Q: How was the year 2024 for ROMBAT and your business sector and what is your perspective for 2025? What do you consider the main factors for growth? Can you identify a specific role in business activities like yours in what we generically call: What is energy transition?
Mr. Alin Ioanes: 2024 has been one of our most successful years, marked by significant growth and by the integration of new products and manufacturing lines. We have managed to strengthen our position in the market, particularly in the battery and energy storage sectors. However, it has also been a year of challenges. While sustainability remains a top priority, there is an increasing focus on competitiveness. Sustainability comes at a high cost, and it has been difficult to justify new investments without the necessary financial returns, given the current economic climate.
Looking ahead to 2025, I am optimistic about our prospects. We expect to see significant growth, driven by continued innovation, product development, and expanding into new markets. However, this growth will be contingent on a stable economic environment, both domestically and globally. A key factor for growth will be maintaining our competitiveness while investing in new technologies and energy storage solutions that align with the global energy transition.
As for the energy transition, ROMBAT has a crucial role to play.
Our batteries are not only used in traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles and electric vehicles (EVs), but they also play a vital part in energy storage solutions for renewable energy. These solutions help stabilize power grids, store energy from intermittent sources like wind and solar, and ensure greater flexibility in energy supply. However, achieving success in the energy transition requires us to balance our sustainability goals with maintaining economic performance, which is a delicate challenge in today’s competitive market.
Q: What were your main investments in the last two years and what would you like to continue in the future? During your business life, have you been forced to abandon some projects? Can you give us an example? If not, what is the secret of choosing successful projects only?
Mr. Alin Ioanes: Over the past two years, our main investments have been in R&D, production capacity expansion, green energy and of course digitalization. We have invested heavily in new battery technologies to meet the growing demand for start-stop batteries, and with that we are now finalizing a new production capacity that will help us meet the growing demands for EFB and AGM batteries in the future. Furthermore, we have enhanced our manufacturing processes to ensure higher efficiency and sustainability.
We have also invested in two solar parks that are intended to provide green energy and are part of our sustainability strategy.
There have been times when projects did not meet expectations, and we made the decision to pivot or exit. For example, we explored several partnerships in the past for developing batteries for certain technologies, but after detailed market analysis, we realized the cost and scalability issues were not aligned with our long-term goals.
The key to successful project selection lies in rigorous market research, understanding industry trends, and being agile enough to adjust when necessary.
Q: How hard is it for a strategic company like yours to aim to become a prosumer? Is this the future? What are the challenges along the way? What makes you, as a CEO, proud?
Mr. Alin Ioanes: Becoming a prosumer (producing and consuming energy) has been a complex but intriguing challenge for us. As a strategic approach, we already produce green energy through our solar plant we have in Bistrita and Copsa Mica, that has a total capacity of 5.2 Mwh, and the idea of integrating new renewable energy sources is definitely part of our future roadmap. The biggest challenge is ensuring that the infrastructure for both energy generation and storage is reliable and cost-effective. The transition to becoming a prosumer requires large-scale investments, new partnerships, and overcoming regulatory hurdles.
As a CEO, I am proud of ROMBAT’s team commitment to excellence, capacity for innovation and its role in the energy transition to more environmentally friendly production processes.
Q: When you meet the industry’s top suppliers and look at your goals, what can you tell us about such a dynamic market, ranging from batteries for the automotive industry to energy storage? What are the new challenges in the automotive sector?
Mr. Alin Ioanes: At Rombat, we are at the intersection of two critical sectors, automotive and energy storage, each undergoing significant transformation due to new electrification trend, sustainability, and digitalization.
To thrive in this environment, we view our relationships with suppliers as partnerships built on shared goals. Together, we focus on:
- Driving innovation to meet the needs of both traditional and next-generation markets.
- Improving sustainability, from sourcing eco-friendly materials to enhancing recycling practices.
- Ensuring resilience, by building robust supply chains that can withstand global disruptions.
Therefore, we are faced with big challenges that we need to focus in the next period and these gives us opportunities and great potential to evolve. 3 big areas where I se challenges that we`ll have to overcome may be:
Demand Diversification: The traditional automotive market remains strong, but there is a clear pivot and hybrid models and start stop ICE engines. Energy storage solutions are also diversifying, driven by renewable energy adoption and grid resilience needs.
Technological Evolution: Advancements in battery chemistry, manufacturing processes, and recycling technologies are reshaping the competitive landscape. Staying ahead requires collaboration with top-tier suppliers who are equally committed to R&D.
Global Competition: The market is increasingly competitive, with significant growth from regions like Asia and also Europe. Collaboration across the supply chain is vital to ensure we maintain our edge in Europe and beyond.
Q: We are curious about the effect of extra-EU funds (like PNRR) on your business activity. Did the EU money have an effect (and how much) on your market, especially on ROMBAT? How would you describe an intelligent investment of the EU funds?
Mr. Alin Ioanes: The extra-EU funds, such as those provided by the PNRR, have been instrumental in supporting our sustainability initiatives.
For ROMBAT, these funds have allowed us to accelerate our green energy production efforts and invest in cleaner, more efficient production processes.
Q: Our readers already know that ROMBAT has a new identity and branding process. What is your commitment to sustainability, performance, and trust as part of this new identity?
Mr. Alin Ioanes: ROMBAT’s new identity reflects our core values: sustainability, performance, and trust. We are committed to delivering high-performance products while minimizing our environmental impact at every stage from product development to manufacturing and lifecycle management. By using eco-friendly materials and promoting energy efficiency and recycling, we aim to reduce our carbon footprint while meeting the evolving needs of our customers.
Performance is at the heart of ROMBAT. Our batteries are designed for reliability and efficiency, even in the toughest conditions. We continually invest in research and development to ensure that our products exceed the highest performance standards.
Trust is the foundation of our relationships with customers, partners, and communities. Our long-standing reputation is built on transparency, integrity, and a relentless pursuit of quality. As we move forward, we remain committed to delivering products that our customers can depend on, today and in the future.
In short, ROMBAT’s new identity is more than just a refreshed look, it’s a reaffirmation of our commitment to sustainability, performance, and trust. These values will continue to guide us as we evolve and maintain our leadership in the battery industry.
Q: I followed your new identity closely. ROMBAT is promoting it by talking about trust, passion, and ambition. Can you emphasize this?
Mr. Alin Ioanes: Absolutely! When we talk about trust, passion, and ambition in the context of ROMBAT’s new identity, we are highlighting how we do things every day.
Trust is the foundation of everything we do. During our 45 years of activity, we’ve built a reputation for reliability and transparency. Our customers know they can count on us for high-quality products and consistent performance.
Passion drives us to continuously improve and innovate. It fuels our commitment to excellence, inspiring our team to push boundaries and create solutions that meet the evolving needs of our customers.
Ambition pushes us to lead the industry, set new standards, and go beyond expectations. We strive to not only meet but exceed customer needs, while embracing sustainability and performance at every step.
These three words, trust, passion, and ambition describe the mindset and approach we bring to every project, every product, and every customer interaction at ROMBAT.
Q: What might be the setback for your industry, that you cannot fully anticipate? Some ad-hoc fiscal measures? Some downward winds from the global market? How can you protect the company from being vulnerable to things on the domestic market?
Mr. Alin Ioanes: One potential setback could be the unpredictable regulatory changes, especially the fiscal measures that might increase the operational costs or might limit the scalability of certain long-term projects. Sadly, we saw this happening in 2024, when we were imposed a 1% tax on our total turnover.
Similarly, global supply chain disruptions or sudden downturns in demand could impact the industry and directly the spare parts manufacturers. To mitigate risks, ROMBAT focuses on diversifying its supply chain, investing in new production capabilities that may provide us with more cost-effective processes, and fostering strong partnerships with key suppliers and customers.
It is essential to maintain flexibility and agility, allowing the companies to adapt to market changes and continue to innovate in the face of uncertainty.
Q: As a CEO, what makes you smile when you look back at your company’s history in Romania?
Mr. Alin Ioanes: As a CEO, looking back at ROMBAT’s 45-year history in Romania, I feel a deep sense of accomplishment. From our beginning as a local, state-owned company, we have grown into a significant international player in the automotive sector. I am proud of our impact on the development of Romania’s automotive industry, but also of our job creation that supports local communities. Over all, the 45-years complex activity has contributed to the strengthening of the national economy. Above all, it is gratifying to know that our commitment to innovation and sustainability has positioned ROMBAT as a leader in the industry, and that the high-quality batteries produced in Bistrița are recognized globally.
You can also find the full interview in the document below:
