The story of Eltrex began in the late 1990s, during the post-communist period, when Emil Pop decided to relocate to Timișoara (the most western city in Romania and the most open to new economic opportunities at that time) to open a new business. Soon after, in 1999, the company was founded, together with a few other partners, having over 15 years of experience in the field of electrical installations and industrial automation.
Our first major contract for the design and execution of electrical installations for an industrial hall.
In 2001, we became a member of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Agriculture of Timișoara, which facilitated its initial connections with German companies. Although these early interactions did not immediately result in partnerships, by the following year, Eltrex was recognized for its progress, being ranked second among small enterprises in Timiș County within its field.
In 2003, we secured our first export contract for automation cabinets destined for the Italian market. This two-year contract significantly boosted the company's revenue, with electrical panels becoming a major source of income, accounting for half of Eltrex's total revenue.
In 2005, Eltrex's export volume surpassed 20% of its total turnover following the successful signing of its second export contract. This milestone marked a significant expansion in the company's international business operations.
In 2007, Eltrex completed the construction of its new 2000-square-metre facility, marking a significant milestone in the company's development and providing a strong foundation for future growth.
In 2008, amidst the global economic crisis, Eltrex faced significant challenges due to the non-renewal of export contracts and the departure of Italian investors from Romania. Due to intense pressure, the company reduced its workforce from 71 to 58. However, new opportunities and contracts emerged, notably with German partners for automating the painting lines at Ford Romania in Craiova.
In 2010, we focused our efforts primarily on the domestic market, producing electrical panels for supermarkets such as Kaufland, Real, and later Lidl.
We expanded our operations internationally, working on projects at Mercedes Benz in Hungary and Fiat in Serbia.
By 2012, over half of Eltrex's business was driven by partnerships with leading German plant engineering companies, such as Dürr and Eisenmann. The company's main activity was the execution of electrical installations for production lines in the automotive industry; specifically paint and final assembly lines.
In 2013, we expanded our operations to Rehau, South Africa, marking our first project outside Europe. This expansion, along with consistent growth, was driven by continued partnerships with leading German plant engineering companies such as Continental, Dürr, TRW, and Eisenmann.
By 2015, more than 60% of Eltrex's revenue was generated from international business. However, the company decided to refocus on the Romanian market, aiming to reverse these percentages in the coming years. Eltrex engaged in projects ranging from tire manufacturing facilities to domestic logistics warehouses. Our team also worked on projects for car manufacturers such as Fiat in Italy, Volkswagen in Poland, and Audi in Brussels.
Between 2016 and 2018, we successfully completed our first project as the general contractor for the MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing) package in 2016. From 2017 onwards, the company expanded its automation and software departments to align with its vision, resulting in its fastest profit growth in the last decade, exceeding 40% in 2018.
In 2019, Eltrex successfully completed its first complete electrical engineering project outside of Romania, handling the entire scope from electrical design to cabinet manufacturing, on-site installation, and commissioning.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Eltrex faced significant challenges and a decrease in workload. In response, the company redirected its efforts to complex electrical engineering and automation projects, particularly in areas such as surface treatment, ovens, process automation, and Building Management Systems (BMS).
As part of its development strategy, in 2022, Eltrex launched an elctrical design office in Galați (RO), expanded its automation team to five members, and recruited over 15 electricians from Sri Lanka and Benin. Additionally, the company continued to focus on complete electrical engineering projects both in Romania and abroad.
In 2023, we focused our investment strategy on automating our control cabinet production capabilities. We purchased new tools, such as the nVent HOFFMAN Steinhauer ModCenter, which automates drilling, milling, tapping, and other modifications for control panels. This investment, along with expanding our manufacturing team, allowed us to significantly enhance our production capacity and our production grew nearly 2.5 times compared to the previous year.
The story of Eltrex began in the late 1990s, during the post-communist period, when Emil Pop decided to relocate to Timișoara (the most western city in Romania and the most open to new economic opportunities at that time) to open a new business. Soon after, in 1999, the company was founded, together with a few other partners, having over 15 years of experience in the field of electrical installations and industrial automation.
Our first major contract for the design and execution of electrical installations for an industrial hall.
In 2001, we became a member of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Agriculture of Timișoara, which facilitated its initial connections with German companies. Although these early interactions did not immediately result in partnerships, by the following year, Eltrex was recognized for its progress, being ranked second among small enterprises in Timiș County within its field.
In 2003, we secured our first export contract for automation cabinets destined for the Italian market. This two-year contract significantly boosted the company's revenue, with electrical panels becoming a major source of income, accounting for half of Eltrex's total revenue.
In 2005, Eltrex's export volume surpassed 20% of its total turnover following the successful signing of its second export contract. This milestone marked a significant expansion in the company's international business operations.
In 2007, Eltrex completed the construction of its new 2000-square-metre facility, marking a significant milestone in the company's development and providing a strong foundation for future growth.
In 2008, amidst the global economic crisis, Eltrex faced significant challenges due to the non-renewal of export contracts and the departure of Italian investors from Romania. Due to intense pressure, the company reduced its workforce from 71 to 58. However, new opportunities and contracts emerged, notably with German partners for automating the painting lines at Ford Romania in Craiova.
In 2010, we focused our primarily efforts on the domestic market, producing electrical panels for supermarkets such as Kaufland, Real, and later Lidl.
We also expanded our operations internationally, working on projects at Mercedes Benz in Hungary and Fiat in Serbia.
By 2012, over half of Eltrex's business was driven by partnerships with leading German plant engineering companies, such as Dürr and Eisenmann. The company's main activity was the execution of electrical installations for production lines in the automotive industry; specifically paint and final assembly lines.
In 2013, we expanded our operations to Rehau, South Africa, marking our first project outside Europe. This expansion, along with consistent growth, was driven by continued partnerships with leading German plant engineering companies such as Continental, Dürr, TRW, and Eisenmann.
By 2015, more than 60% of Eltrex's revenue was generated from international business. However, the company decided to refocus on the Romanian market, aiming to reverse these percentages in the coming years. Eltrex engaged in projects ranging from tire manufacturing facilities to domestic logistics warehouses. Our team also worked on projects for car manufacturers such as Fiat in Italy, Volkswagen in Poland, and Audi in Brussels.
Between 2016 and 2018, we successfully completed our first project as the general contractor for the MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing) package in 2016. From 2017 onwards, the company expanded its automation and software departments to align with its vision, resulting in its fastest profit growth in the last decade, exceeding 40% in 2018.
In 2019, Eltrex successfully completed its first complete electrical engineering project outside of Romania, handling the entire scope from electrical design to cabinet manufacturing, on-site installation, and commissioning.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Eltrex faced significant challenges and a decrease in workload. In response, the company redirected its efforts to complex electrical engineering and automation projects, particularly in areas such as surface treatment, ovens, process automation, and Building Management Systems (BMS).
As part of its development strategy, in 2022, Eltrex launched an elctrical design office in Galați (RO), expanded its automation team to five members, and recruited over 15 electricians from Sri Lanka and Benin. Additionally, the company continued to focus on complete electrical engineering projects both in Romania and abroad.
In 2023, we focused our investment strategy on automating our control cabinet production capabilities. We purchased new tools, such as the nVent HOFFMAN Steinhauer ModCenter, which automates drilling, milling, tapping, and other modifications for control panels. This investment, along with expanding our manufacturing team, allowed us to significantly enhance our production capacity and our production grew nearly 2.5 times compared to the previous year.
We are specialists in the design and execution of electrical installations and industrial automation.
We build up our reputation on the local market, then on the national one, following the natural step towards the international market, where we offer professional solutions for world renowned companies, such as: BMW, Audi, Daimler, SMART, FIAT, etc.
Emil Pop, Eltrex Founder