The National Contest ‘Innovative Enterprise of the Year’ was organised for the eighth consecutive year by ARC Fund as coordinator of the Enterprise Europe Network – Bulgaria , in partnership with the Ministry of Economy, Energy and Tourism.
President of Bulgaria, Mr. Rosen Plevneliev, bestowed honorary statuettes for “Market Leadership” to Walltopia Ltd and of House Group Ltd on 18 December 2012 in the frame of the Eighth National Innovation Forum.
This year participants in the National Contest were nominated in six areas according to the impact of their innovations:
Area “Market Leadership”
Walltopia Ltd
Established in 1996 Walltopia is now global leader in manufacturing of climbing walls and holds. The founders are two young climbers – Ivaylo Penchev and Metin Musov, and this largely explains the company’s fast growth. Now the company has the world biggest factory for climbing walls with 300 employed in the town of Letnitsa as well as trade intermediaries in 23 countries.
In the contest they take part with two products of global novelty – “Self-transforming climbing walls” series and special flooring for climbing centers “One More Lifе” which reduces significantly the resistance during fall from over 3 metres hight.
Chaos Group Ltd
Chaos Group is Bulgarian software company, established in 1997, specialized in 3D and animation services. The company’s first break through is with algorithm for fire visualization and currently it’s a global leader in providing cutting-edge solutions for specialized software in entertainment industry and visualization. In the contest it takes part with its V-Ray RT product, which is application for rendering of 3D images in real time. V-Ray is used by all leading studios for animated movies, in the movie “Avatar”, in video games, by construction bureaus for 3D visualization. The firm has over 250 partners worldwide and is one of the companies with the highest added value in the IT sector and as a whole in economics.
Area “Process Innovation / Innovation Hub”
ZMD Eastern Europe Ltd
ZMD Eastern Europe is RTD and design center for integral composite scheme and development of software products and applications. It is a branch of the German company ZMDI – global manufacturer of automotive microelectronics, industrial manufacturing, medicine and others. ZMD Eastern Europe participate in the contest with two products. The first is a touch screen interface and IO-Link protocol for installation in machines doing automated processes involved in complex operations and maintenance. The second is an integrated system of chip and microcontroller interface for automated control of the exterior mirror of the car. Technologies developed in the Bulgarian branch of ZMDI, are deployed in the global production of the parent company.
DiTRA Ltd
DiTra is CAD / CAM center of TechnoLogica Ltd that facilitates manufacturing companies to create their product innovations. DiTra provides services and know-how for design, prototyping and production by drastically reducing the time to market. The company has own l aboratory to support innovative processes in industry and its services are so far used by a three-digit number of companies from different sectors in Bulgaria. In the InnoAwards 2012 contest the company is recognized for its range of services for new products, technologies, methodologies, skills and know-how to foster innovation in Bulgarian industrial companies.
Area “Quality of Life”
Candy Factory ALPI Ltd – Asenovgrad
The ALPI company participates in this year’s InnoAwards contest with perfumed candies “DEO” developed in co-operation with BENEO Palatinit Group, Germany. The product is a world innovation, based on the research of Japanese scientists on the perfuming effect of rose oil when taken with food. DEO perfumed candies are protected by trade mark and are exported to Europe, Asia and North America. In 2011 the DEO candies were awarded the World Innovation Award during the Food International Exhibition of Innovations in Geneva, Switzerland.
ElBy Bulgaricum Ltd
ElBy Bulgaricum company is the national technology and export leader in the dairy industry and delivers innovative products licensed in the countries of Europe and Asia, including Germany, France, Switzerland, Japan, the Philippines and others. In InnoAwards 2012 contest the company participates with two world innovations – functional cheese and yogurt for strengthening bone density, immune system and lowering cholesterol effect. The company has a modern R&D center and owns an unique collection of over 1,200 lactic acid bacteria and over 100 combinations of starter cultures.
Panteley Toshev Ltd.
Panteley Toshev company develops and produces healthy and 100 % natural ingredients for the food and drinks, replacing the chemical agents used by other manufacturers. In the InnoAwards 2012 contest the company participates with its global product innovation “NATURAL FORMULA” – a new generation of highly stable emulsions for soft drinks from 100% natural ingredients. With this innovation, “Panteley Toshev” is currently the only company in the world that has managed to replace all chemical agents in the emulsion with natural ingredients. The portfolio of the company includes over 1500 standard products for more than 1,200 customers in 17 countries.
Area “Independent Life Cycle of the Innovation”
KEIT Ltd
KEIT develop methods for encrypted markings on its own proprietary technology used in security. KEIT participate in the contest with innovative technology for laser perforation of the encrypted image in the passport and it is a world novelty and is protected by patent. Innovation involves the development and production of a set of precision laser machines required software and integration into the entire process of issuing passports. The company has sold its products in Europe.
Spesima Ltd
The Bulgarian- German company Spesima develops and manufactures specialized robots, machines, flame and plasma cutting systems for service metro stations. SPESIMA participate in the contest with a range of specialized robots for full automation of the casting machine for aluminum alloys and two dosing robot – for large castings, custom made fpr Volkswagen concern, and further along the Z axis rotation molding machines for complex configuration. SPESIMA specialized robots exported to over 30 countries in Europe, Asia, North and South America .
Optix Ltd
The company Optix designs and manufactures optical, optomechanical and optoelectronic components and complete products for civil and military use. Optix participate in the contest with two manufacturing innovation: production of lenses in the infrared and ultraviolet area with precision in handling the lenses below 1 nm and manufacture of complex optical elements, sensors embedded in the automotive industry. The company exports to countries in Europe and the North and South America, Africa and Asia and is a licensed manufacturer and supplier to technical requirements of NATO.
Area “Sustainable innovative attitude”
Daisy Technology ltd
Daisy Technology is leading manufacturer of electronic devices in Bulgaria and is the largest exporter of cash registers and energy meters in Southeast Europe, Central Asia and Africa. In the contest Daisy Technology participates with two innovative devices: Daisy VEND – cash register for setting up in vending machines with high protection, range and capacity for information storage; and Perfect S – compact, luxury class mobile cash register of new generation.
Area “Regional social impact”
Arexim Engineering ltd
Arexim Engineering is a leading manufacturer of high-tech plastic technical products and injection molds for them. In the contest Arexim Engineering participates with technology for three -component injection molding. The technology is new for Bulgaria and allows a product to be injection molded simultaneously with three different materials, in three different colors and mechanical properties. Arexim Engineering has been selected as a global partner of Schneider Electric and works with many world-renowned companies, exporting to 24 countries on 3 continents.
