[WATCH] €10 million investment in Bulebel will include new projects, expansions and infrastructure overhaul

As the Bulebel industrial zone celebrates 50 years since first opening, €10 million will be invested in new facilities, expansions and an infrastructure overhaul of the entire area and leading to the creation of 100 new jobs

Economy minister Silvio Schembri
Economy minister Silvio Schembri

The Bulebel industrial zone will be benefiting from an investment of €10 million, with new companies and expansions leading to the creation of 100 new jobs, Economy minister Silvio Schembri announced today.

Schembri was speaking at an event organised to mark the 50th anniversary of the Bulebel industriual zone, currently home to 80 factories which employ more than 3,000 workers.

He said that five companies will be investing €4.9 million to build new facilities catering to food production, tobacco, cross-docking, label operations to paper production.

INDIS Malta has identified the allocation of 10,500sq.m of land of which 8,900sq.m are dedicated the five new projects, while 1,600sq.m are dedicated to the expansion of a sixth facility.

“This fully complements the vision that the Government has strongly embarked upon, and which ensures the efficient use of the space that the area offers,” Schembri said. “In fact four of these projects will be developed into new multi-level facilities, on the same footprint, while the other two will be allocated to existing buildings.”

He said this investment will pave the way for more vertical industrial buildings, attracting more higher value-added companies in the biotech, big pharma and research sectors.

“This clearly shows the robustness of the Maltese industry and its ability to remain flexible and constantly innovate to adapt to the times,” Schembri said. “At such a challenging moment, it has shown more resilience than ever before, and we are determined to vigilantly safeguard this.”

INDIS Malta will invest a further €5 million in an area totalling ​​19,000sq.m in ​​Bulebel to provide more accessibility for factories and better use of the space offered. This work will be complemented with the affixing of traffic signs, more directional signs for factories, and cleaning services that will drastically improves the quality of life of both investors and workers.

Schembri said that an area of 330sq.m will be transformed into a recreational space for those who make use of this industrial area. One such area, ‘Ġnien il-Ħaddiema’ will be located on the western side of the industrial area, within the vicinity of more than 20 factories. €150,000 will be spent on reconstituted stone, produced from construction waste and which will be used in flower bases and walls. The garden will be equipped with CCTV cameras and wi-fi connectivity.

"These projects and investments are not a coincidence; businesses and workers have bequeathed us with their trust and we are reciprocating,” Schembri said. “As soon as the economic regeneration plan was announced, the Ministry started to draw up a holistic economic vision for our country which will affect every sector, with clear proposals and goals that will result in economic recovery.”

INDIS Chairman, Dr Jean Pierre Attard, said that the agency will be creating more facilities to allocate to investors.

“We will do this in the framework of the €470 million industrial infrastructure investment programme which we launched in recent months and through a more efficient use of industrial space in order for it to reach its full potential and be increasingly sustainable,” he said.

Toly Products CEO Andy Gatesy, the first factory to start operating in Bulebel, welcomed the announced investment and thanked the government for its assistance following the outbreak of COVID-19, particularly through the wage supplement.  

‘For our part, even though the pandemic has affected our industry, we are constantly looking to stay innovative, adapt to the future and invest in creativity and talent,” he said. “Malta is at the center of our operations and I look forward to the future.”

For the occasion, a commemorative memorial featuring five pillars representing the five decades since Bulebel was unveiled.