VLADIMIR DOKOV: CHANGING THE GAME

interview by Maria Petrova; photography by Nelly Tomova

The CEO of EGT on turning a local company into a global industry leader

Vladimir Dokov EGT
Vladimir Dokov, CEO of EGT

Euro Games Technology (EGT) is an example of the concept that everything is possible when the right goals are set, and innovation goes together with strategic management and a winner’s mindset.

Established as a local manufacturer in 2002, EGT has grown to a tech-leader in the global gaming and casino industry, selling in five continents in over 100 countries. It has offices in 26 global locations managed by Bulgarians, who have built their careers within the company.

EGT is profiled in the development, production, and distribution of hardware and software solutions for the gaming industry, including slot machines, accessories, game mixes, and casino management systems. Aiming at independence and uncompromised quality, the company has implemented a 360-degree production cycle in its pursuit of perfection.

Vladimir Dokov has been the CEO of EGT since the very start, managing the overall operations and resources of EGT to achieve its long-range goals, related plans, and policies. He is overseeing the strategic direction of the company and its ongoing operations. His ambition and outstanding management talent are at the core of the EGT’s success. With the constant modernisation and optimisation of processes and production, he keeps leading EGT on its path to further expansion. 

From a local manufacturer to an international leader in the gaming industry – how do you see the path to EGT's success today, what were the key steps in the right direction?

With 20 years of industry experience, we at EGT know how important it is to use the knowledge and expertise we have gained to continue to grow. One of the main principles we always follow has been to invest in innovation and in the potential of our employees. For us, these processes go hand in hand and this is undoubtedly one of the pillars of our success. The second important quality we possess is that we, as a team are all passionate about our projects! This is the winning formula that has driven our growth from the first days of the company until now. I am extremely proud of our achievements as a Bulgarian company, that has become synonymous with quality and innovation in our industry.

Vladimir Dokov, CEO of EGT

Your products and services are available in more than 100 countries, and you manage a team of over 2,500 people. What are the challenges in running a business on such a large scale?

We face different challenges but thanks to our approach and values, we manage to unite people in achieving common goals. The team is the core where everything begins. To be successful, it is extremely important to be flexible because the competition is huge. We are always looking for the new, the next solution. So, we make sure that we offer the best in entertainment to our partners. We think globally, but we apply a local approach to our work. This helps us a lot in building long-term relationships with our partners around the world.

What are the new markets in which you plan to operate?

There are still so many opportunities – we are in the process of expanding our sales team to meet the demand of the global markets and broaden our presence on the international gaming scene even further. While strengthening our partnerships on five continents and over 100 countries, in 2022, EGT aims to explore new territories and continue to grow together with our clients and partners.

What obstacles and difficulties does a local company that creates its products in Bulgaria face?

One of the increasingly rare difficulties is the initial distrust of foreign customers of products produced in Bulgaria. I am saying “increasingly rare” because the dedicated work of our specialists proves every day why we are one of the leaders in the international gaming casino market. As a challenge, albeit globally, I would also identify EGT's desire for gambling rooms to be perceived as entertainment centres.

Vladimir Dokov, CEO of EGT

How did you come up with the idea of a closed production cycle and how long did it take to realise it?

Our growth implies a desire for greater independence in all processes. An important guarantee for us, through which we can provide our global customers with even higher quality. Achieving a 360-degree production cycle is a long-term task that we have completed step by step. We can safely say that this has led to optimisation of processes and improvement of our work, which has made us a partner of high confidence. Keeping production in-house is the best way to ensure corporate standards are being met every step of the way.

Why is it important for EGT to produce most of the components itself?

In addition to the international certification of a number of processes, we also have our own extremely high standards for the quality, durability, and reliability of the systems. This helps us a lot to meet the demand and provide even more to our customers than they expect. In this way, we always manage to be highly competitive and diversify our sources without compromising the quality of the final product.

What sets you apart from the competition in the market?

The most important thing for us is that we are flexible, we follow the needs of our customers, and we are always there for them to find the best solution for their business. At the same time, we work hard without getting ahead of ourselves, carefully analysing our actions, processes, and desired results. Our sales team are more than consultants to our clients, which creates a favourable environment in which we do not just close deals but create long-term partnerships with a solid background. This is a big plus for both sides which we are of course proud of.

What elements does the EGT production base include?

There are many different elements involved in our production. Our material and technical base covers 5,000 sq.m and the manufacturing facility includes 4 main workshops, each of them equipped with modern high-performance machines. This allows us to provide a wide range of processes for our needs such as 3D CAD engineering, laser cutting, sheet bending, robotic welding, powder coating, and others.

We also take care of the final assembly of our products which includes hardware and software installation, logistics, and many other processes. Our quality of workmanship is guaranteed by management systems that cover all stages – something that is very important to us.

Vladimir Dokov, CEO of EGT

All these elements are a vital part of our 360-degree production cycle that includes everything – from slot machines, accessories, and game mixes to systems for complete control over casino operation.

At this moment, our manufacturing facility holds 20,000,000 materials from 6,854 different types, which we will use for producing 165 different products.

You emphasize the importance of the management systems you use, what makes them so important?

EGT has never stopped looking for new opportunities to improve its performance. That is why we implement and use a number of systems to ensure better performance of the various units. What I mean is systems that help our teams achieve better quality control and implement new strategies that secure deliveries to maintain and develop our partnerships. We have successfully implemented and use SAP ERP in our Head office and in many of our international offices. Тhis allowed us to optimise the production processes and gain faster and more complete access to financial records, thus achieving improved control and management. During the pandemic period, we optimised our production process by implementing the 20 keys of lean manufacturing, which helped our production team to further improve its work.

We have successfully implemented Field Service and Sales modules of Sales Force CRM system for our offices, and we are extremely proud of it, as it gives us better visibility of our opportunities and clients base.

What is the focus of your production modernisation plans?

We plan to introduce more modern technologies to support the work of our specialists. This includes automated warehousing systems and production lines, which will optimise our operating costs and facilitate processes. We plan to continue working to improve the functionality of existing systems and processes, such as the robotisation of specific phases of production. Our goal is to increase productivity and the level of service, which will allow us to be even more flexible and continue to give the best to our partners. Of course, in the path of digitalisation, we never forget that all systems are there to assist our team and to help it grow together with EGT. 

  • COMMENTING RULES

    Commenting on www.vagabond.bg

    Vagabond Media Ltd requires you to submit a valid email to comment on www.vagabond.bg to secure that you are not a bot or a spammer. Learn more on how the company manages your personal information on our Privacy Policy. By filling the comment form you declare that you will not use www.vagabond.bg for the purpose of violating the laws of the Republic of Bulgaria. When commenting on www.vagabond.bg please observe some simple rules. You must avoid sexually explicit language and racist, vulgar, religiously intolerant or obscene comments aiming to insult Vagabond Media Ltd, other companies, countries, nationalities, confessions or authors of postings and/or other comments. Do not post spam. Write in English. Unsolicited commercial messages, obscene postings and personal attacks will be removed without notice. The comments will be moderated and may take some time to appear on www.vagabond.bg.

Add new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.

Restricted HTML

  • Allowed HTML tags: <a href hreflang> <em> <strong> <cite> <blockquote cite> <code> <ul type> <ol start type> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd> <h2 id> <h3 id> <h4 id> <h5 id> <h6 id>
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
  • Web page addresses and email addresses turn into links automatically.

Discover More

METAL COMES TO LIFE IN OUR HANDS!
From prehistory to modernity, humanity has explored the nature of metals and has tamed them, putting them at the centre of entire industries and creating astonishing pieces of craft and art of them.

ALEXANDER IGNATOV: MAKING THE MOST OF DIGITAL REVOLUTION
Excellent organization, flawless work processes, timely reaction and visible results: these are just some of the reasons why Sky Prime is one of the hot names in the Bulgarian market right now.

DR BRANIMIR KIRILOV: COMMITTED TO PATIENTS' WELLBEING
The fragrance diffuser lets another puff of delicate aroma in the elegant waiting room. Sitting on the comfortable sofas, people leisurely check their phones, while sipping water or fresh coffee.

MARTIN VASSILEV: CLEAN, CLEANER, KÄRCHER
How clean is really clean? During the Covid-19 pandemic, thousands of companies and individuals around the world were anxious to get the answer right.

IRENE MARIA PLANK
With a wide-ranging experience in Berlin, Brussels, Kinshasa, Rabat and Seattle, Irene Maria Plank seems like the perfect diplomat who can with equal ease discuss serious political issues and sample wine, analyse classical music and discuss religion, tr

HOPING FOR HISTORY IN FUTURE
Psychoanalysis and film making are connected in more than one way. They were born at approximately the same time and are based on dreams and the unconscious. There is hardly a person who has not tried to decipher either their own dreams or a movie.

TATYANA DIMITROVA: THE TRIP(S) OF YOUR LIFETIME
Travelling and discovering different cultures and landscapes is one of life's greatest joys; the cliché that it is one of the most sensible investments one will make is absolutely true. Tatyana Dimitrova knows this well.

GEORGES FERREIRA: THE ART OF BUILDING INDUSTRIES
Our entire civilization is built on industrial production and commerce, but few of us are aware what it takes to build a factory or a warehouse.

IS THE ENERGY CRISIS OVER FOR BULGARIA?
The planet is getting warmer and humanity is increasingly aware of the dangers, but the war in Ukraine and the crisis of energy supplies that ensued put to the test the efforts for adopting new green policies.

CHRISTINA LUCAS: EMPOWERING WOMEN PIONEERS IN TECH AND INNOVATION
Christina is now back on these pages owing to her participation in the Business Lady Excellence 2024 event in Sofia at the end of March.

ANELIYA PARICHKOVA'S FORMULA FOR SUCCESS
The clients of Parichkova Design Lab are different and so are the interiors that they have commissioned to the studio.

GERGANA ATANASOVA: BEING A PART OF THE CHANGE
Renewable energy has immense potential for helping humanity to put climate change under control. But it is more than that.