LINKIN: EMBRACING CHANGE AND INNOVATION

A family business that starts small but with its striving for perfection and innovation gradually grows into a company that embodies ambition, innovation and expansion to foreign markets: the story of Profilink is an example that with the right mindset Bulgarian industry has potential to change the market. The company was founded in 1992, in Plovdiv, as a producer of PVC rolling shutters. Today, it has a modern, fully automated facility for production of PVC profiles, aluminium extrusion, a facility for recycling of PVC profiles and its own photovoltaic electricity installations.

2024 is a year of big changes for the company. A new, larger entity was created, LINKIN, to serve as the mother company to all activities of the group, including the new aluminium extrusion plant that opened this March. Profilink by LINKIN will remain as an architectural brand for aluminium and PVC systems for windows, doors, facades, pergolas etc.

The main person behind all these changes is Teodor Linkin, the second generation in the family who practically runs the business as the company's Managing Partner.

You joined the team of Profilink, now LINKIN, when you were just 20 years old. What were the largest transformations the company went through since then?

In the past 10-15 years, the company went through a couple of significant changes. The first one was about 10 years ago when we, a relatively small Bulgarian company, opened our new, highly technological production facility for PVC extrusion. This was an ambitious step that set us for expansion on the European market. However, with expansion appeared the problem of how to scale successfully our activities. We had to learn how to restructure a small company managed almost entirely by a single person into a corporate entity with a more complex managerial structure. We had to find ways to operate effectively, step on new markets and join international trade. This led to another change – how to organise a business and employ people abroad.

We succeeded, and then shortly before the Covid-19 pandemic we realised that we had to go though yet another transformation in order to remain relevant in the rapidly changing environment. Industry was getting increasingly digitalised, cloud services were gaining momentum. We saw that digitalisation was the future of industry, and invested heavily in better ERP, by SAP, and cloud services. All of our machines went into the cloud, all systems started to exchange data and the management of the whole business became data driven. Suddenly, we found that we were not a classic corporate structure anymore, but something that looked more like a startup – with young teams and lots of data.

In 2020, we started successful partnerships with some of the largest German brands for architectural systems who trusted us with manufacturing PVC profiles for their products. We also invested in the latest generation of technologies for PVC extrusion which made us part of Industry 4.0 and increased our production capacity.

This set the foundation to pursuing an ambition for further development including the new investment in our first aluminium extrusion plant.

Why the rebranding and the creation of LINKIN became necessary?

Our production flexibility played a pivotal role, attracting some of the largest brands in PVC architectural systems worldwide to choose us for their profiles. At one point, approximately 50% of our PVC factory's workload catered to such prestigious clients. Many of them required components beyond architectural systems, demonstrating our diverse capabilities beyond the architectural realm.

Moreover, our foray into the aluminium industry marks a strategic expansion. This new venture extends beyond the Profilink brand's focus on architectural profiles, encompassing a broader range of industrial applications, including the automotive sector. This diversification underscores our commitment to innovation and adaptability in meeting evolving market demands.

Our business evolution has naturally led to the emergence of distinct entities. LINKIN operates as a business-to-business (B2B) entity, while Profilink retains its position as a premier architectural brand. While their functions are separate, both brands leverage the same production facilities, fostering optimal synergy between them.

What are LINKIN's message and mission?

LINKIN caters to industrial customers and is for a more specific audience of large industrial conglomerates in Europe. Stepping on such markets is a great challenge as the requirements are very high.

What makes your new factory for aluminium extrusion crucial for LINKIN's development?

LINKIN's message and mission are centered around serving the needs of industrial clientele, with a particular focus on large industrial conglomerates across Europe. Our aim is to meet the rigorous demands of these markets, where standards are exceptionally high. We embrace the challenge of stepping into these territories, driven by a commitment to deliver excellence and value to our discerning partners.

What core values would you like to see connected to LINKIN in the minds of your business partners?

For over 30 years, our unwavering passion has been the driving force behind our work ethic. We consistently go the extra mile and infuse our endeavors with genuine enthusiasm and dedication.

At the heart of our operations lies a commitment to fostering transparent and sincere relationships with our partners, clients, colleagues, and managers. It is from these collaborative partnerships that our reputation for reliability stems.

Our passion also fuels our relentless pursuit of innovation. We thrive on exploring new horizons, pioneering groundbreaking solutions, and continuously challenging ourselves to exceed expectations.

In essence, LINKIN is all about passion, innovation and trust.

www.linkin.eu