Already well known to the furniture industry, the School of Furniture Business Management leads to the completion of the seventh set of “students”. These are traditionally owners and managers of companies, top managers, financial directors. This fact alone convincingly testifies to the expediency of creating such a school, its need, efficiency and prospects.

We talked to Taras Komarenko, the head of the School of Furniture Business Management and Smart People, on the basis of which the school was established and operates. Taras explained why School of Furniture Business Management has gained a good reputation in the industry, strengthening its position from issue to issue.

       – To be more precise, the establishment of the School of Furniture Business Management, the success and effectiveness of its activities is a joint plan and the result of the efforts of Smart People and the Ukrainian Association of Furniture Manufacturers.

The cost of participation in the sixth and seventh sets of the school became available thanks to the support of the USAID Competitive Economy Program (CEP)*.

And our common task in this is to establish a culture of lean production, a culture of partnerships and customer relationships, a culture of management, and a financial culture in the furniture industry. Without this, a business cannot be successful in today’s world, it cannot always be ready for its challenges (by the way, the current coronavirus crisis is an example of one of such unexpected challenges).

Of course, we see concrete results of the introduction of such a culture in companies whose managers and top managers studied at School of Furniture Business Management . Those who have made full use of the knowledge and skills acquired at the School of Furniture Management and have effectively applied them in the activities of their company are an example to follow. Therefore, we invite them as speakers to talk to the “students” of the next sets of School of Furniture Business Management , we hold practical events at their productions to share experiences. In such companies, the work of industries, and often offices, are based on the principles of economy (lean), efficiency, continuous improvement of all units and departments. And we see it when we are with colleagues within the curriculum at such enterprises: there is always order in the workplace, uncluttered shops, they have cleanliness, stands with materials that reflect the results of lean production and the focus on its continuous improvement. Among such companies I am pleased to name “Varenycia Manufacture”, the founder of which Andriy Varenytsia has repeatedly improved his business skills in our school, the capital’s furniture factory “Bassa”, the company “Pavlyk” (its founder and head Yosyf Pavlyk – a graduate of the school we are proud that his knowledge and practical experience have been repeatedly used in the work of the school, involving the audience in speeches), the company “GARANT-EXPORT”, which is developing rapidly, the company “Drimka”, the company “Thermoplast Plus”. The fact that such companies are becoming more and more in the furniture industry from issue to issue, we, who are involved in the creation and operation of School of Furniture Business Management, are very happy. This year the total number of our “student” managers of furniture companies has reached two hundred. Thanks to training, more and more Ukrainian companies are becoming operationally efficient and competitive.

Clearly, after training, our graduates no longer work, do not manage their companies and teams as before. They have changed the standards of their work. Now they are customer-oriented, operationally efficient, concerned with the development and strengthening of their brands, have ambitious strategic visions. The same Andriy Varenytsia said in an interview: “When, filled with new knowledge, I returned from the first module, I felt a terrible drive and a desire to realize what I learned as soon as possible. Motivation ran high. And it was not diminished even by the skepticism of acquaintances: they say that you waste time, that training is empty chatter, nothing good will come of it. But no. Even the first implemented methods have gave results: people have started to work less and do more. “

– Is a new training program formed for each subsequent set of School of Furniture Business Management  or is it the same for everyone?

– The basic component of the curriculum is the same, but all the time it is supplemented by some new topics, which suggests the reality, market development, technology, management techniques, marketing. Each time the program becomes more and more applied – just by attracting as speakers the best furniture practitioners, among whom, as I said, and our graduates, a visual, practical acquaintance with their production and achievements in effective management, lean thinking, continuous improvement, with experience in implementing the knowledge and skills acquired at school.

Already for the current set, School of Furniture Business Management program was formed with certain differences for representatives of companies specializing in the serial production of furniture, and for those who are engaged in contract furniture. This differentiation will continue. And this is right, because in fact the recommendations, examples and thematic cases that we offer can not be implemented in exactly the same way in the practice of companies that have chosen different models of furniture production. Of course, there are things that are equally important to everyone.

Increasingly in the formation of curricula we pay attention to effective financial management, which is a component of financial culture in general. The company may feel successful, profitable, with a strategically defined course of development, but without competent, effective financial management, it will feel confident only for a while, and then will certainly begin to decline.

As for additional training topics, it is, for example, – building a sales department, building a service system, personnel management.

The course of study at the School of Furniture Management is not the ultimate goal in the development and improvement of our customers, nor does it put an end to our relationship with them. In addition to the School of Furniture Business Management, we hold (often together with UAFM) and other events, interesting, useful and practical, including for furniture: lean tours (by the way, not only for the production of furniture companies), large-scale conferences, industry summits (including, of course, the summit of furniture business leaders). Participation in such events allows our graduates, clients to be constantly in the trend of managerial innovations that come into the industry. Thus, we form a community of like-minded professionals in the furniture environment, who enrich each other with experience, sometimes unite to implement joint projects, recommend each other to potential clients. We are creating an atmosphere of partnership, friendliness and mutual help in the industry.

– Kaizen Club has been operating in UAFM for a long time, which largely fulfills the same mission as the School of Furniture Business Management. Is such duplication appropriate?

– We work in parallel, doing a common cause and complementing each other. I would also say: “Kaizen Club” aims UAFM member furniture that for success and continuous development in today’s world, the company and its leaders, top executives must master the relevant tools of business management, lean production, continuous improvement and be able to use them effectively. And those who are clearly aware of this and want to learn it, our school, with such tools, knowledge and practical experience equips. The annual growth of the company by 35% is a real, proven result of School of Furniture Business Management graduates who competently and effectively implemented the knowledge gained at school.

*The USAID Competitive Economy Program (CEP) promotes a strong, diverse, and open economy of Ukraine by enhancing the business environment for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), improving competitiveness in promising industries, and enabling Ukrainian companies to benefit from international trade.