Minister Stoycheva in Chelopech: Innovation is not only in technology but also in the company's work model and its investments in people

In addition to technology, the innovation is also in the company's work model and its investments in people. This was stated by the Minister of Innovation and Growth, Milena Stoicheva, during her visit to the Chelopech mine of the Dundee Precious Metals company. She held a meeting with the executive director of the company for Bulgaria Prof. Dr. Eng. Iliya Garkov, the general manager Tsvetomir Velkov, the director of the "Technological Center for Excellence" Vyara Aprilova and the chief engineer of the mine Evgeni Petkov.

In the mine, Minister Stoycheva got acquainted with the innovative digitization projects in the enterprise. She observed the operation of electric mining machines, which are controlled from the surface, in the newly built SMART center of the company. The management demonstrated the operation of a self-learning drone that transmits precise coordinates from inside the mine, creating a map of the movement of the heavy machinery. They specified that the drone was jointly developed between an American start-up company and the company's Technical Services department.

"The Ministry of Innovation and Growth works purposefully to turn Bulgaria into a place where innovations are created through entrepreneurial thinking. It should be a leader in the development of new technologies and their implementation. This is exactly the model I see in your company," said Minister Stoycheva during the visit.

The CEO of Dundee Precious Metals pointed out that thanks to 100% reliable wi-fi connectivity in the mine, all production processes are digitized and managed using modern technologies. "At the company's SMART center, specially trained operators operate part of the mining machines 600 meters underground," said Prof. Garkov.

Minister Stoicheva emphasized that Bulgaria has a huge potential in the creation and development of innovations, which must be encouraged with all possible mechanisms. "If we work according to the so-called "open innovation" model, together with all interested parties, we can turn the country into an attractive place for investments in high technologies," Minister Stoicheva said. She stated that the Chelopech mine is an example of how an industrial mining and manufacturing company can both implement innovations in its work and create them. It employs about 1,200 people, and almost 100% of them are local from the respective region.