Seven new projects are starting in Rakovski Industrial Zone

Construction City Magazine, Bulgaria
July 11-17, 2005

 

A commodity market place and a producers-market have been designed on an area of 86 000 square meters – says Nikolay Brankov, Manager of the Rakovski Industrial Zone

– Mr. Brankov, what balance could be done after the first year of starting of the Rakovski Industrial Zone?
Until last year (2004) in Bulgaria there was not any industrial zone which could fit to the requirements of the Bulgarian and foreign investors. Everybody who has decided to settle a production in Bulgaria had to walk alone on the entire way through its all stages. With the flexibility that we are developing and running the project, we consider that we can answer all specific requirements and needs of every particular investor and we can provide spaces, services and individual solution for every one.
I am being satisfied that in this first year we succeed to attract investors, which have a huge significance for the project and for the Municipality of Rakovski. Besides the projects that are running now, we are also designing some new ones.
At the Rakovski zone, every project is individual. As you know, the first investor at the zone was the UK Company - William Hughes with a factory for automotive parts, which already works on a three-shift regime.
Our biggest project is the Central logistic warehouse of Kaufland. It will distribute the stored production to the hypermarkets of the company.
The project is developing in stages, parallel with the hypermarket net, which is developing in different cities in Bulgaria. The first phase has an area of 10 000 square meters. The construction and works will finish before the end of 2005.

– What are the new projects in the zone?
In its initial stage is the projecting of a Bulgarian-German company Ivan-7 Ltd. The company develops production activity on the territory of the city of Plovdiv. Another Bulgarian company also plans to transfer its activities from the city of Plovdiv to the zone. That investor main activity is international transport. The purpose is to build a center for heavy-freight cars. The location of the Rakovski zone and the nearness to “Trakia” highway support the activities of the company.

A Czech company having a medical apparatuses production’s license will rent a now being under construction building. The production hall is about 700 square meters and it will be finished before the end of 2005.
We have just finished the design planning of two projects: “Commodity market place” and “Producers-market”.
These two markets are placed respectively - on 37 000 and 49 000 square meters. The part of the producer’s markets is particularly important for the establishing of a market strategy and standardization of the products. That is the main idea for building up a modern market and market place at the area of Rakovski Industrial Zone. The projects are worked out according to the requirements of the Bulgarian legislation and to the coming in European standards – HASPP and EurepGAP.
The Italian company International Bul Brokers Ltd. has large-scale investment intentions. They have bought a terrain of 70 000 square meters. They have a different vision for their investment. The main purpose is to develop an industrial logistic center, so the Italian companies could be able to transfer their production to Bulgaria as they could settle down temporarily or permanently and they could use logistic. The project includes construction of two different poly-component facilities with a build up area of approximately 30 000 square meters. The buildings are composed from about 10 components and each component takes place of approximately 1500 square meters. The accomplishment allows the combining and differentiation of every single premise. Soon the investment projecting will start and the preparation for commencement of construction.
Bulgarian-Italian Company B-Design Ltd holds a property with area of 7200 square meters. Their activity is production of furniture. They need a building, which will have built up area of about 3500 square meters. Until the end of 2005 the investment projecting must start.
We plan to build two more production facilities to lease. They will be developed on plots with an area of 10 000 square meters each. The purpose is these halls to be prepared with a high stage of completion and with a flexible individual approach to every investor. The total built up area of the halls will be about 8000 square meters.
The construction of the permanent agency of the Administration of the Zone has finished. We are also preparing the construction of a modern bus-station, a restaurant, a small hotel and a petrol station.
A Spanish company has just joined the project. They are planning to build a production hall with built up area of 7500 square meters. The producing will be connected mainly with assembling.
I would like to put an accent on the social effect of realization of the project – the development of the park is directly related  with opening of new jobs and engaging people mainly from the region which will raise the living standard of the population and the development of the human resources.

– What is the present situation with the development of the infrastructure
of the zone?
The infrastructural development is being executed into stages. At the first stage, we constructed a road segment with a length at about 1 km starting from the beginning of the road to Rakovski. Now we are working intensive on the interior part of the infrastructure to every single terrain and production plot.

On 21 June 2005 it was the ceremony with bestowing a special price for the realizing the first industrial zone in Bulgaria – Rakovski Industrial Zone – on the model of the Public-Private-Partnership. Personally, the Minister of finance Milen Velchev has rewarded Mr. Plamen Panchev co-owner of SIENIT Ltd. That award is a big honor for us. It is also an acknowledgement for the efforts and the work, which we have invested into that initiative. We have the assurance that the Government will support the project and finance the reconstruction of the road connecting the Rakovski Industrial Zone and the Trakia highway.

– Will the preferences for the investors be preserved in 2005?
The tax concessions will stay. The investors in Rakovski Industrial Zone use preferences regarding the Corporative tax law – 100 % exemption of the profit tax for all companies having production activities in regions with high level of unemployment. The main task is to settle the question witch stays in front of every Bulgarian and foreign investors – ensuring a suitable terrain with the possibility of building, a fully developed infrastructure and rapid terms of implementation of the projects. The location of the industrial zone is a big advantage – the zone it is close to the city of Plovdiv, the Airport and the Central Customs Office. Another very important one is the possibility for gasification of that industrial region.