The event took place on 25.03.2017, hosted by Galaxy Investment Group, and was abundant with useful information on the expansion of the industrial production in the region.
The purpose of the event was to introduce representatives of the business from the whole of Bulgaria, to the advantages of Plovdiv and the region, as preferred location for growing number of industrial investors. Topic of discussions were the difficulties and the challenges of the industrial productions, but also the benefits and the positives reported by the companies after the construction/expansion of their production facilities in Plovdiv.

The informal networking event, followed by a cocktail party, was attended by 120 representatives of member-companies from Plovdiv and the country, including EVN, ABB, Devnya Cement, DB Schenker, Kemmler Electronic, Agromil Bulgaria, Filcab, Oskar Rüegg Bulgaria and many others.

The meeting was opened by Dr Mitko Vasilev, CEO of GBCIC, Dr Mariana Cholakova, representative of GBCIC in Plovdiv, Mr. Stefan Stoyanov, Deputy Mayor of Plovdiv and Mr. Martin Dragoev, Investment and Sales Director at Galaxy Investment Group. Moderator of the meeting was Mrs. Lidiya Shuleva, Chair of the Specialized Industry Commission of GBCIC.

The objective of the open discussion was to inform the participants how Plovdiv managed to become one of the most significant industrial centers not only in Bulgaria, but also in the Southeastern Europe.

During the last years, the city has been giving some of the best examples in the country of how to develop sustainable economy. According to the data provided by Plovdiv Municipality, half of the local economy is concentrated in the industrial production.

Deputy Mayor Stefan Stoyanov also confirmed, that the industrial zones near Plovdiv offer excellent conditions for business and good tax preferences. The average salary growth is steady, and the region successfully attracts industries with higher added value and technological companies from Europe and the whole world.

The shortage of qualified personnel, as a challenge, and in a sense limitation for the business in Plovdiv, the construction of the necessary infrastructure and the relations and interaction with the institutions, were among the main topics of discussion.

Georgi Stoev from Industry Watch Bulgaria emphasized that he does not believe in the shortage of personnel on the market – according to him, after certain levels of pay are reached, this shortage will be quickly resolved. Stoev also commented that Plovdiv has the fastest growing price of labor among the big cities in the country: about 8% annually.

Zlatan Kitanov, Executive Director of Würth Elektronik, stated that the main challenge for his company is finding personnel with technical and management skills and qualification, as well as unqualified staff.

Krasen Krastev, Executive Director of Mecalit Bulgaria, touched on the problem that the young people lack even theoretical experience, and those with real practical knowledge are not more than 1-2% of all job applicants.

Kiril Hristov, Executive Director of Yuri Gagarin AD, agreed with Georgi Kostov from Industry Watch, that the problem is not exactly the lack of workers, but the existing working conditions and the finding of the relevant specialists, and confirmed that his company envisions 8% increase of the remunerations for this year.

Martin Dragoev from Galaxy Investment Group commented on the industrial zones, which allow the investors to set up their production in the region in an easy and unencumbered way. Dragoev presented a new project – Industrial Park Markovo, which will develop Plovdiv southwards. The project gives opportunity to the potential investors to buy land plots, which are accessible by road, have infrastructure and are at stage, which allows immediate investment.