In the presentation of a new line of furniture (beds and tables), developed and put into production by the capital company “WOODWERK” already in wartime, the words “it was done with faith and stubbornness” attracted attention. Our conversation with the head of the company, Artem Ponomarenko, began with those words.

– The company resumed its activities while the initial, most critical phase of the war was still going on, mainly thanks to faith in our army, which did drive the enemy away from the capital. And I also had faith in the team, which, despite the moral tension in which all Ukrainians lived at that time, despite a number of restrictions and other difficulties, including financial ones, tenaciously, stubbornly overcame difficulties, again with the belief that all that will be crowned with success – he set to work so that the company would survive in the difficult conditions of the war. The production pause lasted a couple of months, but the company’s activities did not stop: the development of updated models was underway, the search for opportunities to make them cheaper, the necessary reorganization of production, technology changes, and the selection of materials were being considered. I personally delivered the necessary computer equipment to the designers so that they could work at home.

At the beginning of the war, the dilemma was simple: either the company will close down in anticipation of better times, or urgently, despite the existing difficulties, it will start updating the product range, technologies, and sales in order to issue products in a few months that will fully meet the needs and purchasing capabilities of the population in wartime conditions. It will satisfy not only the market of the warring country but also be competitive in foreign markets. People stuck to the second option, showing readiness, despite significantly reduced and irregular salaries, to work not only at full strength but also with redoubled energy – on enthusiasm. They really demonstrated healthy and effective stubbornness. And the result was not long in coming. Already in the summer, our new models of beds and tables were offered to the market.
Intentions to produce furniture in the so-called budget price segment were hatched even before the war, because the high cost of pre-war products, which were produced using old, expensive technologies, made them uncompetitive for export. The war forced them to do it urgently.
It was decided to start first of all with a cheaper update of bed models – furniture items that every family needs in the first place – with an eye on their production first at our factory in the Lviv region, where it can be launched faster and where there are enough materials for this. In order to achieve the desired result, it was necessary to change the usual technologies and construction, and resort to material interchangeability. For example, metal lamellar frames were replaced with wooden ones, and some details were made thinner, without violating the reliability of the products and their design. We came up with designs that are convenient, compact for packaging, and transportation, and easy for the buyer to install on their own. It can be done even without a screwdriver – a pair of keys included in the product package is enough. Not only the price and the sound quality of the installation went to meet the buyers – we offer them free delivery of the purchase throughout the country, thus fully covering the transport costs.
The innovation is also in the fact that the discounted line of furniture was created with a focus on online sales on the Internet, as it was clear that the work of furniture salons can be problematic in wartime conditions.

– Apparently, a few of the colleagues at UAFM already know that your company started a business importing billiard tables. Over time, she started making them herself, including for export. The transition from billiard tables to the production of traditional ones was natural. And later the bed. All the more so when the factory in Lviv Oblast also became operational. Is the billiard part of your business completely finished now?

– Not really. You know, it was she who helped us out financially in a difficult time of forced production downtime. Our old Dutch partners in this type of production even before the war ordered a batch of pool tables, which we gratefully fulfilled, returning to what we do not often.

– Has the effort to update basic models of beds and tables and make them cheaper already have the desired effect?

– So. We see an increase in sales in the domestic market. They actively began promoting discounted furniture to European markets as well. We have not yet achieved the result we are counting on, but there are still sales. Conducted many negotiations with potential foreign clients, but in most cases, they turned out to be fruitless. The main obstacle is the war. Mostly, foreign retailers refuse contracts, fearing risks due to the shelling of almost the entire territory of Ukraine. Others are motivated by the economic recession observed in Europe also due to the russian war, which is why it has become problematic to bring new products to the market. However, there were several companies in Europe that dared to work with us. The other day, the first batch of beds was already sent to them.