PARA Report 2019: Bulgaria’s Success Stories in Robotics and Automation
The Professional Association of Robotics and Automation 2019 (PARA) published its second annual report on Bulgaria’s success stories in robotics and automation. The report tracks the growth, investment and employment in the sector in Bulgaria and illustrates the development of industrial robots, robots in the services industry, as well as projects in the area of education. Festo, ABB, Coca-Cola, Zühlke Electronics, Ocado are just some of the good examples mentioned in the report along with many Bulgarian projects.
The PARA Report 2019 also includes:
- – an overview of the highlights from the largest robotics forum in Bulgaria – Robotics Strategy Forum 2019;
- – expert comments on the development of the sector and its key developments
- – highlights of the Association’s activities and its growing network of partners, including Sofia Investment Agency.
The two pages dedicated to the Agency’s activities offer an overview of our work on the Digital Transformation Strategy for Sofia, the creation of a new unit and the newly created position of Deputy Mayor in Sofia Municipality, responsible for the digitalization and innovation development of the city.
The Industry in Numbers
The sector’s revenues in 2019 added up to more than BGN 950 million. More than 5,000 people are employed in the industry. Twenty-four companies develop own products or services within robotics and automation. Apart from these companies, the Institute of Robotics “St. Ap. and Gospeller Matthew” at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences carries out serious development activities, and more than 30 academies, clubs of interest, specialised schools and private schools train students and high school students in the field of robotics.
Some of the Achievements in the Robotics and Automation Sector in Bulgaria:
- – In 2019, a humanoid robot was created in Bulgaria;
- – A robot assisting people with disabilities was honoured at the Central European Startup Awards (CESA)
- – Bulgarian companies created human tissue with a 3D bio-printer, an electric sports car with autonomous technology, and the first 3D car dashboard for serial production;
- – the fastest chocolate candy production line in the world was launched in 2019, among numerous other innovative developments in the field of robotics and automation.
Two smart factories are expected to open in Bulgaria (Schneider Electric Bulgaria and Ataro Clima Ltd.), while many international leaders like Festo Production, Coca-Cola HBC Bulgaria, Mondelez International and many others have already chosen Bulgaria as their preferred destination to deploy their most modern production lines and to expand the network of their development centres.
The report also draws attention to the launch of some key scientific infrastructure projects, such as the Centre for Excellence in Big Data and Artificial Intelligence (GATE) and the Center of Competence for Quantum Communication, Intelligent Security Systems and Risk Management, and points out that Sofia was selected as one of the eight EU’s cities to host supercomputer centres.
You can download the full report here.
For more information and latest news on robotics and automation in Bulgaria, you can follow the Facebook page of PARA.
