IPEC (Întreprinderea de Porţelan Elena Covaciu), owned by the Covaciu family, one of IKEA’s main suppliers on the local market, estimates a turnover of 158 million lei (31.7 million euros) for 2025, an increase of approximately 15% compared to last year, according to ZF calculations based on data submitted by the company. IPEC had estimated business of approximately 137.5 million lei (27.6 million euros) for 2024. The porcelain manufacturer from Alba Iulia hired 80 people last year and intends to continue recruiting in 2025. The company reached an average number of 518 employees in 2023, according to information on the Ministry of Finance website.

“For 2025, we plan to hire another 50 people. We also want to put another 50 industrial robots into operation,” Cristian Covaciu, co-founder and shareholder of IPEC, told ZF Transilvania. IPEC Alba Iulia is one of the largest porcelain plate manufacturers in Europe, producing over 1% of the plates worldwide in Alba Iulia. The local manufacturer has gradually become one of the most efficient in the world, as it works with about 350 industrial robots and the latest production technologies.

Source: ZF