The Metallurgical Industry celebrated its traditional "Day of Metallurgist" at Aurubis Bulgaria

"Bulgaria is producing 16% of the anodic copper, 8% of the refined copper, 6% of the lead and 4% of the zinc produced in the EU," said Mr. Anton Petrov, Chairman of the BAMI Management Board. The Bulgarian metallurgical industry provided the past year production worth BGN 9.6 billion and contributed to 15.4% of total Bulgarian export. Directly employed in the sector are 13 400 people. The average salary in the ferrous metallurgy is BGN 1 440 and in the non-ferrous – BGN 1 780. The value added per one employee produced by the non-ferrous industry is 5 times higher than the average for the processing industry.

This year the celebration of the Day of Metallurgist was hosted by Aurubis Bulgaria. The occasion is 60 years since the establishment of the copper plant in Pirop and the announcement of the company's new investment program for Bulgaria.

 "The data on the copper production as results of the so far invested BGN 1.2 billion are impressive", said Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Tomislav Donchev during the event. "The most valuable support the state could provide is the education and the “production” of good engineers," he added.

Over the next four years Aurubis will invest in Bulgaria another BGN 260 million, entirely funded by the company. "Our new investments are focused on three main areas: modernization of the plant's infrastructure, new installations for more efficient extraction from raw materials using technologies developed by our R&D team, and new input in environment protection," said Mr. Tim Kurth - Executive Director of the company in Bulgaria while presenting the investment program “AURUBIS Bulgaria 2022”. The company is realizing 9% of the exports and 6% of the imports of the country and has a structurally determining role for the Bulgarian economy.

Among the guests to celebrate the Day of Metallurgist were Mr. Tomislav Donchev - Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Labor – Mr. Bisser Petkov, Mr. Jürgen Schahler - CEO of the Germany-based Aurubis Group, ambassadors, MPs, leaders of all companies in the metallurgical sector, mining and chemical industry, veterans of the copper processing plant in Pirdop, the nationally represented employers' organizations and trade unions.

In the spirit of good partnership and support for the education, according to the tradition students from the UCTM and the TU, Sofia were awarded with diplomas and cash prizes for their educational and practical achievements.

During the event, a film produced by the team of Ms. Desislava Tenekedzhieva was presented about the 60-year history of the copper plant, as well as the book "The Copper Heart of Bulgaria - from MGK "Georgi Damianov to Aurubis Bulgaria, 1958-2018 ".

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