In all domains concerned with assembled products, the design and manufacturing is usually carried out by a network of enterprises which take responsibility of subsystems at the higher tier, and of simpler components at the lower tier. SMEs are most often placed at lower tiers. Activities at these lower tiers tend to be short – a few months at most – and plagued with frequent design changes originating from the higher levels.

SMEs usually rely upon a great variety of tools – different CAD/CAM systems, ERP systems, project management software, which are not integrated, difficult to use and often ineffective. The Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) often require the SMEs (suppliers) in their networks to use specific tools, leading to higher expenses of suppliers for buying and adopting new software, for training employees, etc.

Bulgaria has joined the European Union at the beginning of 2007, which confronted the Bulgarian SMEs with new challenges - they should respond to the pressures for continuous innovation and technological adaptation, exacerbated by the completion of European internal market and the intensification of competition. The suppliers in a European manufacturing network compete, as usual, on cost, quality and response time, whereby transparency and reliability are key components of process quality.

New opportunities are also available for SMEs in enlarged Europe. They are foreseen as reliable partners in European manufacturing networks. Financial support for SMEs is also available, provided by the European Union, the Western European countries with economic interests in Eastern Europe, national funds and institutions.

At the beginning of 2006, a consortium of European software developers, end-users and research institutions, financed within the 6th Framework Programme of the EC, started the development of a new collaborative environment that is intended to support the participation of SMEs in collaborative networks Europe-wide by providing an effective, integrated, easy to understand, user friendly and low cost software solution, combining different functionalities.

The newly developed collaborative platform will support the Bulgarian SMEs in finding new European suppliers or to become themselves suppliers in larger European manufacturing networks.

Dear Manufacturers,

We are pleased to invite you to participate in this interesting event that will reveal new available opportunities for effective and efficient collaboration in enlarged Europe.

During the platform presentation we will rely very much on your comments and recommendations for improvement of the available platform functionalities.

Please support us to develop a collaborative environment that suits best your expectations and needs.

Contact Details:
Dorina Kabakchieva
CIST, Sofia University "St. Kl. Ohridski"
Tel.: (02) 9713509; 9713543
e-mail: dorina {-at-} fmi.uni-sofia.bg