On October 8-10, 2013 The Automotive Cluster Bulgaria organizes an International Automotive Conference in Sofia, Bulgaria. The program includes two days of sessions and panel discussions and one day is reserved for plant visits.
Among the confirmed key speakers are members of the senior management of Daimler, BMW, Litex Motors/Great Wall Motors, Johnson Controls, Grammer, Festo, Würth Elektronik, IMI Electronics, Etem, BOSCH, BASF and others.
ACB expects 250-300 top managers of the leading automotive companies in Europe and Asia. Invitation will be sent to over 3,000 senior managers in the sector. Partners of the conference will be the German Embassy in Sofia, German-Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce as well as international and local media. This event will be announced in the bulletin of the prestigious Association of Automotive Industry Germany (VDA) and will be under the patronage of the President of Republic of Bulgaria, who will open it. Many Bulgarian ministers will take part in the panel discussions.
The conference will take place at Sofia Event Center where 360-degree and 3D-Mapping presentations will be performed. During the event the latest Mercedes-Benz S-class, as well as the latest Hyundai and Great Wall models will be shown.
The official language of the conference will be English. It will include the following topics:
- OEMs strategies across Europe.
Top-level Managers of OEMs and Tier 1 will highlight the importance of the Tier 2 and Tier 3 presence in Eastern Europe. - Automotives – One of the World Leading Engines of Innovation.
Innovation Leaders in the automotive industry will report on their experiences. The EU project DanubeMotor will be presented: a joint technology transfer initiative of the countries bordering the Danube river. Core team: Fraunhofer IPA/Stuttgart, Automotive Cluster Bulgaria, Landesnetzwerk Mechatronik Baden-Württemberg, Automotivest cluster Romania, Moravian-Silesian Automotive Cluster Czech Republic, Imacos Truckenmüller & Company GmbH. - Operation of Production & Sales Facilities in SEE.
Members of the Automotive Cluster Bulgaria will report on their experiences in Bulgaria regarding:
- development and production of automotive parts
- setting-up sales and service features
The ACB members who have facilities across Eastern Europe will point out the advantages of Bulgaria over other SEE countries. - The future of the automotive industry in Bulgaria (panel discussions)
- Auto Park Bulgaria (APB):
Set-up of a large industrial park similar to Auto Park Kaluga in Russia, which will significantly change the position of Bulgaria as an automotive investment location. A project sponsored and supported by private investors and the government of Bulgaria; funding opportunity within EU Strategy for the Danube Region.
- Why Automotives invest in Bulgaria:
Members of the ACB and leading automotive investors will report on their experiences.
- Production of E-Vehicles and E-Mobility in Bulgaria
BYD, the world’s largest electric bus manufacturer, is invited to report on their investment in Bulgaria
The Automotive Cluster Bulgaria (www.automotive.bg) currently boasts 22 nationally and internationally renowned member companies which employ 6,000 people in Bulgaria and 300,000 worldwide. The cluster represents the interests of automotive manufacturers and suppliers in Bulgaria and enhances their competitiveness. The ACB vision is to establish an automotive industry in Bulgaria which could be realized within the project Auto Park Bulgaria. According to the Bulgarian government the automotive industry is one of the leading industrial sectors which can contribute to the country promotion.