The porcelain factory in Alba Iulia was established in 1970. The communist leaders of the county ordered here the presents that were to be given to the presidential couple, Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu.
In 1987, two years before fall of communism, the factory started a modernisation process aimed at introducing a regime of fast-firing. The firing time of porcelain items was reduced from 35 hours to 15 hours.
After fall of the communism it was privatised. As a result of the privatisation in 1993, a majority shareholder, with 50.69%, became the Romanian company Assalpo. In 2008 the company was acquired by the Italian group Rody Time.
The main customer of the Apulum Porcelain Factory is IKEA. It is the biggest porcelain producer in Romania and one of the biggest in Europe. In 2012 it produced 14,000 tons of porcelain and in 2017 in the company worked 1492 employees. In 2019, 90 percent of production was exported. The product range includes household and hotel porcelain, as well as decorative items and trinkets.
