23.12.2022
"ODELLO BULGARIA": WE PLAN TO HAVE OUR TEAM IN BULGARIA REACH 600 PEOPLE IN 2023
The Turkish Odelo, part of the Bayraktarlar holding, already has a second operating plant in our country. After the manufacturer of headlights for automotive giants such as Mercedes, BMW and Audi put into operation its first base near Plovdiv in 2019, at the beginning of this year a new factory started operations. It separates the production of automotive parts for new cars, which remains in the first factory, from the production of spare parts, which is realized in the second.
The total number of employees in "Odelo Bulgaria" already exceeds 500 people, and 50 people are currently employed in the new base. The plans are to add another 100 people to this team by the end of next year. The company also has a development center in Sofia, which currently employs about 50 people. For 2023, the goal of the lighthouse manufacturer is to reach a total of 600 people employed in all locations.
The company's main customers are Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Dacia, as well as Porsche and Rolls-Royce.
What are Odelo Bulgaria's plans, how many and what type of specialists it plans to hire, how the company sees the future of the automotive industry in Bulgaria - these and other questions were commented by Dimo Nikolov, Human Resources Manager.
Mr. Nikolov, have you officially opened your new plant near Plovdiv yet?
We have not officially opened, as this is a continuation of our current investment anyway. The plant has been operating since the beginning of this year, with the main idea being the separation of the two parts of the business – serial production and production of spare parts. Projects start their life in the first plant. After the period of serial production of cars, which is about 2 years, the project goes to the factory for spare parts. Each of the customers of the current brands we work for, subsequently buying for any reason a part to replace on their vehicle, will have the full guarantee that it is an absolutely analogous product to the one that was in the vehicle when it was purchased as new. Of course, we have other projects that are quite years old, but fortunately, in this part of Europe where we operate - the Balkans, the 3 big German manufacturers BMW, Audi and Mercedes are quite popular and the cars have quite a long history life.
Are they your primary customers?
They are our main customers at the moment in the aftermarket, plus quite a few more exotic brands like Porsche and Rolls-Royce, but the volumes there are much smaller.
Otherwise, in the factory for serial production, in addition to Daimler, we are currently also producing for Dacia from the Renault group. These are still new projects that have not passed for spare parts.
What is the investment in the new plant?
The investment is again quite serious, almost the same as for the first plant, as it has a very large logistics base, with an office part. The total investment is about BGN 50 million. Of course, it is not a one-off, but ongoing. But the investment that is related to buildings, land and infrastructure is in this order.
How many people will be employed in the new plant? And how common are your employees right now?
Odelo Bulgaria recently appointed its 500th employee. This is the number in the factory for serial production and for spare parts plus the development center in Sofia. It is difficult for me to say in the new production that we have started, how many people will work, because to a large extent the work in it is also supported by the factory, which is for serial production, i.e. departments like "Maintenance", "Logistics" , even purely operational departments such as New Projects, are responsible for both plants. But in terms of pure production, the direct staff is currently around 50 people. This is just the beginning. For next year, we plan to add at least 100 more people to this team. Our plan for 2023 is for the odelo Bulgaria team in all locations to reach 600 people. And so let's continue to add 100 people for the next few years. We are deliberately making a smoother growth, as the automotive industry is both rapidly developing in Bulgaria, and there are quite a few staff. So for next year we are mainly focused on team building and training.
We created an odelo academy in Plovdiv, which continues to create middle and higher level managers. Most people who hold any kind of management position with us come from within. We try to build the teams and train people in what they will actually need in the future on the job.
How do you see the potential and challenges of the automotive industry in Bulgaria?
The infrastructure in Bulgaria is already ready for a large car manufacturer, as we lost a few years ago in the face of Volkswagen. But I already think we are ready and very soon it will happen. I believe that in the next 5 years such a car manufacturer will come to Bulgaria. Who will he be? I have some ideas, but everything is still in preliminary discussions.
How would this affect subcontractors like you?
From the HR director's point of view, it will not affect well as there will be a displacement in the labor market. But surely the effect will be good. The automotive industry developed very dynamically in Bulgaria. Many universities have already responded and started training personnel for the industry.
The other part of the automotive industry that it cannot do without is development. It also "exploded" in the last few years, especially here in Sofia. There are large development centers. Against this background, ours is still a bit more boutique, with a staff of around 50 people. But in reality, when one sees a new Mercedes on the street, the lights on it are designed and manufactured here in Bulgaria. This is the most important part of the business, because we are not just one producer of ishleme, as some Bulgarian companies were in the past. The added value is really very big.
That's why I say we're almost done. Because the automotive industry in Bulgaria produces lights, software, cables, seats, etc. So very soon this will happen.
