Wienerberger Romania, the local subsidiary of the Austrian group with the same name, estimates the maintaining of the local businesses in 2013 at the level of the previous year, while in 2012 there has been a similar trend with the one registered in 2011. According to data published on the portal of the Ministry of Finance, the local brick manufacturer registered a turnover of 118 million RON (about 26.8 million EUR) in 2011, being the leader of the local market. The company is present in Romania since 1998 and has recorded total investments of about 75 million EUR for the construction of three brick factories located in Gura Ocniţei (Dâmboviţa County), Sibiu and Tritenii de Jos (Cluj county). At the beginning of last year, the company announced that it will invest 22 million EUR for the construction of the group's fourth factory in Iaşi, but the project was delayed due to production overcapacity on the market. In general, Wienerberger Romania team, led by Corneliu Fecioru, displays a moderate optimism in what concerns this year's activity. The evolution of the domain depends on many external factors, such as the macroeconomic context, the fluctuations of utilities prices, the political stability and the impact of the Eurozone crisis on the Romanian economy. Given the existing stock of houses, the several millions of apartments built between 1960-1980 (when only the speed of execution really counted and not the quality) and the fact that the 42,500 homes completed in 2012 place Romania at an average of two newly-built houses per one thousand inhabitants (two times less than the European average), Corneliu Fecioru demonstrates that it will take over 200 years to replace the housing units built. "An unwritten rule, accepted by all EU Member States and which seems to be a point of reference for the renewal of the housing stock is that the average use of a home stands at about 100 years. This would mean that, in Romania, twice as many houses than the current level should be built, resulting, thus, 80,000 units per year. This would bring us to a state of normality. Furthermore, this is the real potential of the masonry materials market", said the Wienerberger official. For further information and a detailed analysis of the current TOP-Agenda Constructiilor issue click here!