site.btaJapanese Company Invests BGN 60-Plus Mln in Packaging Plant in Trakia Economic Zone

A Japanese compan. Tri-Wall Bulgaria, is one of the newest investors in the Trakia Economic Zone (TEZ). Representatives of the company officially announced their investment Wednesday during a visit by Innovation and Growth Minister Rosen Karadimov.

Last month, they purchased a 56,000-square-meter plot of land on which they will build a production facility for paper and cardboard packaging. "We are currently at the design stage. We plan to complete the project and start operation by mid-2026. We trust our partners and thank the team of the Trakia Economic Zone," the company's representatives said. The TEZ specified that the company plans to invest over BGN 60 million  and has applied for a class "A" investor.

During the meeting with Minister Karadimov the projects of Schneider Electric Bulgaria Ltd. were presented by the company's manager Martin Yordanov. The investment in the plant itself is around EUR 15 million. The state has undoubtedly intervened very seriously in this project. Generally, I believe that within the next 5 years there is a great opportunity to reach a total investment of over EUR 70 million. The first step of our plant is 8,000 sq m of built-up area, and the plan is to eventually increase this to 20,000 sq m. When we add our current plant, which is within 15,000 sq m, the capacity really becomes much larger and Plovdiv becomes a strategic unit in Europe. The aim of this plant is to be the jewel of industrial Bulgaria and South East Europe," said Yordanov.

He added that finding talent and retaining the right people is undoubtedly a challenge, but that does not stop Schneider Electric from investing. "The reason is that we have created a very good sustainable model again in cooperation with the Trakia Economic Zone, with universities, with schools, etc. Personally, we are not worried about the minimum wage increase. Certainly the wages at Schneider Electric are much higher than the minimum wage," added Martin Yordanov.

The meeting was also attended by representatives of the Chinese company ZS Europe and the Bulgarian Smart Power Grid. The Chinese investors, who are building a high-tech plant for aluminium parts with wide application in the automotive and automotive industry, thanked the Bulgarian institutions for their support. They said that the construction of the production facility is on track and assured that the project will be completed within the planned timeframe.

The Bulgarian company Smart Power Grid announced that the planned investment amounts to about BGN 25 million. They started building here in February. They produce transformer substations, electrical panels, complete switchgear for medium and low voltage. Their investment is in the range of BGN 25 million and they are planning to expand later, said company officials, adding that their company will create about 150 new jobs.