UPDATE 2-Brazil's Romi offers $90 million for Hardinge

* Brazil's Romi offers $8/shr for Hardinge

* Says no communication from Hardinge

* Hardinge shares up 46 pct at $8.01; Romi dips 0.3 pct (New throughout)

NEW YORK, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Brazilian machine tool maker Industrias Romi SA (ROMI3.SA) submitted an unsolicited all-cash offer to buy Hardinge Inc (HDNG.O) for $90 million, saying it has been rebuffed by the U.S. precision metal-cutting machine company's management.

The offer of $8.00 per share represents a 46 percent premium to Hardinge's closing price of $5.48 on Wednesday. Hardinge shares were up 46 percent at $8.01 on Thursday morning.

"We have been trying to contact them during the last two months, but so far have not had the opportunity to go further with this transaction," Romi Chief Executive Officer Livaldo Aguiar dos Santos told Reuters on Thursday. "They have refused to talk to us."

Calls to Hardinge's chief financial officer in Elmira, New York, were not immediately returned.

The offer may be an illustration that the strengthening of the real currency BRBY amid Brazil's economic boom has made it easier for Brazilian companies to buy rivals in developed economies. Brazil, along with Russia, India and China is considered one of the key BRIC emerging markets.

Santos said the strength of the real currency was not a key reason for the bid.

"We are looking for volume," he said.

Hardinge's presence in China and Taiwan makes it an attractive takeover target, Santos said. Romi does not currently manufacture in the United States but has a small distributor in Cincinnati.

Romi recorded sales of about 700 million reais ($388 million) in 2008, according to the most recent full-year available. Hardinge sales in 2008 totaled $345 million.

Shares of Romi were down 0.3 percent at 14.31 reais in Brazilian trading.

($1 = 1.87 reais.) (Reporting by Nick Zieminski in New York and A.Ananthalakshmi in Bangalore; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)