Schneider Electric Bulgaria breaks ground for 55 mln euro plant

The plant will assemble, test and pack automatic circuit breakers and other low-voltage electrical products, Schneider Electric Bulgaria said in a press release. The project is expected to create 110 new jobs, the innovation ministry said in a separate statement.

"As a first step, we are starting with a factory of 8,300 decares. The area here, purchased by Schneider Electric Bulgaria, is 100 decares, with the aim of growing to the maximum extent in the next ten years," the director of Schneider Electric's existing smart factory in Plovdiv, Martin Yordanov said.

Schneider Electric will automate the building management and production processes at the plant, while also implementing an energy management and renewable energy sources system connected to the building through the company's digital energy management solutions.

Local civil engineering company IPS Bulgaria, which worked on Schneider Electric's other smart factory in Plovdiv, designed the new plant. Construction will be carried out by Glavbolgarstroy.

Looking ahead, Schneider Electric plans to expand its product portfolio and the markets it serves, Yordanov noted.

In December, Schneider Electric Bulgaria, part of French energy management and automation corporation Schneider Electric, unveiled a 1.8 million euro geothermal heating and cooling system at its existing factory.

(1 euro = 1.95583 levs)