This document describes the Astrico Nord-Est Textile Cluster in Romania, a partnership of 21 textile companies and 5 other supporting enterprises. The cluster was formed in 2010 to strengthen relationships and pursue innovation and technology transfer between members. In 2011, the cluster established a collaborative marketing and sales system through a shared trading company to provide members services like design, prototyping, and logistics. The goals are developing high-value products, reducing costs, and optimizing production for members. The cluster has over 2,400 employees and annual turnover over 163 million euros.

2. ASTRICO NORD-EST
TEXTILE CLUSTER
A SUCCESS STORY

3. ASTRICO NORD-EST GROUP
ASTRICO NORD EST is an industrial group specialised in producing different types of
yarns and knitted garments, located in the North-Eastern Development region of Romania. The
leader of the group, RIFIL SA Savinesti, is the most important manufacturer of acrylic yarns in the
European Union.
ASTRICO NORD-EST Association includes 21 companies from the textile sector (3 large companies
and 18 SMEs) and other 5 enterprises which collaborate with the textile companies in areas like
marketing, packing, furniture production. More than 2400 employees work in the group`s
companies, achieving a cumulated turnover of over 163 million EUR.

4. ASTRICO NORD-EST GROUP
In 2010, ASTRICO NORD-EST Association launched and signed a partnership with The North East
Regional Development Agency, Piatra Neamt, The Technical University "Gheorghe Asachi”, Iasi–
Faculty of Textile, Leather and Industrial Management, The National Research&Development
Institute for Textiles and Leather and Inno Consult SRL- Bucharest, in order to create the first textile
cluster in Romania, ASTRICO NORD-EST TEXTILE CLUSTER.
The goals of this partnership are to strengthen already existing relationships as well as to identify all
opportunities in order to achieve high added-value products through technology transfer and
innovation.

5. ASTRICO NORD-EST TRADE SYSTEM
In 2011, Astrico Nord-Est has developed a collaborative marketing-sales system, as follows:
 setting up a trading company, the shareholders being members of the cluster;
 ASTRICO NORD-EST SRL, with the support of knitting machines producer SHIMA –
SEIKI, has established its own creative production capacity equipped with the newest
technologies on knitting industry.
Through this system, the group companies benefit from services such as: marketing, design,
prototyping, technical assistance, logistic and financial services.

6. ASTRICO NORD-EST TRADE SYSTEM
Goals:
 Developing own, high-added value products;
 Reducing costs for members by offering complementary services: prototyping, commercial and
logistics services;
 Optimising the raw material costs and consumption;
 Making more efficient the manufacturing capacities;
 Reducing the commercial risks for members;
 Obtaining better prices for delivered products;
 Know-how transfer among members.

7. HOW DOES IT WORK - PROTOTYPING
Prototyping and
collection creation
centre
Customer
ASTRICO
NORD EST
SRL
Prototyping
request
Prototype and
technical
documentation
Raw materials
suppliers
Raw material order
Raw material
delivery
Knitwear
producers

8. HOW DOES IT WORK - COMMERCIAL
Customer
ASTRICO NORD EST
SRL
PrIce
request
Raw materials
suppliers
Raw materials
order
Raw materials
delivery
Knitwear producers
PrIce
offer
Products
delivery

9. HOW DOES IT WORK - PAYMENT
Customer
ASTRICO NORD EST
SRL
Raw materials
suppliers
Knitwear producers
Products
payment

10. AGGREGATE TURNOVER
ASTRICO NORD-EST SRL & SERVIMPEX SRL
2011-2017
0
2,680,000
2,360,000
6,285,000 6,260,000
4,472,000
4,848,123
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Turnover (euro)
Notes: The figures represent the turnover achieved by cluster-owned trade companies.

11. DELIVERED QUANTITIES
Note: the figures represent the number of pieces delivered in 2017 through the cluster-owned trade
companies on main markets.
GERMANY UK FRANCE
No of pieces 59,030 96,785 200,450
0
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
No of pieces

12. ASTRICO NORD-EST GROUP
Annually, through the group trade companies are delivered until 400.000 pieces of knitted
garments for men, women and children.
Our main markets are : France, UK, Germany and Italy.
Customers : Beaumanoir Group, Afibel (France), Urban, HG3 (Uk), Klingel, Bader, AGS
(Germany), Manuel Ritz (Italy), Adolfo Dominguez(ES).

13. CLUSTER INTERNATIONALISATION
PROJECTS AND INITIATIVES
Astrico Nord-Est Textile Cluster has applied on several international calls:
“Big Data in the Danube Region”INTERREG Danube Transational Programme–partner, in partnership with
 Deggendorf Institute of Technology, Germany -project coordinator;
 South Bohemian Chamber of Commerce, Czech Republic;
 University of Economics, Prague, Czech Republic;
 «Szechenyi Istvan» University, Hungary;
 Association for Promoting Electronic Technology, Romania;
 Politehnica University of Bucharest, Romania.
ERASMUS +, sub-programme “Support for policy reform”, project title: “Clothing Technician Profile Update via
Education”- partner, in partnership with:
 Centro Tecnologico das Industrias Textile do Vestuario de Portugal, Portugal – project coordinator;
 Centro de Formação Profissional da Indústria Têxtil, Vestuário, Confecao e Lanificios, Portugal;
 Associacao Textil e Vestuario de Portugal, Portugal;
 INOVA+ Innovation Services, SA, Portugal;
 Asociacion de Investigacion de la Industria Textil, Spain;
 Asociacion de Empresas de Confeccion y Moda de la Comunidad de Madrid, Spain;
 The National Research&Development Institute for Textiles and Leather, Romania.
COSME, project ”TEX4IM” – partner, in partnership with:
 Tuscany Fashion Cluster (Next Technology Tecnotessile SRL), Italy – project coordinator;
 Asociacion de Empresarios Textiles de la Region Valenciana, Spain;
 Centro Tecnologico das Industrias Textile do Vestuario de Portugal, Portugal;
 CLUTEX – Klastr Technicke Textilie, Czech Republic;
 PO.IN.TEX (Citta Studi spa), Italy;
 Smart Textiles (Hoegskolan I Boras), Sweden;
 Association UP-TEX, France.

14. CLUSTER INTERNATIONALISATION
PROJECTS AND INITIATIVES
Astrico Nord-Est Textile Cluster has signed collaboration agreements with TECHTERA-
PÔLE DE COMPÉTITIVITÉ DES TEXTILES ET MATÉRIAUX SOUPLES (France) and APIUS -
EMPLOYERS ASSOCIATION OF TEXTILE INDUSTRY (Republic of Moldova).
Participation in fairs, events and trade missions in France, Belgium, Germany, Italy.
In September 2015, ASTRICO NORD-EST TEXTILE CLUSTER was awarded with
„Bronze label certificate” by the European Secretariat for Cluster Analysis – ESCA.
•

15. Thank you!
Carmen Boiciuc
office@astricone.eu
www.astricone.eu