ALRO takes actions to prevent COVID-19 effects and donates RON 400,000 to Slatina Emergency County Hospital

·      The Company undertook all the needed steps to prevent and mitigate COVID-19 effects and to protect the health of its employees while securing a constant supply to its business partners;

·      ALRO acknowledges once more its main role within the local community and donates RON 400,000 to Slatina Emergency County Hospital to support the first defence shield in the fight against coronavirus;

·      ALRO donated RON 25,000 to the Romanian Red Cross, Olt and almost RON 18,000 to the International Romanian Association of Police, Olt.

Slatina, 2 April 2020 – ALRO S.A. (BSE: ALR, “the Company” or “ALRO”), one of the largest vertically integrated aluminium producers in Europe, measured by production capacity, supports the fight against COVID-19 by donating RON 400,000 to Slatina Emergency County Hospital (“SJU”), RON 25,000 to the Romanian Red Cross, Olt and RON 18,000 to the International Romanian Association of Police, Olt and by implementing a very strict set of protocols and procedures to prevent infection within its locations to protect both employees and business partners.

“We face an exceptional situation which require decisive actions. Now is the time to prove that we understand our role in the local community.  Our greatest responsibility is towards our employees and their families. Because our employees, their families, together with their friends and relatives, they are the community. We are the community. Together.  

We decided to give our support to the local emergency hospital in Slatina, to help the medical staff in its fight against the coronavirus. Other resources have been directed to the law enforcement authorities, Red Cross, which are in the frontline of the fight”, said Gheorghe DOBRA, Chief Executive Officer ALRO Slatina.

“We have put in place operational, administrative and health protocols and procedures within ALRO premises to secure the health of our employees, to prevent infection in our locations, to ensure a steady supply for our clients and to mitigate the negative consequences derived from this global pandemic”, added Gheorghe DOBRA.

ALRO’s contribution to Slatina Emergency County Hospital will help the medical staff to procure the medical supplies needed for both medical staff and patients, thus ensuring the proper working conditions for the efficient crisis management of the COVID-19 cases. In parallel, the Company’s donations to Romanian Red Cross will ensure the funds needed to acquire the hygiene products and food for the persons under lockdown in their homes due to COVID-19 aggressiveness.

Another critical component in the fight against fast spreading COVID-19 is represented by the County and Local Police. ALRO provided support to the police force in Olt County area with protective equipment (i.e. face masks and overalls), high visibility reflective jackets and body-video-cameras used for limiting the spread of coronavirus.

In respect of the actions taken to prevent COVID-19 spread within its facilities, starting from an early stage of this pandemic crisis, ALRO has implemented an Emergency and Coordination Committee with the main role to supervise and monitor the health condition of all employees, with main focus that all sanitization and disinfection measures are properly implemented within the entire organization.

Among the comprehensive operational and administrative measures implemented within the entire organization there are:

●      medical and protective supplies and equipment, like face masks, gloves, overalls are distributed to all employees;

●      new protocols and procedures have been designed and implemented in the plants, in coordination with the central and local authorities, and with the observance of the World Health Organization’ recommendations for industrial sites;

●      strict measures of cleaning, sanitization and disinfection of the locker rooms, common areas, cafeteria, offices were implemented;

●      all the areas inside and outside production facilities are permanently disinfected;

●      disinfectant dispensers were placed in the access points, cafeterias; cooked meals have been replaced with cold meals for our employees to avoid collective interactions at the canteens;

●      all employees were instructed how to act to prevent their infection with COVID-19 and have to report daily their health status;

●      split/ rotational shifts have been implemented to minimize interaction;

●      employees’ health condition is checked daily before starting the work;

●      contingency plans have been already simulated for the case when one or more employees are infected with COVID-19 and thus the Company ensured that the operations are not disrupted;

●      business trips have been reduced to an absolute minimum and participation in events of all kinds has been suspended;

●      visits to the production facilities site were reduced to minimum;

●      the Company had implemented remote work for employees, where possible;

●      the recommendations for drivers and relevant transport-related undertakings involved in freight transport following the COVID-19 outbreak as published by European Commission were already implemented within the Company;

●      as a result, for the current phase of this pandemic, ALRO is operating in normal parameters and has a supply chain fully operational.

ALRO has its own private Fire Brigade which is fully operational inside the production facility, as well as its own healthcare office and benefited from a solid support from its affiliated security company, Rivergate. All these entities are in full alert 24/7.

Considering the fast pace of COVID-19 spreading the entire world is facing at the moment, ALRO acts with caution, but with fast and decisive responses. The Company continues to react to each day challenges as fast as possible as it strives to overcome this unprecedented degraded situation as smooth and steady as possible.

For further information, please contact:

www.alro.ro

Florența Ghiță

Bucharest

Phone: +40 744 644 004

Email: investor.relations@alro.ro

Notes to the Editors:

ALRO Group

The companies part of ALRO Group are: ALRO S.A. – manufacturer of aluminium, Alum S.A. – producer of alumina, Sierra Mineral Holdings I, Ltd. – bauxite mining, Vimetco Extrusion S.R.L. – extrusion business line, Conef S.A. – holding and management company, Global Aluminium Ltd. – holding company and Bauxite Marketing Ltd - marketing. Having this structure, the Group created an integrated production chain assuring the raw materials for ALRO.

ALRO

ALRO is a subsidiary of Vimetco N.V., a global, vertically-integrated primary and processed aluminium producer. ALRO is one of the largest vertically integrated aluminium producers, by capacity, in Europe, having an installed production capacity of 265,000 tonnes per year.

The main market for ALRO products is represented by the European Union; the Company exports its products to the USA and Asia, as well. ALRO is ISO 9001 certified for quality management and has NADCAP and EN 9100 certificates for aerospace production organizations, ALRO’s products adhere to the quality standards for primary aluminium on the LME, as well as international standards for flat rolled products.

Starting from 18 March 2019, the Index Committee of the Bucharest Stock Exchange approved the inclusion of ALRO (code ALR) in BET, the main index of the market, and in BET-TR, the total return version of BET. The BET index will thus include 16 companies, which is a first time in the history of the local capital market, and it represents an unprecedented diversification of the sectors reflected by the index. ALRO’s shares have been listed on the Bucharest Stock Exchange since October 1997, and following this decision ALRO becomes the first company in the aluminium industry present in the two indices.