The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has offered a €25m loan to Bulgarian copper producer Sofia Med to expand capacity for higher value-added products.
Image: EBRD offers €25m loan to Bulgarian copper producer Sofia Med. Photo courtesy of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
Several commercial banks are extending parallel financing as part of a €85m long-term joint financing package.
Sofia Med manufactures rolled and extruded copper and copper alloy products such as sheets, strips, plates, circles, disks, bare and plated copper bus bars, rods, profiles, components, and wire that are used in a wide variety of building and industrial applications.
Over 95% of its production is exported, with European Union markets accounting for over 70% of sales.
Driven by global client demand the company plans to develop new, higher value-added products and will partly use the EBRD’s loan to invest in a new research and development unit. It also aims to join forces with a technology leader in the field of special alloys to adopt their know-how.
The EBRD has been financing Sofia Med since 2012. Enhancing the competitiveness of successful Bulgarian companies through improved efficiency, governance and innovation, is a priority for the Bank in Bulgaria.
To date, the EBRD has invested nearly €3.9bn into various sectors of Bulgaria’s economy in about 250 projects.
Source: Company Press Release