Manufacturing
Industrial hotspot
In the past few years the local economy has transitioned from low- and mid-tech manufacturing to high-tech – attracting investments in sectors such as electronics, optics and optical equipment, medical equipment, aircraft and other machinery, etc.
The region is home to +200 multinational and Bulgarian enterprises that employ over 75 000 people.
Class A investment threshold:
For manufacturing - BGN 10 million;
For high-tech manufacturing – BGN 4 million.
Class A Investment Tresholds:
For manufacturing - BGN 10 million;
For high-tech manufacturing – BGN 4 million.
Industry sector data
1st
in the country by number of employees
37%
of the local GDP
Success stories
The well-developed business ecosystem has turned Plovdiv and the region into a natural magnet for companies in the manufacturing sector. In the last few years the City of Plovdiv, Trakia Economic Zone and the wider region have attracted numerous Class A investments worth over €600 000 000, with most of them amounting to over €20-30 million each.
In 2024:
- Milara International – over €20 million investment for electric vehicle manufacturing in February for a new facility that will help the company reach a production capacity of 10 000 units by mid-2024.
In 2023:
- ESCATEC – opened a facility for the production of high-tech electronics equipment;
- PENTAX Medical – €5 million for the expansion of their production capacity of disposable bronchoscopes;
- Amer Sports – investment of an unknown amount for the establishment of a new factory for ski equipment. Amer Sports is one of the world’s leading companies in the sector covering about 30% of ski production worldwide.
In 2022:
- Intuitive Surgical – €40 million investment for a new factory in the region which will increase the production capacity of 3D endoscopes, used globally in the Da Vinci Robotic Surgery System, which until now have been manufactured in Germany;
- Schneider Electric – €60 million investment for the expansion of their Smart Factory;
- Liebherr – €17 million for a third factory in Plovdiv that will assemble concrete trucks;
- Maxcom & Pierer Group – €60 million joint investment for a new e-bike manufacturing facility;
- Leader 96 – €50 million for a new e-bike facility.
In 2021:
- Profilink – €20 million new factory for aluminum profiles for window systems;
- Odelo – €7 million for a new neadlights manufacturing facility;
- BTL Industries – €10 million for a new medical equipment manufacturing facility – first Class A investment in the City of Plovdiv;
- Cupffee – innovative producer of biodegradable cups – investment for increasing the production capacity.
- KCM – €130 million to increase the production capacity of non-ferrous and precious metals;
- Sensata Technologies – €23 million new manufacturing facility;
- Latecoere – €2.5 million new factory for AirBus doors;
- Filkab – €9 million increasing production capacity;
- Odelo – €30 million for a new manufacturing facility.
Specialized industrial parks
One of the reasons for Plovdiv’s success in the manufacturing sector is the presence of specialized industrial zones, united under the public-private partnership Trakia Economic Zone (TEZ). TEZ is one of the biggest industry centers in Southeast Europe, where more than 200 local and international companies operate.
Thanks to its strategic location and excellent connectivity, the region has aslo established itself as a leading transport and logistics center with some of the biggest European logistics companies operating here.
German giant Kaufland chose Plovdiv for its largest logistics center in Southeast Europe and has invested in expansions numerous times.
