In 2026, ADD Bulgaria marks 20 years since its establishment — two decades of technological development, long-term partnerships and practical innovation in the energy sector. It is a milestone that not only takes us back to where our journey began, but also clearly shows the direction in which we continue to move forward.
ADD Bulgaria’s story began in 2006 with a clear vision: to contribute to the modernization of energy infrastructure through intelligent technologies, reliable solutions and extensive engineering expertise. From the very beginning, the company’s work was closely connected to remote metering — a field that gradually became one of the first practical steps towards the digital transformation of the energy sector.
Today, 20 years later, ADD Bulgaria is much more than a technology provider. The company is a partner in the real digitalization of critical infrastructure — from smart meters and street lighting management systems to energy monitoring, IoT solutions and new applications in the building sector.
Over the years, the solutions implemented and supported by ADD Bulgaria have reached millions of users, hundreds of settlements and key infrastructure sites. More than 2.5 million smart meters in Bulgaria and North Macedonia, over 5,000 digitalized street lighting cabinets, more than 150,000 managed luminaires and projects in over 80 municipalities are part of the scale behind which stand years of work, engineering expertise and persistence.
But behind these numbers, there is something even more important: trust. Trust from energy companies, municipalities, industrial clients and partners who rely on our solutions in environments where reliability, security and consistent support are critical.
Being a Pioneer Is Not Always Easy
The solutions we have developed and offered over the years have not always been easily or immediately accepted. In many projects, we have had to challenge outdated and conservative ways of thinking. Many potential clients hesitated to take the path of digitalization because of fear — fear of the unknown, fear of change, and sometimes fear of technologies that were ahead of their time.
In many cases, what we proposed anticipated needs that were not yet fully recognized by the market. But we have always believed that technology can change the world for the better — not as an abstract idea, but through practical solutions that make infrastructure more visible, more manageable and more efficient.
A good example of this is GridBit SLMS, our intelligent street lighting management system. Turning remote control and automation from an unfamiliar idea into a trusted, everyday choice took years of work with the stakeholders who mattered most — designers, municipalities and contractors. We ran dozens of seminars and presentations across the country to show, in practice, what the system could really do. In the early years, that effort translated into just 1–2 new projects a year. Today, remote street lighting control is an industry standard — and we can fairly say we played a major role in making it one.
Fortunately, the clients who rejected the challenge of innovation were far fewer than those who chose to trust our expertise, experience and lasting commitment — sometimes even before fully trusting the technology itself.
We have never stopped, even in moments when the business environment was difficult, when financial results were challenging, or when skepticism was louder than support. Today, we believe that being a pioneer has become one of our strongest advantages. Because we had the patience, consistency and confidence to continue walking in a direction we knew was right.
A Year of Recognition, Growth and New Opportunities
The anniversary year 2026 has become especially meaningful for ADD Bulgaria not only because of our 20th anniversary, but also because of several important milestones that outline the next stage of the company’s development.
One of the most significant steps was ADD Bulgaria joining the Siemens Xcelerator Marketplace as an approved partner. For us, this is recognition of the potential of our solutions and of our ability to develop technologies that can become part of a broader international ecosystem for digital transformation. It is not only a new channel for visibility, but also an opportunity to position Bulgarian technological expertise within one of the world’s leading industrial platforms.
In the same year, we also signed a new contract with EVN Bulgaria for the expansion of the smart metering project and an increase in the number of smart meters. This is a particularly important milestone for us, as it further strengthens our position as a strategic partner to one of our most important clients. Our long-standing partnership with EVN is an example of how technological solutions, when supported by expertise, service and trust, can develop sustainably over time.
From Energy Infrastructure to Smart Cities and Buildings
In 2026, ADD Bulgaria also participated in Light + Building, one of the world’s leading international trade fairs for lighting, building technologies and connected solutions. Our participation there was an important step not only for the company’s international positioning, but also for the development of a new direction in our portfolio.
At Light + Building, we laid the foundations for expanding into the building sector through niche and innovative solutions that respond to very specific real-world needs — better energy efficiency, automation, intelligent control and the possibility to modernize existing buildings without heavy infrastructure changes.
At the same time, our street lighting projects continue to develop at full speed. GridBit SLMS is no longer just a system for street lighting management. It is becoming a platform for the broader use of smart solutions in the urban environment — with capabilities for monitoring, analysis, automation and integration with other technologies.
This is a direction in which we see significant potential: urban infrastructure becoming more visible, more manageable and better prepared for the needs of the modern city.
Very soon, we will share another important development in this field — a project that demonstrates how street lighting technology can become a natural foundation for a broader smart city concept.
Plovdiv, Manufacturing and Industrial Development
ADD Bulgaria’s story is not only about technologies and projects. It is also connected to the development of the industrial environment in Plovdiv.
An important part of this story is our partnership with ESCATEC — a company that uses our production base and contributes significantly to the development of the electronics industry in the region.
For us, this partnership is another example of long-term thinking. It shows how a technology company can create value not only through its own products and solutions, but also through infrastructure, production capacity and an environment that supports the development of high-tech industry.
In this direction, we have also made an important investment in a latest-generation Bosch heat pump — a project that is part of our efforts to develop our production base in a more sustainable, efficient and technologically advanced way.
This is a practical continuation of our philosophy: when we speak about energy efficiency, reliability and durability, we believe they should be present not only in the solutions we offer to our clients, but also in the way we develop our own infrastructure.
20 Years Built by People
Every company has a story, but not every story is built only through technologies, contracts and numbers. Behind the 20-year journey of ADD Bulgaria stand people — engineers, software specialists, technical teams, commercial and project teams, partners and clients who have been part of our development over the years.
- We thank our team for their professionalism, persistence and dedication.
- We thank our clients for trusting us with projects that are part of real energy and urban infrastructure.
- We thank our partners for the shared work, the expertise and the belief that lasting results are achieved through long-term relationships.
For us, 20 years are an important milestone — but not a final destination. On the contrary, 2026 shows that some of ADD Bulgaria’s strongest development lies ahead.
We continue forward with the same ambition: to create technologies that make infrastructure smarter, more reliable and more sustainable.
20 years of ADD Bulgaria.
Smart infrastructure. Long-term partnerships. Sustainable future.
Want to see 20 years of experience in action? Explore our case studies from real-world projects.
