Italia-based household appliances giant Antonio Merloni S.p.a. intends to launch integrated works of washers under the trademark of Ardo in Ivano-Frankivsk before 2007, the company’s office in Ukraine told.
The production, which is expected to reach a million of washing machines a year within five years, will be based on facilities of local washer factory purchased by Merloni. Most of the machines will be exported to Europe.
Merloni bought out the Ukrainian factory in 2003. Earlier, the Donetsk-based fridge maker Nord owned 50 percent of its stock, 25 percent belonged to the State Property Fund of Ukraine, and the rest was in the hands of small stockholders.
Antonio Merloni’s share of the Ukrainian household and built-in appliances market presently varies between 10 percent and 15 percent. The company is among the top eight on the world’s market and among the top five on Europe’s.
A largest maker of household electric appliances in Europe, Antonio Merloni manufactures on average about three million items per year.
The Merloni group comprises three companies. Besides Antonio Merloni, these also include Merloni Elettrodomestici, one of Europe’s largest manufacturers of household appliances under the trademarks of Ariston, Indesit and Stinol, and Merloni Termosanitari, specializing in production of water and air heating systems.