The Transylvania Business Centre (CAT) was set up in 1992 and received during its seven years of activity regional and international recognition for its vocation.

    The Transylvania Business Centre is a grass-roots non-profit organisation (NGO) for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) providing development opportunities, promotion, internationalisation, business links, travel, education, consulting, training, research and data base,  other services, in assistance to the development of market economy mechanisms and democratisation.

    More than 1000 private companies from the Transylvanian region are associated to our organisation, their fields of activity being industry, construction, transport, trade, banking, insurance, stylism, media and tourism. We created seven independent CATs in the Transylvanian towns to improve the level of services for the local community and SMEs, which are facing a transition period.

    Promoting the democratic market economy mechanisms and supporting the small and medium sized enterprises, CAT contributed to the privatisation of the first companies in Transylvania, to the foundation of more than 2000 joint-ventures, to the development of different companies, banks and economic private organisms and the creation of some important development projects in Cluj-Napoca and the Transylvanian region.

    A new program has been recently launched after two years of intense research and preparations. In co-operation with five member companies as Codec, Brinel, TV Cablu, Transylvanian Commodities Exchange, Napoca Popular Bank, Turkish-Romanian Bank as well as with above 280 associated companies, the Transylvania Business Centre set into motion the first virtual business centre within the region (E-CAT) and founded the FIRST TRANSYLVANIAN ELECTRONIC MARKET. Through this modern mechanism of the XXI century, CAT assisted Cluj-Napoca and Transylvania in the development of direct business and head towards the third millennium. The companies and organisations connected to this system have the opportunity to internationalise, globalise and virtualise their activities using the services and information provided by the E-CAT site: http://cat.twf.ro. The site can be viewed in Romanian and English and it is updated and developed with new opportunities.

    In only seven months, over 7500 potential clients, partners, buyers, suppliers and investors visited the First Transylvanian Electronic Market. The number of companies associated to E-CAT has grown substantially due to the new mechanism and the increased number of websites realised.  The Transylvania Web Factory, the Students Placement Centre and the pupils from Lyceum Business Centre developed these sites; all these programmes have been created and sponsored by CAT and its members. The local media (newspapers, radio and TV stations) is supporting this new idea.
CAT developed with the Transylvanian Commodities Exchange - Bursa Transilvana a complex and exhaustive database comprising requests and offers of goods and services, investment projects. The database is at the disposal of local and foreign companies in search of business opportunities and partners. Many companies are using this business communication channel created by CAT.

    Another realisation is the Business Links Program, in conjunction with the European Commission’s “Bureau de Rapprochement des Entreprises” program, which nominated CAT to represent the region of Transylvania. CAT is BRE correspondent no. 982.

    Meanwhile other programmes such as NMCP - Netherlands Management Co-operation Programme and SES - Senior Experten Services of Germany were developed, supplying representatives from these countries to provide consulting services, training, investments counselling, as well as services in other fields of great interest to small and medium sized enterprises in the region of Transylvania. With the help of the German and Dutch consultants, the private companies within the area benefit from the advanced experience and the know-how recognised in their countries and internationally. Recently ICNA-France and ACCC-Canada started the direct cooperation with CAT in the field of consulting and training. CIPE-Washington granted CAT for an important project.

    The research and data base development activities, the practical solutions designed and their implementation within the private companies, the constant support given for the creation of the market mechanism of an economy in transition, draw the interest of the international organisation: World Bank invited CAT Cluj to the Global Development Network founding Conference in Bonn and European Commission to the IST99 Conference in Helsinki. UNIDO nominated CAT for representing as COMFAR -contractor and The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development invited our representatives to the Central European Initiative Summit and Economic Forum.

        E-CAT is promoting the new “business-to-business” and “one-to-one”concepts successfully, making local and international business accessible and flexible.  CAT has organised more than 200 economic missions, targeted to individuals and business groups affiliated with the Centre.  CAT sent  business representatives to international fairs and exhibitions in Denmark, Holland, Ireland, Sweden, UK, France, Germany, Austria, Finland, Italy, Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, USA, Canada, Argentina, Venezuela, Chile, Peru, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, Egypt, Israel, India, Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, Australia and more. Through this exposure, our business community established good relations and the internationalisation of CAT was accelerated.

       As a grass root, transparent, self-supported, non-profit, apolitical and independent private economic body, the Transylvania Business Centre ( CAT- Cluj ) offers to the foreign business partners a real and virtual “first stop” in Transylvania. This service is very important for exploring diverse opportunities and resources available in the region.

       We are pleased to invite you to look at our co-operation proposals. CAT will be glad to answer your questions and concerns in a professional manner. The Transylvanian SMEs thank you in advance for taking time to look at their business centre and their development program. The program has 28 project components, designed after three years of research, reunions and seminars with the private companies from the region:  http://cat.twf.ro/projects.html

    Please also visit our home page in English: http://cat.twf.ro/indexengl.html