The instruction of the classic “and learn from others” is also appropriate for adopting the best foreign experience in clustering – a cooperative movement that is gaining trend in the domestic furniture industry. This encouragement was followed by the Ukrainian Association of Furniture Manufacturers, instructing board member Oksana Donska to take part in the international conference “Clusters as drivers of economic cooperation in the Black Sea region.”

Oksana said that the most valuable thing for her as the head of the UAFM cluster platform was her speech at the speaker’s conference from Bulgaria. And it is not surprising if we take into account that Genoveva Hristova is the executive director of LIGNA GROUP, which is part of the Bulgarian furniture cluster, occupies a leading position in the country’s furniture industry and according to the experience of which the UAFM delegation visited at the beginning of the year. study tour with the support of the USAID Competitive Economy of Ukraine Program.

    According to Ms Hristova, 85 percent of the products produced by members of the furniture cluster are exported. Their products (and they specialize in the production of hotel furniture) have already furnished about ten thousand hotel rooms in Europe. The volume of cluster furniture production is growing by twelve percent annually. There really is something to learn and someone to follow. By the way, during the visit of Bulgarian colleagues, it was agreed that UAFM member companies of the relevant furniture specialization can join their cluster cooperation.

       Of course, our Oksana did not take a passive part in the conference, but also spoke at it, talking about the Ukrainian experience of creating furniture clusters – though not so great, important, because it shows that our furniture industry is clearly aimed at developing in the direction of clustering. . This conference was not only an important educational event for UAFM, but also gave the first practical results: negotiations were held with five participants from different countries representing specialized cluster organizations for joint participation in the international grant project “Clusters Go International” (COSME). -GA) with a budget of 7 500 000 euros. The prospects are comforting: there are foreign clusters that are interested in the offer of Ukrainian furniture and are ready to join such a project.