And do not give up …
It often happens that the first pancake is lumpy, that is, some new business begins with failure. The advice here is one: do not despair, do not give up, but try again and again. In export, not everything turns out right away.
We’ll tell one such story. It happened last year with the Chernivtsi company Impulse. I found it and became interested in products (wardrobes) one of the Israeli companies that supplies local developers with furniture, as in Israel, newly built apartments are sold either fully or partially furnished.
No, this is a different story, it is only an indirect involvement in Israeli new buildings, in contrast to the well-known one, which, with the assistance of UAFM, was advantageously used by a number of Ukrainian furniture makers.
So, we agreed on the price, loaded the container in the presence of the customer’s representative, sealed it, muddied it and waited for payment from the Israeli side. Received, because there was confirmation that everything purchased was properly packaged, loaded and sealed. They sent the goods, but the customer did not receive it in due time. It turned out that the carrier was in debt to someone, and his container was arrested. Together with the content, with already Israeli furniture of Ukrainian origin. For a long time the customer “released” them. “And although it was as if our fault in that grief was not there,” says the company’s PR manager Sergey Polzun, who told us this story, “but contacts with an Israeli client who intended to increase the volume of purchases were cut short.
That annoying last year’s event undermined faith in the export business, or it takes even more time to take courage, but, as it became clear from the conversation, the Impulse company reduced activity in foreign economic activity. “It’s as if something had come on, but it didn’t enter the active phase,” says our interlocutor, saying that when the delegation of the region paid a friendly visit to Slovenia with the intention of intensifying economic and cultural ties, it came to the conclusion that Chernivtsi “Impulse” Slovenes could profitably buy school furniture. It is also beneficial in the sense that their products contain a significant part of natural wood, and that their prices are very attractive and the logistics are convenient and cheaper – the border is actually nearby.
There was an attempt to find potential customers in Moldova: the Chamber of Commerce and Industry held an event in the capital, in which Chernivtsi Impulse also took part. It seems like they found in Balti, Moldovans even came to the enterprise for a more detailed acquaintance with the products. They praised, talked about the benefits, in particular, again, the logistics – the neighbors. They said that they are buying Ukrainian furniture, but those that Impulse produces are better, and delivery is within easy reach. At Impulse, inspired by this prospect, they accelerated the receipt of certification (according to the ISO system) permits. But these contacts, negotiations and other efforts did not turn into agreements, but became yet another broken hope.
Nevertheless, given any experience of contact with the Israelis, the company should not dismiss it, we advised, but continue to act in this direction, looking there for other similar clients, intermediaries of contacts directly with developers. In the case, those developments may become, the Association of Furniture Manufacturers has in this matter, or at least advice. It turned out that our interlocutor does not know that a large project of Ukrainian furniture for Israeli new buildings is already being implemented, the UAFM Export Platform is actively and successfully functioning. Of course, such a detachment from what it lives on, what the Association has in its assets, how it can help exporters, is not in favor of its members. I would like to believe that the annoying incident that Impulse stumbled over would not completely discourage Chernivtsi furniture makers from exploring foreign markets. And, you know, the grounds for such faith appeared when it became known that Impulse announced its participation in the April furniture exhibition in the capital by acquiring the necessary exhibition space. “First of all, to demonstrate school furniture,” said Sergey Polzun, “which is unique in us because we use bent pipes of a diameter that no one else bends in Ukraine.” Due to this, the furniture is durable, have a significant operational period. These and other advantages of our school furniture, we hope, will attract the attention of foreign visitors to the exhibition. There is also school furniture for other uses: for the director’s office, for furnishing teachers, school rooms and laboratories, as well as the direction of children’s furniture for preschoolers, including kindergartens. ”

The section “Success Stories” was founded as part of a grant project with the support of the Swiss Cooperation Bureau in Ukraine, the name of the project: “Improving the level of cooperation and trust with joint participation in international and national public procurement” – TENDER TOGETHER.