“ We must be adaptable,
aware of trends, and
capable of acting rapidly in
response to changes in our
corporate environment,”
Alin Ioaneș, General
Manager at ROMBAT.
ROMBAT has been operating on the Romanian market
for over 40 years and it is the market leader in batter-
ies for cars, trucks or motorcycles. Also, the company
from Bistrița has multiple collaborations with inter-
national manufacturers being their battery supplier.
The company has over 100 representatives in 40
countries across four continents. Essentially, this
Romanian firm assists thousands of individuals. In
September 2021, ROMBAT decided to implement the
KFactory solution for monitoring and increasing the
performance and productivity of the production lines,
using KFactory Core and KFactory Analytics. Alin
Ioaneș, general manager of ROMBAT, explains how
a company with tradition works with a start-up, the
importance of digitalization and transformation in the
industry.
It took ROMBAT eight weeks to implement the
KFactory® system on a complex
vehicle battery assembly line
comprised of several types of
industrial equipment. From a
post-factum analysis to a re-
al-time, automated one that can
link additional information from
the production line, ROMBAT has
undergone a shift. Therefore,
digitisation can contribute to
greater productivity. Following
the implementation of the pilot
project in September, ROMBAT
expanded the monitoring to more
lines in April 2022.
Challenges and perspectives of
ROMBAT
Rombat competes in a market
that is incredibly difficult and
competitive. In the mobility sec-
tor, there is now a shift toward
hybrid or electric solutions,
In recent years, companies with a history in Romania have understood that
collaborating with local start-ups gives an opportunity to digitalize.
KFACTORY® ASSISTED
ROMBAT IN DIGITIZING ITS
PRODUCTION LINES
however the growth pace is
still rather slow. However, the
Romanian business must con-
tinually maintain its compet-
itiveness. KFactory® assisted
ROMBAT in digitizing its produc-
tion lines.
According to Alin Ioaneș, General
Manager of ROMBAT, the sector
needs optimization because raw
materials and cost are under a
lot of pressure. “Availability is
becoming a significant problem.
We sometimes overlook the price
of raw resources, yet accessi-
bility is crucial”, he claims. The
management of ROMBAT claims
that challenges are many as
well. According to him, there are
issues with labour availability,
which is a general issue, delivery
intervals, the container crisis, the
energy crisis, the microchip crisis,
and the conflict in Ukraine. There are
essentially just difficulties, hence
cost reduction or optimization are
crucial.
ROMBAT, which presently has three
production sites, is continuously
monitoring the way the market is
changing. If there are 2% electric
vehicles on the road globally, the
growth rate won’t change unless it
accelerates.
“By 2035, the EU wants automakers
to move from thermal engines to
electric vehicles. Therefore, I think
it is a challenging but attainable
objective. Additionally, the situation
in Ukraine, which is putting strain
on energy supplies, demonstrates
that shifting toward electricity and
green energy is a possibility and that
doing so might hasten the transition
process “Alin Ioaneş argues.
KFactory I 3
2 I KFactory