February 27 (SeeNews) - Glassware producer Pasabahce Bulgaria, part of Turkish glass manufacturing group Sisecam, is putting 28.5 million euro ($30 million) into an upgrade and capacity expansion of its factory in the city of Targovishte, northeastern Bulgaria, the innovation and growth ministry said.
The investment, comprising tangible and intangible assets, will automate and optimise the production process, including through new technical equipment, the innovation ministry said in a press release on Saturday.
The planned upgrade will increase production output, broaden the company's product offering and speed up the quality assurance process. Pasabahce Bulgaria is also planning to instal rooftop solar panels for self-use at the plant. As a support measure, it will receive government financing to build parts of the technical infrastructure.
Pasabahce Bulgaria makes float glass, glass packaging, glassware and glass fiber. It has an output capacity of up to 150,000 tonnes per year, with products made at the plant exported to Europe, the Americas and North Africa. Sisecam makes flat glass in Bulgaria through its unit Trakya Glass Bulgaria, also in Targovishte, car glass through Sisecam Automotive Bulgaria and also has soda ash production through Solvay Sodi in Devnya, a joint venture with Belgium's Solvay Group.
In Southeast Europe, the Sisecam group also operates plants in Turkey, Romania, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
($ = 0.9489 euro)