Business with a cause: the sole nitrile-glove manufacturer in Europe

From left to right Anton Petrov, Georgi Petkov and Dimitar Stamov

Business with a cause: the sole nitrile-glove manufacturer in Europe

Who are the people behind PPS Manufacturing and what are their beliefs

From left to right Anton Petrov, Georgi Petkov and Dimitar Stamov


The concept of PPS Manufacturing originated spontaneously in 2020, at the beginning of the Covid-crisis. The Ministry of Economy, acting on behalf of the state, started seeking any kind of support from various renowned people.

"At that point the three of us - Dimitar Stamov, Anton Petrov and I, decided to open the first nitrile-glove factory in Europe, which would help our country and the Europeans to reduce their dependence on Asian manufacturers and gain access to reliable and affordable protective equipment" Georgi Petkov recalls.

Besides the conviction that they complement each other and the courage to start production from scratch, they were also united by the belief that businesses should create added value - for the economy, the customers, the employees and the entire community where they operate.

"Even before developing the business plan of the new production and making the relevant calculations, we wrote down the values we believed in and which we wanted to implement in our future work. Many companies do it only for the purpose of publishing it on their corporate website, but we consider it the solid foundation on which we stepped and started building our business", says Georgi Petkov.

According to Dimitar Stamov, the focus on the development and taking every opportunity for improvement and gaining new knowledge stands on top of their corporate code, followed by the common goal - to have fun while working in an informal and friendly environment, to be responsible and to build trust through respect and responsible attitude. "Let's celebrate and recognize our successes. Let's help each other and always be available to assist our colleagues, partners and customers. Then, last but not least, let's be efficient and not put out the fire with champagne," Stamov adds to the list.

"Perhaps they sound a bit naive, but these seemingly simple rules are a wonderful compass for our true essence and the way of work we believe in," - this is how Anton Petrov explains their understanding of how the company needs to function.

pLOVEdiv

They are also united by the understanding that Plovdiv is the best city to live in the world and by the desire to be part of its future development.

"Each of us has lived and worked at different locations around the globe, but we all believe that there is no better place than Plovdiv. We want to be part of this ecosystem. Coincidentally, this is also the Bulgarian city enjoying fastest industrial growth. However, this was certainly not the determining factor for choosing the location of the production", says Anton Petrov.

Beyond a healthy dose of local chauvinism, the proximity to an international airport and relatively quick access to a sea port are also among the advantages of the location.

Like-minded people, not employees

To the question of whether they are experiencing difficulties finding employees, Georgi Petkov responds with a smile, followed by the categorical "yes, naturally, but this is not an unsolvable issue".

He believes that there are no specialists in the production of nitrile gloves in Bulgaria, so they "imported" qualified engineers from Malaysia.

"Everyone wants to have ready-made specialists, waiting for a job in a neat queue, but there are none. Businesses just have to accept that they have to invest in people and their qualifications.

Those who have long-term intentions, will also enjoy long-term dividends. We don't want people to come to us because they simply need a job, we want them to quit their current jobs because they prefer to work for us, because we offer them a good work environment and a clear development perspective and we believe in them and their potential".

Georgi Petkov



Founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of PPS Manufacturing AD. Before that, he was the CEO of the Bulgarian subsidiary of the Czech company BTL - "BTL Industries", producing medical equipment for physiotherapy, cardiology and aesthetics. Petkov has spent most of his professional career with the company and rose to his current position in 2011, after joining BTL in 2004 at the position of Logistics Manager. While working for the company he was responsible for the opening of two production bases in the country and the development of their R&D center for certification and development of new products. He also participated in the opening of a production plant in China. Since 2021, he is also the general manager of the new business project PPS Manufacturing.

Eng. Anton Petrov



Founder and Executive Manager of PPS Manufacturing AD. He participated in the construction of some of the largest production enterprises in Bulgaria. Before taking on the task of managing and coordinating the construction and production management of PPS Manufacturing, he was part of the management team that performed the construction of the logistics base of BTL Industries and the factory for automotive components of "Kostal" in Pazardzhik. His professional CV also includes the transfer of production lines from China, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Norway and England. Building a chain of suppliers in Europe. Project management for the construction of ABB logistics flows in China, resulting in a 33% reduction in delivery time. Dimitar Stamov



Founder and Member of the Board of Directors, responsible for building the sales and marketing team of PPS Manufacturing AD. Prior to that, he held the same position at the international medical equipment production company BTL Industries, achieving 100% revenue growth within three years. Some of his accomplishments include the establishment of the marketing strategy and the development of the team, as well as the establishment of a department for clinical trials of their new products. He also has experience as a marketing and product manager at a thermal optics company.

The concept of PPS Manufacturing originated spontaneously in 2020, at the beginning of the Covid-crisis. The Ministry of Economy, acting on behalf of the state, started seeking any kind of support from various renowned people.

"At that point the three of us - Dimitar Stamov, Anton Petrov and I, decided to open the first nitrile-glove factory in Europe, which would help our country and the Europeans to reduce their dependence on Asian manufacturers and gain access to reliable and affordable protective equipment" Georgi Petkov recalls.

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