, to learn a trade, maybe they would like it. We must invest in education because the children are the future„, the entrepreneur believes.

 

He recently delivered furniture for Google in Paris and he certainly doesn’t want to stop there. As for European funds, the submitted project was only the beginning, he is convinced that others will follow until he fulfills everything he has to do. „I would still file for solar panels, for electric charging stations, an electric forklift, an electric van. I also want to get an industrial cleaning robot. I have a bunch of ideas. The fact that I use the best-performing machines in the field, the quality I offer, and the seriousness and fairness towards my clients have brought me success in Romania„.

Reporter REGIO is a new North-East RDA initiative, which focuses on promoting the successful projects of our beneficiaries, projects that have managed to stand out by bringing added value and impact to the community. At a time when negative news predominates, we offer you beautiful but true stories for reading, meant to strengthen the belief that „it is possible”! Be part of the story!

Are you a Regio beneficiary? Let us tell you the story.

Contact us for details at info@adrnordest.ro

 

4
29Aug2022
NEWS Regio Reporter EN

Manifatture Neamț SRL – or how to knit success thread by thread

29 August 2022

Reporter REGIO: episode 6

Manifatture Neamț SRL- or how to knit success thread by thread

Success stories, possible with the support of Regio Nord-Est 2014-2020

1.15 million euros non-refundable financial assistance. Two submitted projects. One is completed, and the other is under implementation. Any time would submit for a third one. Manifatture Neamț SRL is a company that took advantage of the development opportunities offered by the Regional Operational Program 2014-2020. Perhaps the title of the submitted projects, „Expanding production capacity and increasing the competitiveness of the company through the acquisition of high-performance production equipment”, does not say anything, but behind them is a local company that produces haute-couture clothes for Prada, Valentino, Tory Burch or Moncler. From Neamt County directly to Milan or Canada. Also, REGIO helped this company to survive during the pandemic.

In August 2012, in Dumbrava Roșie City, on Strămutați street, the first knitting machines of Manifatture Neamț SRL started working. With 7 people in the team, Lucian Seghete had, for the umpteenth time, a new beginning. His story is interesting, to say the least, with a lot of will, discipline, sacrifice, and a lot of time dedicated to a passion.

Passion for automation and machines

Going back in time, we find out about Lucian Seghete that worked during all the summer vacations through high school, in Onești City. With a scholarship, after completing his mandatory internship at the end of the school year, he asked different bosses, both from the Chemical Plant and the Onești Refinery, to accept him to work for an extra penny. He was checking or repairing electronic equipment. He then joined The Electronics College in Iași City and, although he continued his summer work in Onești City when his wife was assigned to Piatra Neamț City, he also transferred to the Synthetic Yarns and Fibers Combine in Săvinești. There he worked in a making machinery department for the textile chemical industry. „It was the time when Ceaușescu said that he was paying the country’s debt, and that meant that no more equipment would be bought from any country, and we had to make them ourselves, to reproduce them. There were Mitsubishi, Bosch, and IBM machines. Melana 5, as it was called then, was a department developed from scratch only with machinery made by us from local materials. Making automation for all these machines was pure passion„, says Lucian Seghete. He worked very hard, even on Sundays, 12 hours a day, to be able to work on the automation. Then came the Revolution in `89, with many organizational changes. He was the head of the research, and design department, and the machinery and spare parts department became independent. „It was pioneering in terms of running a company, with budgets, everything„, he recalls.

Victoria sweaters and the first knitting machine

One summer, a lady, Mrs. M., came and told him that she had some second-hand knitting machines and she didn’t know how to get them working because they also had electronic parts. Although he didn’t know much about a knitting machine, he agreed to get involved. He had them up and running within a month. Making the first piece of knitting was fascinating for everyone involved and they wanted to do more. The next step was programming the machine to knit a sweater. Lucian Seghete went all the way to Budapest, got the program, because it didn’t exist in Romania, and he remembers, smiling, that a hundred thousand sweaters were made. They were called Victoria sweaters, with threads taken from Rifil factory, and… „people were standing at the door to buy them. They came from all over the country. The color purple was in great demand. Everyone wanted a purple sweater. Purple with any color„, says Lucian Seghete.

That was the moment when he had to choose: past or future. And he chose the future. He took over the technical department here, with the M family. He visited many knitting factories in Italy to study how they work, and at the same time, new machines and programming stations were bought. Slowly, the orders started coming in. Everything went smoothly, and Lucian Seghete worked with and for pleasure. They started to export knitwear abroad, and the company was developing tremendously.

New beginnings

His experience was extremely valuable in the textile market and being the kind of person who made things go smoothly, he was called upon to help out in various factories around the country. He set up a textile factory in Brașov City in 4 months, and another one in Bucharest City in 2 months. After these two, someone who had a factory in Dâmbovița City called him to help a program that was not working. He liked it there and decided to stay and work with these people. The factory went from 20 knitting machines to 80 and during this time they collaborated with a lot of famous brands. The owner, an Italian person, had connections with all the big companies in Italy. After almost 10 years of commuting Piatra Neamț-Dâmbovița, Lucian decided it was time to make a change again. „When I told the chief that I was leaving, he said, « And what am I doing now? Then, if you leave, we’ll build a factory in Piatra Neamț City! ». With what money? I had no money. He said: « take some machines from here and make the samples you have to make for the customers ». This happened in February 2012. By August, the building was fully up and running, with the first sewing machines ready to go. A few years later, the Italian chief said he was no longer interested in the factory here and he withdrew.

Five high-performance knitting machines through European funds

Lucian Seghete, who already had an eye for new trends, had the opportunity to test a newly appeared knitting machine, one that knits the complete product, especially when he also saw that young people no longer have the patience to work an item that combines knitting. He tested it, bought it, and when he saw that it practically worked alone, he decided that he needed more such machines, for the evolution of the company. He thought sometimes about the idea of ​​European funds, but he felt that now is the best time to do it. With the help of a consultant, he submitted a project on Axis 2 – „Improving the competitiveness of small and medium enterprises”. „We said: let’s try through funds. We bought 5 machines through the project and I think we are the only ones in the country who have this type that makes the complete piece of knitting. We realized this was the future, machines working thin and very thick yarn. I knew that fashion would change, regardless of the season, items with thick threads would be made„.

``Thanks to these machines, we kept the factory open during the pandemic``

The period of the pandemic was quite complicated for Manifatture Neamț. Clothes weren’t on people’s priority list and orders dropped off a lot. The purchase of the 5 high-performance knitting machines proved to be the company’s lifeline. „During this pandemic, these machines helped us a lot. If we didn’t have these machines that we purchased with European funds, we could have closed. We’ve maintained production, not necessarily the number of units, but the revenue that we normally had, that we assumed would increase. A product made on such machines is a much more expensive product than one made on normal machines. Because it’s a product that no one else makes. We are now at the top of the market with products like this„, says Lucian Seghete.

Sometime later, Lucian Seghete submitted a second project for other knitting machines with very thin threads, but also with thick threads, with even more sophisticated technology. Also in the second project, he purchased a yarn spinning machine, to reuse the waste. “We work only for export, with expensive yarns, silk, cashmere, and we only work on complicated items that not many people can make. We reuse the threads when there are pieces that have to be thrown away because they have a defect, and the spinning machine helps us a lot„.

From 7 to 160 employees

Manifatture Neamț has also developed a lot in terms of personnel. 160 people work today to send clothes all over the world on time. „We do not work on the stock of any kind, we work on the orders given directly by our customers from America, from Canada, and big Italian brands such as Moncler, Valentino, Prada, and Herno. We have all the conditions for a top company. We cannot afford not to meet delivery deadlines no matter what happens. Many impediments arise but must be overcome. We are working against time„.

Lucian Seghete has been retired for 5 years. In the last 3 years, he hasn’t had a day off, he works even on Saturdays, sometimes on Sundays, and he vibrates with every machine he owns in the factory.

At the moment, Manifatture Neamț has one completed project, and one in implementation, and Lucian Seghete would not say „no” to a third project. He believes that you cannot take funds just for the sake of taking them. You need to have a plan, a business strategy, and patience. He also says that he has very close ties with the main knitters in Europe and most of them have accessed European funds. „The opportunity for European funds is extraordinary. They must be accessed. Unfortunately, we hear on the radio how other countries have taken and are still taking funds, and we have a low absorption rate. I think there are two reasons: some don’t have the courage and some are scared of bureaucracy. However, it must be applied, it must be tried. If it’s a step you have to climb, you climb it even if it’s higher. But… when you take the next steps, you have to make them more accessible so you can move faster„, concludes Lucian Seghete.

Reporter REGIO is a new North-East RDA initiative, which focuses on promoting the successful projects of our beneficiaries, projects that have managed to stand out by bringing added value and impact to the community. At a time when negative news predominates, we offer you beautiful but true stories for reading, meant to strengthen the belief that „it is possible”! Be part of the story!

Are you a Regio beneficiary? Let us tell you the story.

Contact us for details at info@adrnordest.ro

 

 

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