Bogdan Tudorache

Rombat suspended the production of batteries from its factory in Bistrița and delayed the opening of the battery factory for electric cars in Cernica, near Bucharest, initially planned for this spring.

The new plant in Cernica will assemble lithium-ion cells for electric cars following an investment of 12 million euro.

The construction will cover an area of 5,000 sqm. The production capacity is one million cells per year.

The Coronavirus crisis, however, prompted the company to delay its plans, the significant shareholder of Rombat, the South African company Metair, announcing the cessation of production in Romania.

Metair has also closed Möll factory in Germany and all of its locations in South Africa, it said in a statement filed with the Johannesburg Stock Exchange on Monday.

The company’s Mutlu Akü factory in Turkey remains operational at half of its capacity, with strict social distancing between employees.

Metair’s Dynamic plant in UK is operating remotely, ensuring essential service supplies only, while its ABM factory in Kenya will remain operational, also with strict social distancing.

The extent and duration of the measures will be reviewed on a continuous basis, the company said, according to SeeNews. “The Company has sufficient liquidity and facilities to operate and has confirmed all existing banking facilities. To ensure its sustainability it is continuously evaluating all available support and contingency measures,” Metair said.

In February 2018, Johannesburg-headquartered Metair acquired 35% of Romanian company Primemotors through its wholly owned subsidiary, Rombat, in order to speed up production of lithium-ion batteries on the European market. The deal was worth 1 million euro ($1.1 million).

Metair bought Romania’s largest automotive lead-acid battery manufacturer Rombat for 43 million euro in 2012.