The fastest-growing unit of Germany's Festo in Bulgaria, the Technical Engineering Center, is expanding with a team in the city of Gabrovo after its first location in Sofia. The new office already has 14 engineers and plans to add 10 specialists by the end of next year. To do that, the Bulgarian subsidiary - Festo Production, will rely on graduates from Gabrovo Technical University.
Why Gabrovo
The driving force behind the opening of the new office was a group of engineers from the city, led by Krasimir Gichev, who is now head of the unit in Gabrovo. They used to work together for another German company in the city, developing servo drives - an area very close to Festo's line of business. When they learned that Festo Production was expanding in the R&D area and looking for a new engineering location outside Sofia, they contacted the company's HRs to see how they could collaborate. A meeting was promptly arranged.
"We spoke the same language with the people from Festo and worked on similar topics," Gichev told the Capital Weekly. Shortly after Festo decided to set up an office in Gabrovo, where the new team would be located. The search for a suitable place continued for nearly two years but since the beginning of February the center has been officially operational.
Responsibilities
The Gabrovo team is divided into several groups. "We have hardware engineers who design and test circuit boards," Gichev explained. Another group consists of software engineers who develop firmware for Festo's embedded systems, while still another group of specialists develops computer tools necessary for device maintenance. "We also have a colleague who deals with automation controllers, as well as quality assurance people who test the software we make," Gichev added.
The team in Gabrovo is focused on developing controllers for servo drives - both hardware and software - together with colleagues from Germany. "That is quite a specific area that is not covered by the engineering center in Sofia. In this way we add one more type of activity to the portfolio of products developed in Bulgaria, rather than just strengthen the team in Sofia," Gichev explained. The products that the engineers in Gabrovo develop are manufactured at Festo's factory in Sofia.
The new office has two laboratories: one for hardware that provides measurements related to the development process, and another one for testing industrial communications software. "This is not just an office but a space specialized for our needs. We also consider expansion so that more zones can be allocated for better performance of various activities," Gichev said.
The engineering center
Festo's Technical Engineering Center was established in Sofia in 2018. From 30 people back then, the staff grew to 120 by 2023 and the company plans to significantly expand the team in the coming years. The R&D center is responsible for the development of sensors, servo motors, PCBs, product software, robotics, cables and medical technology.
The Gabrovo office is located in a business building in the city center and currently occupies an area of 325 sq. m. The investment so far exceeds 220,000 levs (110,000 euro).
The fastest-growing unit of Germany's Festo in Bulgaria, the Technical Engineering Center, is expanding with a team in the city of Gabrovo after its first location in Sofia. The new office already has 14 engineers and plans to add 10 specialists by the end of next year. To do that, the Bulgarian subsidiary - Festo Production, will rely on graduates from Gabrovo Technical University.
