On 18 June, ABB opened a new factory for the manufacture of low- and medium-voltage products in Bulgaria in the presence of Bulgarian President Rossen Plewneliew and other high-ranking representatives from politics and industry. The ASJ/STOTZ promotion truck was also at the opening to professionally present the portfolio of low- and medium-voltage products. The new production facility is located in Rakovski, approximately 25 kilometres northeast of Bulgaria's second-largest city, Plovdiv, and will create around 600 jobs when fully operational. ABB is investing 23 million dollars in expanding its production capacity to meet growing demand in Europe and Asia. "ABB's latest investment here in Plovdiv once again confirms that ABB is committed to its production site in Bulgaria and believes in the high potential of its employees," says Ekkehard Neureither, Country Manager at ABB in Bulgaria. "At the same time, we are delighted to be transferring state-of-the-art technological expertise and creating new jobs in the country." The new factory, covering an area of around 15,000 square metres, is ABB's second major investment in the Plovdiv region. The first greenfield factory for the manufacture of low-voltage products was built in 2009 and employs more than 1,000 people. Other Bulgarian manufacturing sites are located in Petrich for low-voltage products, in Sevlievo for high-voltage products and transformers, and a turbocharger service station in Varna.