Members of the Ukrainian Furniture Association Companies (largely regional), who have something to learn in the organization of production and who have something to show their colleagues, usually go beyond the guided tour and gain the scale of a well-planned and informally held business event where topics are discussed, relevant to the activities of the entire Association. That is why representatives of other companies, who are interested in visiting their best colleagues, always take part in such trips and visits. Actually, the Association organizes such events for this purpose. One of these furniture excursions recently took place in the territory of the Lutsk company Modern-Expo Group. This event will be our story.
At first, as it should be, the hospitable hosts introduced themselves: they told the guests about themselves, followed by clear confirmation of what they were saying: they are rich, they are happy, and we don’t hide it. But the rich, convinced guests. Even from the story of the head of the company Petro Pylypiuk.
He began the presentation of his company with the fact that Modern-Expo is an international company, one of the major European manufacturers of commercial equipment, in which about three and a half thousand people work at its three factories. Already this charter itself provides for openness, which is in the list of values ​​of the company and as evidenced and presented by the event. The company’s mission: not just to produce furniture and equipment for retail needs, and thereby change it in accordance with the needs of modernity, while the basic purpose of its products remains the same: to help sellers sell better, and buyers, respectively, are more comfortable to buy. The company’s values ​​(honesty, responsibility, optimism, openness, mutual respect, trust) are not special, they are basically the same as those declared by the majority of furniture makers, but at Modern-Expo they were never declarative, but really fundamental in all company actions. Honesty is responsibility, mutual respect and trust in the basis of relationships not only with partners, but also with company employees.
The company today produces almost all equipment of furniture character, as well as sets with modern built-in equipment, are needed for retail, keeping a high level of quality, and this is its advantage. To a large extent, because of this, its products have never been in the category of cheap despite the fact that the B2B market in which it operates is very complex and competitive. The competitiveness of products and the fact that the company from the very beginning of its existence, refused to go the so-called Chinese way, copying the model of reputable manufacturers and cheapening them in their performance. It offers innovative products exclusively of its own design and construction. This is the basis for an ambitious company intends to comprehensively serve only the top companies in the retail world. In particular, non-food retail, the equipment for which has become a relatively new product line for the company. As well as the direction of the so-called brand equipment and equipment for the category of HoReCa establishments.
The future for innovative design and innovative furniture in general is a solution, and the company, well aware of this, significantly invests in innovative developments, some of which are already implemented in the samples of commercial equipment, which, like the corresponding furniture, is called intellectual, with a significant expansion of the usual functionality . Such equipment includes so-called smart shelving, which promptly, in real time, reports what, to whom and when it is sold.
For the manufacture of individual samples of such products, which are increasingly becoming individualized, exclusive, time requires not only an individual, a kind of unique tools, but also the same equipment. Moreover, even entire process lines. And the company undertook to create such technological exclusives for itself, having for this a powerful intellectual base – engineering design, IT. It even went further in this matter: it singled out this engineering activity in its own separate business direction, it will develop in the current world trend of the fourth industrial revolution (And industry 4.0).
The company has been a supporter of business since 2006, based on the philosophy of continuous improvement of “kaizen” and lean production, but actually began to introduce their standards into their own production much later, however, the real results did not slow down, and they were especially interested in guests. who asked Peter Pilipyuk to detail this topic, which is currently relevant for all those who are not indifferent to their production of furniture makers.
His practical advice is not new, but do not repeat them:

a) if the owners of the company, its managers, top managers at the personal level do not realize the vital need for their production of such changes and improvements, and will not be imbued with their own desire to implement them, will not become an example in this matter for other employees, there will be no good work the case will be doomed to failure;
– if it is firmly decided to take up this business, it is not a one-time campaign, but a permanent process, it is necessary to create working groups in each workshop that specifically will practically implement the kaizen tools and lean into the activities of these production units.
When the guests got acquainted in some detail with the company to which they had arrived, the Association, in turn, reported to the guests and owners about their achievements. And for this there were logical reasons. First of all, it was a purely temporary occasion that caused (just a year of activity of the current UAFM board), and, secondly, the representation of the members of the Association was solid on this trip – it was to whom to report.
Of course, the report was delivered by the head of the Volodymyr Patis Association. We give his key theses.
What has changed in the activities of the Association this year? Its leadership and members have become more often, more closely and meaningfully communicate with each other. UAFM really became the Association of all Ukraine, and not just the capital and its region. This is confirmed by this business trip to the Volhynian colleagues.
A mini-football tournament was founded – an example of the fact that associations for the strengthening of the shop commonwealth intend to further develop informal communication methods.
The association is quite motivated, according to the statutory provisions, focuses on what should help members in acquiring large business benefits and incomes, protect and protect their members from the circumstances that prevent them from doing so (for example, defending the interests of furniture importing companies in conflicts with customs that periodically resort to unwarranted and unlawful harassment). An example of such assistance is participation in a government trade mission to Israel, which ended for its furniture makers (and later not only participants) with a solid long-term business project. Unfortunately, not all companies during the return visit to Ukraine of Israeli buyers, retailers and architects who are interested in Ukrainian furniture, showed proper proactivity in order to take advantage of the opportunity to cooperate with them. Workshop solidarity and partnership support between members of the Association should be more substantive: you have no opportunity to join the received business proposal – offer it to your colleagues or invite them to cooperate with your company in a particular project. “There are many opportunities not to lose lucrative offers in solidarity,” the UAFM President stressed. In particular, this also concerns participation in government tender purchases, through which tens and hundreds of millions of dollars “pass”.
The Association pins great hopes on the next government trading mission in the UK, which is in active preparation and real participation in furniture industry representatives thanks to close business and friendly contacts with the ad hoc Export Promotion Office and cooperation with reputable international donor organizations and funds.
The Ukrainian Association of Furniture Manufacturers is the voice of the industry, and its task is to be as loud as possible so that it can be heard in the highest offices of state institutions so that at the end the furniture industry will be recognized as self-sufficient in the structure of the domestic industrial complex – at least as a separate industrial sector. It’s nice that the first positive developments in this issue already exist.
For the first time, ten platforms have been created in the structure of the Association, focusing on activating the activities of the Association in those areas that are priorities for the development strategy of both the Association and its members, and the industry as a whole. They are, in fact, in the trend of the strategic objectives of the Association, which can be divided into four stages to achieve the final results:
– learn how to make furniture without loss;
– thanks to an advanced design to learn how to create furniture bestsellers;
– learn how to successfully sell the Ukrainian market (in particular, domestic retail)
– learn how to sell globally, that is, in international markets).
After turning the pages of last year, plans are usually made for the future. Vladimir Patis voiced them in such a logical sequence:
– participation in the trade participation in the UK, as already mentioned, and the return trip to Ukraine of the British, who are interested in the offers of Ukrainian furniture makers, to deepen and expand cooperation;
– the beginning of next year, the first in Ukraine international furniture B2B exhibition “Furniture of Ukraine”, during which the furniture summit will be held.

At this exhibition, only Ukrainian manufacturers will display their products, their creative achievements – Ukrainian designers. For members of UAFM participation in it will be favorable.
It has already become a good tradition for the UAFM Directorate to formulate a program for guests at the Association in such a way that it also has an educational component, usually in the form of a speech by an authoritative speaker with an interesting and practically useful topic for furniture makers. For the Lutsk trip, Nastya Vladychynska, who conducted a training on the theme “Furniture companies service. Work with existing customers instead of constantly searching for new ones. ”
If you briefly describe the essence of her speech, then it is that Ukraine does not have to do a successful business thanks to, but in spite of the existing realities. And if you narrow down to the designated topic of service opportunities for furniture makers, the speaker began with what she said: in the current competitive conditions for furniture makers who perform a certain customized furniture project, it is not enough to implement it qualitatively and fully in accordance with the agreement – it is important make it as comfortable as possible for the customer. In particular, giving him a maximum of services. Only in this case, the client will be fully satisfied and recommend such a company to his friends, and not to tell them: “Yes, we did everything well, as we wanted, but the mood did not increase from communicating with them – so nerves exhausted.” And then Anastasia spoke about the whole set of tools that furniture makers can use in customer relations as a service provider, so they say, to tie them to themselves, to make regular customers – moreover, popularizers of a “polite and caring company”. And taught how to effectively use such service tools.

Material prepared by Анатолій Задорога

Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F59c1rsXl9E