Update – collaborate – export! This is the motto of the 3-day Furniture Export Bootcamp training for companies in the furniture sector, which took place in Mukachevo on December 7-9, initiated by the USAID Program “Competitive Economy of Ukraine” and held in partnership with the Ukrainian Association of Furniture Manufacturers and the Office for Entrepreneurship and Export Development.

46 owners and representatives of the management of 25 companies producing cabinet and upholstered furniture for kitchens, office, school, and street furniture took part in specialized training and learned:

• to plan and restore the export of products in wartime conditions, to adapt to rapid changes
• identify markets where there is demand for products; assess the company’s ability to work in the selected market
• check product compliance with market requirements, and develop a plan for proving compliance with requirements
• evaluate the readiness of marketing materials, communication channels, value proposition
• to look for buyers and partners in foreign markets

Along with the training program, Export Bootcamp participants visited furniture manufacturing enterprises that are exporters of products, including:

• the woodworking enterprise Klen.ua, which was founded back in 1997 and went from manual labor to automated production with sales geography across Ukraine and European countries;

• new production Level, founded by relocated companies from Kyiv, Gostomel, and Odesa, specializes in the manufacture of furniture for hotels, offices, and homes;

• family business LLC “Pavlyk-M”, a grantee of the USAID Program “Competitive Economy of Ukraine”, specializing in the production of residential furniture, tables, and chairs from solid wood, mainly beech and oak. The program helped “Pavlyk-M” LLC to purchase the necessary woodworking equipment and to participate in a large furniture exhibition in Poland, Meble Polska, which made it possible to conclude two contracts for the export of products. In addition, with the support of the Program, the company provided the local IDP accommodation center with 460 sets of beds and mattresses and 550 sets of pillows, bed linen, and warm blankets.

Certified export consultant and Export Bootcamp trainer Galyna Perepelytsia say that every producer has his own way, his own buyer and market. There are no ready-made solutions, but thanks to Export Bootcamp you can get motivation and tools for development:

“Ukrainian furniture has a special value in export markets – it is the influence of our courage, creativity, and desire to move, despite the obstacles. Visits to enterprises of Transcarpathia exporters confirmed that export is real, it is a challenge, but also a development. Three days full of communication between participants, meetings with experts and buyers, creation of a new wave of furniture exporters – it’s inspiring!”