On July 26, 2023, the REFURNICATION conference took place. The event was organized by the Ukrainian Association of Furniture Manufacturers within the framework of the Swiss-Ukrainian Project “Strengthening MSME Business Membership Organizations in Ukraine,” which is implemented by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Ukraine in cooperation with the Ministry of Economy and with the support of Switzerland.

Amidst the picturesque foothills of the Carpathian Mountains, surrounded by stunning landscapes of the Derenivka region in the Transcarpathia, proactive representatives from the woodworking, furniture, door industries, education, and government came together under one roof to learn, collaborate, and find common solutions for creating competitive products. The event gathered over 60 participants from Transcarpathia and all over Ukraine.

Conference attendees received high-quality and practical training from experts with knowledge and experience in the furniture and door business.

As the success of a business depends on leadership and management, leadership qualities play a crucial role in achieving success and stability for a company. To help conference participants become the leaders their businesses need during challenging times, our first speaker was invited – Tetiana Bohdan, a coach, mentor, and co-founder of the international project of team coaches, iCoach.Team.

Ms Tetiana covered the following topics:

• The difference between Management and Leadership
• Management functions to strengthen oneself as a manager
• Understanding Oneself as a Leader
• Relevant leadership competencies
• Leadership in times of change

The next speaker was a well-known expert among the UAFM participants, who have already helped many furniture and door manufacturers optimize and implement LEAN tools in production and offices.

Ms Olha Peretiako, a Lean 6 Sigma consultant and Lean coach at Lean Six Sigma discussed the following topics:

• Key Lean tools
• Lean in production and offices
• Significant types of waste and their consequences
• Business process improvement

A popular request from our Association’s participants for assistance in increasing sales motivated us to invite the next expert Mr Oles Pishchak, who is an expert in reorganization and sales system development, and the managing partner of Audit of Sales, a company that studies and develops sales models and strategies.

Mr Oles conducted interactive training on the following topics:

• Expert assessment of business
• Case studies of 5 companies’ audits
• Action plan for improving business management

The success of a company in the market, increased sales, loyal customers, attracting talented employees, and an excellent reputation can be achieved through building a strong brand. That’s why we couldn’t skip this topic at our conference and invited Artem Zubkevych – a brand designer with 20 years of experience, who has created over 100 brands; the founder and creative director of the Zubkevych Agency; brand director of the Varenycia group of companies; and marketing lecturer at the Smart People Business School.

Mr Artem covered the following topics:

• The two components of a brand: product and embedded values
• Case studies

During the furniture stand-up, participants learned about successful examples from furniture companies. It was especially interesting to hear about how they overcame challenges, utilized innovative methods, and achieved results.

First to speak was Mr Dmytro Tymoshenko, the owner of LTL Group, who talked about the First and Only School of Painters – how to paint without losses and complaints.

Next, Mr Roman Sydorenko, the owner of the “INSTYLE” company, shared his experience in creating and launching the new designer kitchen brand ReStyle during the war.

The concluding speaker was Mr Leonid Spivakov, a member of the UAFM Board and the owner of the “Level” company, who discussed business relocation and adaptation during the war.

The networking buffet during the REFURNICATION conference provided participants a great opportunity to connect with colleagues, like-minded individuals, and potential partners. We hope that this interaction will lead to future collaborations and the creation of new projects.

Many conference participants did not want to limit themselves to just one intense day of learning and networking, so they joined the UAFM’s Lean tour to Transcarpathia the next day. Follow our news to be inspired by the successes of Ukrainian businesses and join our future events.