Investments worth half a billion leva are currently being realized near Plovdiv, within the Thrace Economic Zone. This was announced by the director of the industrial center, Eng. Plamen Panchev. He attended Rosen Karadimov’s visit, the Minister of Innovation and Growth to the newly built second production base of Schneider Electric between the ring road and the highway. The state government representative came to see first-hand how the government’s investment in infrastructure is being developed to meet the needs of the new factories in the area.
“To date, ten factories are being built—this does not happen anywhere, not only in Bulgaria but also in our part of Europe,” emphasized Plamen Panchev, who introduced the media to four of the new investors—representatives of Bulgarian, Chinese, and Japanese companies.
The Japanese investment in the packaging industry will take place on 56 acres. The company is currently working on a design for its base. Construction is scheduled to begin in about a year. The Chinese investment, on the other hand, is the first real one in the field of industry not only on the territory of the TEZ but of the whole country. Construction work is already underway there, and the production of auto parts will start soon.
The Bulgarian investment is in the company “Smart Power Grid.” The company is building a factory to produce electrical panels, transformers, etc. The investment is worth BGN 25 million, and an expansion of the production base is planned in a few years. The factory will employ 150 people.
“The state is investing BGN 7 million in public infrastructure for the needs of companies here in 2024 alone. This is very important to attract more and more high-value businesses. Infrastructure is needed because investors want to come here and start building immediately,” said Minister Rosen Karadimov. He said that the 10 new factories currently under construction would open up an additional 2,300 jobs.
DREAM FACTORY
The Dream Factory will be the second factory of top company Schneider Electric, which is currently being built not far from the first smart manufacturing base of the global leader in digital transformation. The company will invest more than €50 million only in equipment , and more than €15 million in the factory infrastructure and the base itself. The minimum investment in the next five years is expected to pass 70 million euros.
The factory will be spread over 8 acres, and a new road will pass by it. This road is currently being built with funds allocated from the national budget under the investment promotion law. The plant will be expanded to 20 acres by 2028—Schneider Electric’s operating production facility, for example, is 15 acres.
With all the investments over the years and our new factory, Plovdiv has become a strategic investment point for the company. What we are building now will be an industrial pearl not only for Bulgaria but also for Eastern Europe. This factory will be the Showcase Factory of the Trakia Economic Zone,” said Schneider Electric’s Smart Factory Director Martin Yordanov on site.
Source: https://podtepeto.com/
