{"id":14774,"date":"2025-02-27T16:30:53","date_gmt":"2025-02-27T13:30:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uafm.com.ua\/?p=14774"},"modified":"2025-02-27T16:31:38","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T13:31:38","slug":"uam-v-oblychchyah-rozpovid-vlasnyka-kompaniyi-interiorich-maksyma-otroshhenka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uafm.com.ua\/en\/uam-v-oblychchyah-rozpovid-vlasnyka-kompaniyi-interiorich-maksyma-otroshhenka\/","title":{"rendered":"UAFM in Faces: The story of Interiorich Founder Maksym Otroshchenko"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The war has significantly changed the usual way of doing business in our furniture industry. Some may have known the word “relocation” before, but they had never applied it in practice. Now, no one is surprised that a company, for example, is registered in Kharkiv but produces furniture in one of the western regions. Or that furniture manufacturing takes place in Ukraine, but management is conducted from abroad because company owners or directors are currently there with their families. In some cases, a company is registered in Ukraine but carries out its production activities abroad, as it has subsidiaries or representative offices there. In this regard, it is fair to say that our Association now includes foreign companies as well, at least in terms of the location of their production facilities.<\/p>\n

One such case is the Sumy-based company Interiorich<\/strong><\/a>. This is how it happened. At the beginning of the war, when Sumy became a frontline city and was under heavy enemy shelling, the home of the company’s owners, Maksym and Yuliia Otroshchenko, was destroyed. They found themselves in the Czech Republic as refugees.<\/p>\n

By the summer of the first year of the war, they managed to restart their furniture production, which had been halted by the war. Fortunately, it was not damaged and continues to operate stably. Most of the team remained intact. They relaunched the business remotely from the Czech Republic, where the family still resides, while relying on their trusted assistants in Sumy.<\/p>\n

– We had obligations to our clients who had made advance payments for their orders,”<\/em> says Maksym Otroshchenko. “We could have refunded the money due to the force majeure caused by the war, but we didn\u2019t\u2014we fulfilled all the orders. Of course, with unavoidable delays, but we got them done.<\/em><\/p>\n

Before the war, they had registered the Interiorich<\/strong><\/a> trademark to enter the international market. They had already secured their first export contracts, which proved helpful when, unfortunately, domestic orders declined due to the war.<\/p>\n

After losing their home, they were in shock for a while, unsure of what to do first. Then came a shift in direction and adjustments to both their personal and business plans.<\/p>\n

To facilitate a faster transition to foreign markets, they decided to open an office in the Czech Republic. They started working with clients from Germany and Austria.<\/p>\n

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– Were you able to retain your team in Sumy?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

– We assembled a team 3-4 years ago that, as it turned out, can work independently without our daily involvement. We also invested in new equipment that allows us to manufacture furniture through a full-cycle process.”<\/em><\/p>\n

In the Czech Republic, they now assemble furniture from parts produced at their Sumy facility and ship them to European clients. Their customers include both private individuals and commercial clients, with a roughly equal distribution.<\/p>\n

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– Your Sumy facility likely has a predominantly male workforce. Have there been any mobilization-related losses?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

– Unfortunately, given the current situation in Ukraine, it is impossible to avoid this. For the same reason, we are also losing subcontractors with whom we collaborate.<\/em><\/p>\n

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– Finding a quick, qualified replacement for such positions is becoming increasingly difficult. Meanwhile, you have a steady flow of international orders that need to be fulfilled on time. How do you manage?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

– We outsourced most furniture production operations\u2014cutting, drilling, and edge banding\u2014to a well-known company, Viyar. We handle more delicate and technologically complex operations in-house. This increases our production costs, but it allows us to operate with a smaller staff.<\/em><\/p>\n

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– Do you also have hired workers in the Czech Republic?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

– Yes, mostly Ukrainians who live here. However, they are not highly qualified specialists but more like general laborers. So, I often have to do the more complex tasks myself.<\/em><\/p>\n

His wife, meanwhile, takes care of accounting, documentation, and sales. “This is more challenging here than in Ukraine: different laws, regulations, and stricter accounting requirements.<\/em><\/p>\n

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– What are your plans for further business development this year?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

– The strategies we developed earlier for entering the European market are already working well\u2014we have successfully integrated and adapted. Now, we are expanding by hiring more qualified workers here in the Czech Republic and investing in new equipment.<\/em><\/p>\n

Our business growth is driven by cooperation with interior designers and architects, regular participation in international furniture and design exhibitions, and, most importantly, our belief that we will endure!<\/em><\/p>\n

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