Success stories from Sofia’s business scene
The Cyprus company Loulis Mills has turned the first shovel of soil for its new mill production plant in the Sofia-Bozhurishte Economic Zone. The investment amounts to BGN 18 million and will create nearly 50 new jobs. The building will include premises for raw materials storage, a building for loading bulk flour, and an office area. The investment is expected to encourage Bulgarian export of flour production.
Bulgarian telecom operator Neterra has also started building a new facility. The building for its second data center – “Sofia Data Center 2” (SDC-2) is already under construction next to the first building of the company near the metro station “Mladost 1” and Sofia Airport. The data center will cover 1,400 square meters on four levels and be equipped with the latest generation of energy-efficient air conditioning systems to ensure lower electricity costs of the systems and an optimized price for customers. SDC-2 will provide a rich portfolio of telecommunications services with round-the-clock support. Sofia-based Neterra is an independent telecom operator for standard and complex services and projects in Europe with over 20 years of experience. The company maintains a portfolio of integrated global communication solutions based on the latest technologies for optical, IP and satellite connectivity. These include VPN and data networks, Internet access, construction and maintenance of satellites and more.
For the last year, DHL Express Bulgaria has expanded the number of its employees in Sofia from 400 to 450 people due to the increased volumes of shipments for processing. In Bulgaria, the company recorded double-digit growth in international deliveries. In 2018, DHL built its large logistics center near Sofia Airport through an investment of EUR 10 million. Over 10,000 square meters house a high-tech sorting system with a capacity of 3,000 shipments per hour, production lines and equipment for reading barcodes, checking weight and size, X-ray scanning of shipments, and more.
The Sofia office of Milestone Systems is also increasing its team with more R&D experts. The Danish company is an international leader in the production of IP-based video surveillance software. Due to the growing demand for Milestone products, the sales team for the Bulgarian market, CEE and Russia has increased since last year. The current company also plans to expand the research and development department by about 20 people. Currently, more than 160 employees are part of Milestone Systems in Sofia. The R&D center in Sofia is the second largest one for the company, with over 20 other centers in Europe, Asia, Australia, and America.
Techtopia – the technological unit of the Sofia-based Walltopia group, has developed a new product for video surveillance in sports climbing halls based on artificial intelligence. The software detects the movement of a person approaching the wall, monitors and analyzes his actions by observing multiple points on the body, and activates an alarm in case of risk to health and life. The AI development of the capital company is gaining more further popularity, and international thematic media wrote about the innovation. Walltopia has designed, manufactured, and installed over 1,800 facilities in more than 75 countries on six continents. Among the company’s clients are global leaders such as National Geographic, DreamWorks, and Cirque du Soleil.
The nanosatellite company EnduroSat received third consecutive support from the Neo Ventures fund. The new investment amounts to EUR 2 million. EnduroSat was founded in 2015 and is developing low orbit nanosatellites. With the funds, the company will attract more specialists to its team and invest in new laboratories to manufacture and test satellite systems.
Source: Sofia Investment Agency
