REI, one of the largest group of companies specialized in attracting non-reimbursable financing in Romania, with more than 80 consultants in 12 offices nationwide, has successfully brokered a non-reimbursable financing project for Alconor Company SRL from Satu Mare County, which operates in the field of beverage, food and pet food production and bottling.
In the first part of this year, Alconor Company SRL, a company with tradition in Satu Mare County, operating in the field of “Manufacture of pet food preparations”, together with the activity of “Production of non-alcoholic soft drinks, mineral waters and other bottled waters”, with an experience of over 23 years at national level, applied, with the support of REI, for a state aid regulated by GD 807/2014, for which it recently obtained the Financing Agreement from the Ministry of Finance.
With a total investment value of more than EUR 23 million, including a state aid of more than EUR 10 million, the investment project aims to expand the production capacity of the existing pet food plant. The production plant is located in Carei Municipality, Satu Mare County.
“We are happy that we have managed to identify the best solution to support our investment project through the State Aid Scheme regulated by the GD 807/2014. Our team has made every effort to successfully achieve the objective, and together with the know-how brought by REI consultants, we made sure that the project could be written and submitted without any emotions, and the State Aid could be successfully obtained. For us, this is the first time we have used a form of non-reimbursable support and other investments will certainly follow”, stated Norbert Varga, General Manager of Alconor Company SRL.
Expanding the production capacity of the pet food factory will lead to an increase in the product portfolio and better coverage throughout the country and for export, says the Alconor Company SRL representative.
“This investment means more jobs in the municipality of Carei, more money in the local and state budget – essential for the development of the local community, the involvement of small entrepreneurs and local agricultural producers through various partnerships, and, in the end, this translates into a gain for both the company and the local community and beyond. It took a solid and integrated investment plan covering the whole project coupled with a strong in-house team to meet the challenge, but we succeeded. Although it will not be easy, given the fierce competition in the industry, I am confident that in the near future we can take further important steps towards a more competitive and profitable Romanian manufacturing industry”, Norbert Varga added.
The state aid scheme regulated by GD 807/2014 has been one of the most sought after and requested non-reimbursable support solutions in the REI portfolio in the last two years.
“The companies in our portfolio quickly understood the alternative of grant funding offered by the Government and the advantages that such a funding method offers, being investment-oriented, with a generous amount of intensity – 50, even 60% of the total value of the projects. The process of writing and submitting the project for our client, Alconor Company SRL, was not easy at all, we assigned colleagues exclusively for this project, the Alconor Company team provided the data and information needed to write the project, we worked very well together and finally we managed to get the funding we all wanted”, said Roxana Mircea, Managing Partner REI.
Most awaited: the opening of the Scheme regulated by GD 959/2022, the only support measure with an investment component available for start-ups, micro, SMEs and large enterprises: available budget, over EUR 300 million
The state aid scheme regulated by GD 959/2022 is the only financing measure with non-reimbursable support for investments, which is aimed at start-ups, micro-enterprises, SMEs and large companies, whether they are entrepreneurial or multinational.
With a multiannual budget of EUR 300 million for 2022 and 2023, the Scheme is aimed in particular at supporting the manufacturing (production) and construction industries and provides up to 60% grant support for investments of EUR 3 million or more. The call will open on 1 November and close on 16 December.
„The business community is eagerly awaiting the launch of this new funding scheme, scheduled to open in the coming weeks. We have more than 20 projects in the pipeline for this new funding measure. Companies are applying for support for the construction of warehouses and the purchase of equipment, and the total value of the projects exceeds EUR 300 million.”, added Roxana Mircea.
No less than 19 counties in Romania are benefiting this year from non-reimbursable support of up to 60% through state aid projects, according to a REI analysis.
Botoșani, Suceava, Neamț, Bacău, Vaslui, Vrancea, Galați, Tulcea, Brăila, Buzău, Prahova, Ialomița, Călărași, Teleorman, Olt, Vâlcea, Gorj, Dolj and Mehedinți are the 19 counties that benefit from allocations of up to 60% in projects carried out through state aid as of this year, while the rest of the counties in Romania have allocations between 30 and 50%.
The state aid scheme regulated by GD 959/2022 is seen by many as a continuation of the well-known scheme regulated by GD 807/2014, on which projects worth hundreds of millions of euros have been successfully carried out.
GD 807/2014 had a last allocation, of around 150 million euro, for a 45-day open session from 15 June to 26 July 2022, where the REI team submitted more than 20 projects, targeting investments of more than 200 million euro.
„Some of the projects submitted by us on the scheme regulated by GD 807/2014 are already ready to be re-submitted on the new scheme at the Ministry of Economy, where we expect dozens of companies to apply for funding for business development in the coming period”, Roxana Mircea concluded.