“Why did you choose to open a production facility in the center of the country, rather than in the west, like many other companies relocating to what they consider to be safer regions during the war?” \u2014 we asked Stanislav Fedchun, co-owner of DenLi. He explained the decision was driven by logistical convenience and available personnel. As for safety, he emphasized that currently the entire territory of Ukraine is exposed to enemy attacks, and no region is truly safe. That\u2019s why the company decided not to relocate, maintaining its headquarters and production base in Mykolaiv and establishing only a supporting unit in Vinnytsia.<\/p>\n
\n\u2014 What do you mean by logistical convenience?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\u2014 Before the war, we focused on serving the southern region of Ukraine, where we originally started. The war has reshaped the domestic market, and now we need to supply our products to Vinnytsia, the capital, the north, and the west of the country. Vinnytsia is geographically convenient for us to move in all directions.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\u2014 Is the Vinnytsia unit organized the same way as the one in Mykolaiv?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\u2014 We decided not to build our own machine park, finding it more efficient under current conditions to rely on outsourcing. We work with companies like Viyar, AGT Plus, Vibir, and Maximum Plus, whose technical capabilities allow them to fulfill our orders at a level of quality that matches our technical specifications and premium design standards. Our own installers then assemble and deliver the finished furniture to clients.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\u2014 So it\u2019s possible to manage without having your own machinery?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\u2014 We still have some equipment, but it\u2019s mostly used as auxiliary tools.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\u2014 Do you produce only kitchens?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\u2014 Mainly, yes. Since the beginning of the war, we\u2019ve found it most reasonable to focus on kitchen furniture. However, we now mostly offer full-home furnishing solutions with custom cabinetry, delivered turnkey.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\u2014 Are these your in-house designs, or do you collaborate with external interior designers?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\u2014 Both. Even when we work with external designers, we handle all the technical documentation and design detailing \u2014 the designer provides only the overall project concept.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\u2014 Have you set export goals yet?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\u2014 Yes, but we haven’t fully explored that direction yet \u2014 it\u2019s still at the stage of strong intention. This year, we\u2019re going to tackle it. We\u2019re considering two approaches: one is to work with our current models but establish representatives abroad who can take measurements and handle installation. That\u2019s not an easy task, as you can imagine. The second direction is to develop a new original product. We already have some groundwork, though it\u2019s too early to share details. We’re aiming for serial production, understanding that in this case, outsourcing alone won\u2019t be sufficient \u2014 we\u2019ll need to establish our own machine park. The new product will be intended both for domestic and export markets, though we\u2019ll test it first in Ukraine.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\u2014 Many companies in the premium segment have struggled during the war. Yet yours has managed to stay afloat\u2026<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\u2014 I now consider it a stroke of luck that we succeeded in elevating our product to a premium level before the war. It\u2019s now clear that the premium segment \u2014 surprisingly to some \u2014 has been the least affected under martial law. I mean, of course, the moderate premium segment, where a kitchen can cost tens of thousands of dollars.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\u2014 How was last year compared to the two previous ones? And apart from exploring export opportunities, what else do you plan for this year?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\u2014 Last year was definitely more favorable and productive \u2014 both in terms of production and sales volumes, and in staffing, since growing output requires more hands. As for plans, our priority is to determine our export strategy. It\u2019s a complex task, so we prefer not to take on anything else major simultaneously, to avoid spreading ourselves too thin.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n\n\t\t