{"id":13681,"date":"2024-02-29T15:40:41","date_gmt":"2024-02-29T12:40:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uafm.com.ua\/?p=13681"},"modified":"2024-02-29T15:40:41","modified_gmt":"2024-02-29T12:40:41","slug":"uam-v-oblychchyah-shukayuchy-mozhlyvosti-meblyuvaty-v-novyh-skladnyh-umovah-sprychynenyh-vijnoyu-igor-popovych-lvivskyj-vlasnyk-meblevogo-biznesu-pochav-rozvyvaty-novu-kompaniyu-iz-vyshhym-rivnem-mebl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uafm.com.ua\/en\/uam-v-oblychchyah-shukayuchy-mozhlyvosti-meblyuvaty-v-novyh-skladnyh-umovah-sprychynenyh-vijnoyu-igor-popovych-lvivskyj-vlasnyk-meblevogo-biznesu-pochav-rozvyvaty-novu-kompaniyu-iz-vyshhym-rivnem-mebl\/","title":{"rendered":"UAFM in Faces: Seeking opportunities to furnish in the new difficult conditions caused by the war, Igor Popovych, a Lviv owner of a furniture business, began developing a new company with a higher level of furniture craftsmanship."},"content":{"rendered":"

The business practices of furniture companies in wartime have shown that the two years of war behind us, although equally difficult for everyone in terms of doing business, were not equally valued in terms of performance. For some, the first year of the war turned out to be more profitable, oddly enough, than last year, when it seemed that the business had adapted to wartime conditions. For others, it was the opposite. And how the two years of war were for the company “Prom \u0421oncept”<\/strong><\/a>, we asked its owner Igor Popovych.<\/strong><\/p>\n

– After the beginning of the full-scale war, even for us in Lviv, far from the front, it took two months to understand what to do next. In the early days, like most people, we thought about the safety of our families and what we could do to help the front. Then came the understanding that we need to change the business strategy so that the company can operate effectively in the new environment.<\/em><\/p>\n

At the beginning of the recovery period, the company found itself in a difficult situation, because state orders accounted for the bulk of production. Since the creation of the public procurement platform in Ukraine, our company has been actively participating in tenders and gradually, gaining experience in public procurement and execution of state orders, we mainly focused on this segment. The equipment we have allows us to perform large volumes of serial orders quickly and efficiently, while production capacities were loaded only by twenty percent.<\/em><\/p>\n

With the beginning of the full-scale war, everyone was in a state of uncertainty, tenders were not announced on the public procurement platform for a while, and we understood that there was no point in waiting for the resumption of orders in the public sector. Even after the government resumed mandatory purchases in Prozorro in July 2022, their number was negligible compared to pre-war figures. This was understandable and predictable, as state spending on non-critical needs was being cut.<\/em><\/p>\n

So the company decided to restructure production and marketing strategy for individual orders, although there has always been huge competition in this market segment. Of course, it was not easy, because everything had to be done at an accelerated pace, but it was a time of accumulating strength and great responsibility, so everyone worked for the result. Thus, we created the group of diversified companies “Promkoncept”.<\/em><\/p>\n

It was a tangible step in the development of my furniture business, the newly created company is now also able to implement comprehensive “turnkey” projects – both individual and corporate.<\/em><\/p>\n

– Was it not risky to decide to furnish in the high price segment in the conditions of the wartime economy, because practice shows that in such conditions more orders are received by furniture manufacturers working for the mass market?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

– The circumstances forced us. In the mass market without large series orders, the company would not have survived due to unprofitability.<\/em><\/p>\n

– And did the production of high-end furniture have to be re-equipped, technologically re-armed, so to speak?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

– Minimally. Since our factory is an enterprise with a full production cycle. Of course, we had to bring the design department to a higher level, change some technological processes a little. As for the equipment – it is top-notch, with numerical control, even before the war. The only downside: we still cannot fully use its highly productive parameters due to low utilization. Thus, we have created conditions for producing many times more products and this is what we are working to achieve.<\/em><\/p>\n

– So, comparing the two years of war..<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

– …the 22nd for us was a year of change and survival, given that we started working in the high price segment, in fact not having the appropriate client base for such volumes.<\/em><\/p>\n

The fact that we kept the team and did not stop production, I consider a decent result in those conditions. By the end of the year, we began to expand the client base, and last year passed in a slow but stable increase in production and sales volumes. This year, despite the fact that the furniture market is usually quiet in winter, continues to inspire entrepreneurial optimism. Moreover, the company is now close to pre-war performance.<\/em><\/p>\n

What gives rise to such optimism? The positive dynamics in the psychological state of society, and hence labor collectives, business leaders. The more psychologically resilient we are, the better and faster we adapt to change, the more productively we focus on perspectives – we see important goals for ourselves and creatively find opportunities and ways to achieve them.<\/em><\/p>\n

– The shortage of skilled personnel caused by the war is exacerbating in some manufacturers to the point where their companies are on the verge of survival. Is it just as painful for your company?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

– We also lack personnel, because we live in the same country. And not one war is the reason. Unfortunately, the profession of furniture maker in Ukraine remains outside the list of those that are popular among young people. So, in a situation of personnel famine, which is increasing, we see the need to involve women in production processes. Moreover, we use equipment with low dependence on what is called “the human factor”. Of course, this process needs to be prepared accordingly. Some production processes need to be automated to facilitate work. I am convinced that business must work and develop, creating jobs, so that after victory it can quickly and efficiently rebuild Ukraine.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\t\t