Bulgarian furniture-maker invests in the future

• Furniture-maker saves € 1 500 annually by reviewing its production process
• Analysis of skills, technology and practices forms part of the company's wider CSR, clean production and sustainability goals

Ludogorie 91 is a furniture-making and distribution company located in Bulgaria. Its products – tables, chairs, sofas, and cabinets – are made of solid wood and designed for household and office use. The company meets the European standards for quality, ecology and working conditions.

The production facilities were constructed over 30 years ago. Since then, investment in new technologies, machinery and skills have turned Ludogorie 91 into a modern furniture enterprise.

The factory is using 13 separate drying kilns. Each month the factory dries and processes over 1 000 m3 of certified beech wood. Emphasis on technology, specialised processes and attention to detail help the factory use the wood as efficiently as possible. For example, each of its chair models undergoes a minimum of 25 000 test cycles including a preliminary durability testing.

Key impacts

With the aim of being more profitable and sustainable, Ludogorie 91 took several steps:

• Evaluation of current state of play leading to programmes for corporate social responsibility (CSR) and clean production (CP) which gather data on the consumption of basic resources and review processes – drying, wood processing, furniture-making, utilities – heat and electricity supply, and storage. A survey was conducted among the employees to assess the human resources (HR) aspects in the factory.
• During the visits to the factory, meetings were organised to collect data and discuss the processes and use of resources. Options generated during the visits and brainstorming were discussed with the management.
• The most significant changes were carried out in the factory's heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system which included production processes like drying. Optimising the HVAC system will save Ludogorie 91 about € 1 500 each year and reduce the factory's carbon footprint.