ABB in Bulgaria has been awarded the "Investor of the year 2013" award by the "InvestBulgaria Agency."

The award was given in recognition of its outstanding activity and accomplishments in the country over the year 2013.

Beyond ABB's successful achievements in the renewable energy field in Bulgaria, the year 2013 had a special significance to the company also due to the construction of its second production unit located in the Plovdiv area and representing the second major investment by the ABB Group in Rakovski. The facility has a total area of about 15,000 square meters and the factory will act as an internal ABB supplier. When fully operational, it will employ around 600 people. Nowadays ABB employs more than 1000 people in the Plovdiv area.

"It is a great honor for us to be awarded as "Investor of the year" for the second time in Bulgaria. This prize underscores ABB's continuous commitment to the country where it operates, by offering not only power and productivity and international expertise, but also a significant number of new working places." – said Ekkehard Neureither, Country manager of ABB in Bulgaria.

The "Investor of the year" contest, organized yearly by the InvestBulgaria Agency (IBA) is a competition that aims at distinguishing the most significant investment projects accomplished in Bulgaria. The prizes are granted to companies which have taken significant steps in their development through sustainable and effective investments, which have contributed to the development of the economy through the creation of new jobs and to the stimulation of economic growth, while adhering to high standards of corporate and social responsibility.

ABB has also been recently awarded the 2013 German Economics award in Bulgaria for the company's continuous development of its production activities in the country. This is the second time when ABB receives this accolade in Bulgaria.

ABB operates in Bulgaria under a single company with a head office in Sofia and offices & branches in five locations. The ABB production units in the country are located in Petrich, for Low Voltage Products, in Sevlievo for High Voltage Products and Transformers and in Rakovski for Low and Medium Voltage Products. The company has also a Turbocharger Service Station in Varna, as well as Shared Accounting and an HR Center in Rakovski. ABB employs over 1,500 people in Bulgaria.

ABB (www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve their performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 150,000 people.