Bulgaria has all the prerequisites to become a regional centre for development activity and innovation. This was stated by the Minister of Economy and Industry, Peter Dilov, who took part in an official ceremony announcing the expansion of the Technical Engineering Centre in Sofia of the leader in automation and innovation, the German company Festo.
The Technical Engineering Centre in Bulgaria is the largest research and development centre of the group outside Germany. The company’s new investment in our country includes the expansion of high-tech industrial laboratories in the capital, and the expectations are that the number of expert engineering staff will grow from 170 in 2024 to 300 employees at the Engineering Centre by the end of this year.
Minister Dilov emphasised that our country has talented engineers and sufficient expertise. According to him, sustainable business development can be achieved in Bulgaria, along with synergies and partnerships for the advancement of high technologies.
“The fact that a global leader in automation and innovation is expanding its Technical Engineering Centre here is recognition that investments in talent, research and development centres, and innovation are increasingly turning Bulgaria into an innovation and technology hub in the region,” the Minister of Economy pointed out.
The official inauguration of the expansion is part of the programme marking the 100th anniversary of the German group. The Technical Engineering Centre, established in 2019, employs engineers who hold product responsibility for key devices. It conducts functional and communication tests, as well as trials on high-tech products for electrical automation, pneumatic supply and control, electromagnetic compatibility, and more.
Festo Bulgaria, part of the German concern Festo, is one of the large companies in the field of industrial automation, which has been developing production and R&D activities in Bulgaria for almost 40 years. The product range includes automation controllers, fluid sensors, proportional valves, servomotors and specialised electronic and fluid modules for the medical industry – in total, over 4,300 types of products. The company employs more than 1,000 staff across three locations – in Sofia, Smolyan and Gabrovo, and produces over 10 million products annually.
The official ceremony was also attended by Kalin Dobrev, Manager of Festo Bulgaria, the Ambassador of Germany to our country, Her Excellency Irene Maria Plank, the Executive Director of the Bulgarian Investment Agency, Mila Nenova, the Managing Director of the German-Bulgarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Sonia Miklay, representatives of the Festo Group from Germany, and others.