MULTIVAC, through its subsidiary Multivac Bulgaria Production, developed a new production facility near Sofia, Bulgaria, for manufacturing parts and components for its packaging machinery products. Image: courtesy of MULTIVAC.
Multivac is one of the world leaders in thermoforming packaging solutions. Image: courtesy of MULTIVAC.
The T800 high-performance traysealer for packaging large batches is one of MULTIVAC’s packaging machinery offerings. Image: courtesy of MULTIVAC.

MULTIVAC Bulgaria Production (MBP) developed a new parts and components production facility near Sofia, Bulgaria, for MULTIVAC’s packaging machines. The company is the Bulgarian subsidiary of German packaging solutions provider MULTIVAC.

The new facility’s ground-breaking ceremony took place in September 2016 and was opened in June 2018.

With an estimated total investment of €18.8m ($20.08m), the new production facility has created approximately 150 jobs. The project development was supported by the local municipality, as well as other agencies.

Make-up of MULTIVAC Bulgaria Production’s new facility

The new production site is located developed in the western outskirts of Sofia on a 20,000m² site within the Sofia-Bozhurishte Economic Zone. It enables MULTIVAC to provide customers with first-rate product parts, in addition to service.

Its production complex comprises a manufacturing building, a warehouse and logistics base, as well as a centre for vocational education. The total area of the plant is 6,500m², including logistics and administration facilities.

The facility currently provides space for shared IT services and strategic sourcing, with a prospect to add research and development (R&D) department in the future.

Key players involved with the packaging machinery parts and components facility

National Company Industry Zones and the Bulgarian Investment Agency provided the necessary support for the development of the new MULTIVAC Bulgaria production facility by providing eligible investment incentives.

Bulgarian company MIKS-Construction was awarded the construction contract for the plant, while IPS Group was appointed as the project manager.

MULTIVAC’s products portfolio

MULTIVAC Group’s packaging machinery portfolio includes a wide range of thermoforming packaging and vacuum chamber machines, tray sealers, automation solution, films and consumable materials, and shrinking and drying units.

The company offers different series of thermoforming packaging machines for processing flexible and rigid films, as well as aluminium and other packaging materials.

Machines in the vacuum chamber product class consist of table-top and freestanding units, which are used for packing film pouches and smaller products respectively. The company is manufacturing double-chamber machines and belted-chamber machines for packing larger products.

“The total area of the plant is 6,500m², including logistics and administration facilities.”

MULTIVAC’s vacuum chambers can be easily operated either as a stand-alone machine or can be included within an automated packaging line.

The MULTIVAC automation system provides in-depth solutions for packaging and automation tasks, from a single process step to a complete solution.

Marketing commentary on MULTIVAC

MULTIVAC is one of the leading packaging solutions providers for food products, life science products, healthcare products and industrial items. The company’s portfolio is made up of products designed to meet customers’ requirements in the areas of packaging design, output and resource efficiency.

Headquartered in Wolfertschwenden (Allgäu), Germany, MULTIVAC employs approximately 4,850 members worldwide. The company currently operates another production and technical service facility in Bulgaria with 35 employees.

MULTIVAC’s first product vacuum chamber machine, which packed foodstuffs in film pouches, was introduced by its founder Sepp Haggenmüller in 1961. The company manufactured its first thermoforming packaging machine in 1967 and the first semi-automatic tray-sealer in 1984.

It developed the semi-automatic tray sealer for packing foodstuffs into ready-made trays in 1984 and automatic tray sealers in 1994.