Romania’s Pehart Group has diversified its product offering after entering the AfH market with the launch of its Sovio brand of products.
The company has invested €8m in a conversion line to produce the Sovio brand, which will initially consist of 18 products including paper towels of various sizes and shapes, paper sheets for cosmetic and medical cabinets, napkins, and toilet paper in formats dedicated to AfH spaces.
The new conversion line has been operational since the end of last year.
Gabriel Stanciu, General Manager of Pehart Group, said: “One of the major business objectives for the past year was Pehart Group’s debut on the AfH market.
“Our newly launched brand Sovio has a high degree of purity and strength, and the technologies equipped in the conversion line provide the products with a high capacity for absorption, elasticity, and increased finesse.
“We use only FSC-certified cellulose in production, without any additional recycled material or mechanical fibres.”
The Sovio brand is currently intended for the domestic market, but in the medium term Stanciu added the business is considering international markets.
In 2023, Pehart Group made investments of over €20m to diversify its portfolio, increase export capacity, and enhance the energy efficiency of production lines.
This included investing €12m to optimise the energy performance of production lines at its two factories in Petrești-Sebeș and Dej.
The modernisation process for tissue paper production aimed at reducing energy consumption by 20% for each machine, with a company-wide energy resource savings reaching 10%.
The process of upgrading production capacities will continue in 2024, with the goal of achieving premium product quality with optimised energy consumption.
Ovidiu Hoza, National & Export Sales Manager of Pehart Group and manager of the AfH division, said: “The Sovio brand offers a personalised approach to cleanliness, as it is designed to meet the needs of different customer categories.
“We consider the products grouped under this brand a culmination of Pehart Group’s nearly 200 years of experience.
“The SOVIO brand is also an example of sustainable practices in the industry.
“In addition to responsible and ecological cellulose sourcing, the machines producing tissue paper have been technologically upgraded in the last two years to optimise energy efficiency.”
Stanciu added the investments were the stages “of an ambitious development plan” through which the company aims to strengthen its position in the domestic and European markets.
“We aspire to continue investments in our factories, employing state-of-the-art technologies that help us achieve superior quality at competitive production costs.
“Moreover, we are aware that, both nationally and beyond borders, the premium quality of our products is the most effective promoter,” he added.
With a 187-year history, Pehart Group is one of the largest paper producers in Southeast Europe.
