Merloni Invests in Polish Refrigeration Plant Oct 18, 2004

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Italian white goods-maker Merloni Elettrodomestici’s Polish unit will open a new plant in the Polish city of Lodz, the company said.

Merloni is pumping 40 million euros (approx. U.S. $49 million) into building its second plant in Lodz that will produce refrigerators under the brand name Indesit and Ariston for sale throughout Europe.

The new plant marks a major part of the company’s planned 50 million euros (approx. $62 million) investment for Poland. The remaining 10 million euros (approx. $12 million) will be spent on upgrading Poland’s stove line, boosting capacity to 1 million stoves a year by 2006.

The original Lodz stove factory opened in 1999 with a 64 million euros (approx. $80 million) investment. Presently, 84 percent of the factory’s output is exported. Merloni’s Indesit Polska plans to maintain this export level and also plans to export 80 percent of the new plant’s refrigerator production.

Merloni’s Polish operations cover 10.4 percent of the market in Poland, trailing only U.S. giant Whirlpool and Poland’s Amica Wronki. Whirlpool and Amica have 24.4 percent and 19 percent of the market, respectively, according to Merloni. (Interfax)

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