Gotmar was founded in 1992. What was the company like back then?
Mariya Tucheva: Gotmar was founded in 1992 by my father, Georgi Tuchev. In the beginning, the company concentrated on the trade in sunflower oil in our neighbouring countries, which inevitably led to the idea of entering the production of plastic packaging. Initially, the company was located in a small office in the town of Saedinenie. A few years later, my father bought the premises where we are today. Initially there were three buildings, now our company occupies more than 100,000 square meters and new projects are being planned.
How is the company structured today?
Georgi Tuchev holds 100 percent of the company. He is an active managing director and lives abroad. Each of our production facilities has its own structure. The Gotmar Group divides its activities into different business areas: packaging for beverages, food and cosmetics, technical parts, toolmaking, mineral water and soft drinks. The group employs around 2300 people at three locations and had total sales of over EUR 120 million in 2020. Gotmar Ltd., the plastics division, has around 1300 employees and had a turnover of almost EUR 90 million in 2020.
Next year you will celebrate your 30th anniversary. What are the most important milestones in your history?
As a family business, we value and celebrate every milestone. To pick out a few of the more significant moments in our history, in 1998 we bought the first automatic blow moulding machines for PET bottles in Bulgaria. Then, in 1999 and 2000, we installed our first PET preform production line (by the way, with OHAG moulds). In 2007 we started producing technical plastic parts for electrical appliances and set up our workshop for the production of blow moulds and injection moulds. In 2008 Gotmar ventured into luxury cosmetics. In 2019 we celebrated our billionth preform, and a year later our investment yielded several moulds that we produced in-house for the perfume and luxury cosmetics industry.
Bulgaria joined the EU in 2007. How did this political development affect the Gotmar Group?
In the 14 years since joining the European Union, Bulgaria’s economy has been very successful. Our country is undoubtedly experiencing rapid growth without being hit by a serious economic crisis. And that transpired in a favourable international environment. We have managed to find several partners and position ourselves on the European markets, which has led to an increase in our production volumes. Access to EU funding was also very important for Gotmar, helping us to realise two projects and enabling our group to successfully position itself among the major European companies in the sector.
How is your PET preform and bottle production currently positioned?
With moulds from 2 to 96 cavities, we currently produce over 60 different preforms, from 5 to 700 grams, thus covering almost all common applications. We use injection moulding, single-stage injection stretch blow moulding and blow moulding machines. Our current capacity is more than 1.5 billion preforms, over 2 billion closures and over 50 million bottles per year.
Which industries do you serve in the field of packaging?
We mainly supply the food industry, but we are also very active in the chemical and cosmetic industries. We recently invested in two single-stage machines. On the one hand, we make small bottles for shampoo, and on the other, we make bottles for cosmetics such as rose water, mouthwash and soap.
In which markets are you active and what is the division between domestic and export business?
We currently export to around 48 countries, concentrating on our neighbouring countries. And we are also very active in Europe and Africa. We export quite a lot to South Africa. The ratio is around 40 percent domestic and 60 percent export business these days.
Where do you see geographic and sectoral development potential?
In terms of sectors, thanks to our diversified portfolio, we have stable positions in the food and beverage, chemical, medical, technical parts and luxury cosmetics sectors. We strive to expand our product portfolio with our existing partners and at the same time to conquer new markets, such as the automotive industry. Our long-term strategy is to expand our geographic presence, focusing on Northern Europe and expanding into the African markets, with the aim of also entering the Asian market in the near future.
Gotmar is deeply involved in ESG issues. What motivates you to do this?
We are a family business, and we believe in family values. That’s one of the reasons the ESG themes aren’t that difficult for us to accept. We are motivated to be successful and at the same time to create value for everyone – for our customers, our employees and our suppliers, as well as for the general public as a whole. This, of course, includes the environment. ESG factors are a way for us to differentiate ourselves from our competitors as a well-run and socially responsible company, and to make more informed investment decisions that take into account the environment and society as a whole.
You are ISO 9001-, 14001- and FSSC 22000-certified. How do you ensure that these requirements are met in the daily workflow?
Over the years we have found that it rarely works to prescribe something specific to employees – it’s just human nature to resist being told what to do. That is why we have decided to convey the background of ISO certifications and their advantages to our employees. On this basis, they are not simply following instructions. Instead, they understand the benefits these processes bring to all of us and they are ready to adhere to them.
In addition to – let’s call them – everyday certifications, you have aligned your company with ISO 50001. What are the goals of this standard?
Essentially, ISO 50001 is about monitoring the company’s energy consumption and registering deviations from the specified limits. In connection with energy management, we are constantly improving our systems and optimising our production processes. For example, a heat recovery system was installed to heat one of the administration and production buildings. Through our own in-house energy policy, the management is directly and actively involved in promoting the sustainable use of electricity.
Gotmar is also ISO 26000-certified. What is this certification about?
That was actually my project when I came back to Bulgaria. With this certification, we wanted to show all our customers that we have good working conditions and that we are socially responsible, not only towards our company and its staff, but also towards society as a whole and especially towards the environment. We run many charitable initiatives in our company and we are very committed to our neighbouring communities. That’s what ISO 26000 is all about.
Gotmar promotes itself as offering outstanding quality. How do you define quality?
Dimo Golev: Each individual production unit has its own quality department, which is adapted to that specific area and which meets global standards. We check for quality at every step of the production process – from inspecting incoming raw materials to the dispatch of the finished products. This is how we ensure that we can offer our customers the highest levels of quality and service.
To what extent do your partners play a role in achieving the quality you are aiming for?
Svilena Simenova: Our partners are an important factor for the development of our company. They help us achieve ever higher quality on a global level. We have to be sure that they can deliver a product to their customers that meets the highest standards. In this way we build reliable, rewarding and lasting partnerships together.
What criteria do you use to choose a partner?
Dimo Golev: First and foremost, we don’t compromise on quality. We strive to continuously optimise our production and improve efficiency. For this reason, it’s also important for us to work with long-term partners who share our vision. Of course, the price and lead time can’t be underestimated, as we naturally have to adapt to the competition and developments in the market. Guarantees and the quality of service after the guarantees have expired are also important factors for us in selecting partners.
How would you assess the strengths of Otto Hofstetter AG?
Dimo Golev: The first impressions we had when we saw the moulds from Otto Hofstetter AG were good, and we made our first purchases of OHAG moulds over 20 years ago. We also appreciate that they have standard shapes. That makes them very versatile. And this helps us to better serve our customers, because we have a wide range of customers globally with very different requirements. Thanks to using standard shapes, it’s easy to fit spare parts when they’re needed, and that gives us confidence. If we have a problem with a product, we can quickly replace the defective part and get back to production. We really appreciate how quickly production can be restored with OHAG moulds.
Where can Otto Hofstetter improve?
Svilena Simenova: We don’t have much to say on that topic. Maybe the price? We appreciate your flexibility and understanding on this point. The conversation with you is always open and never long and drawn out. The fact that Otto Hofstetter is also a family business, and therefore has short decision-making paths, makes everything a lot easier. We appreciate that. With larger suppliers, you sometimes hardly know which boss to turn to.
Where will the Gotmar Group be in 10 years?
Mariya Tucheva: That’s a difficult question to answer, and I trust my colleagues will agree with me. We hope that we will still be a family-run company that maintains its leadership position in the market and continues to grow its production volume. And last but not least, we hope that the management of the company will be passed on to the next generation of the Tuchev family.
Thank you for sharing this interesting insight into Gotmar. We wish you all the best on your way to a thriving future.
