By Nicholas Tamarin
At NKBA | KBIS’ Global Connect Lounge during KBIS 2024, the Global Spotlight sessions highlighted several international brands. Hosted by CEO M2 Connect, Founder Designhounds Influencer Network and M2 Consulting Group Veronika Miller, the Global Connect Lounge Breakfast: Meet Ukraine event was dedicated to manufacturers from Ukraine.
Miller first turned the mic over to Jeff Michels of the United States Agency for International Development, an expert in furniture and manufacturing exports who lived and worked in Ukraine until recently. Before introducing Furniture Park CEO and Co-founder Taras Prystupa, Garant Export Manager Lidia Kapustinska and Lviv Furniture Cluster COO Oksana Straz, Michels explained USAID’s mandate of helping private sector businesses expand into new, global markets before focusing on the key benefits of the Ukrainian kitchen and bath industry:
- Its manufacturers are the “best in class in the K&B space.”
- Ukraine has “the same manufacturing process and materials as Italy and Germany, with products available at a lower price.”
- Tariffs are extremely low; “almost to the point of zero.”
- Manufacturers in Ukraine’s K&B industry are located near the Polish border, far away from the fighting, minimizing disruptions to manufacturing and shipping.
- The collective quality of companies’ renderings is “outstanding.”
Michels then proceeded to individual presentations, kicking off with one given by Furniture Park’s Prystupa. The CEO and cofounder explained the features and benefits of the brand’s K&B cabinetry, shelving and bespoke modular furniture for residential in addition to commercial and hotel projects in an effort to expand beyond its B2B focus. Advantages of Furniture Park’s products include:
- Maximum customized production
- Installation provided in any part of the world
- Manufacturing within one week of structural drawing approval
- Depending on complexity and material combinations, manufacturing completed in two to three weeks
- Export capability of four containers per month from Hamburg, Germany, to any port in the U.S. with a delivery price starting at $5,500
Kapustinska, from Garant, was up next. She discussed the furniture factory’s plan to expand its affordable flatpack shipping of kitchen systems, cabinetry and home and office furniture into the U.S market. The export manager cited a value proposition consisting of:
- 19 years of furniture experience shipping to 14 European countries
- FSC-certified goods produced within 10-14 days
- Detailed step-by-step assembly instructions along with marketing support
Lviv Furniture Cluster’s Straz wrapped up the session by discussing the business association, which represents a group of manufacturers, designers, builders and suppliers in the heart of Ukraine’s K&B manufacturing region. The companies collectively offer several standout attributes:
- During export operations, manufacturers can send shipments, or join forces and send a consolidated mixed container shipment, to optimize logistics and reduce costs.
- A strategic location near the Polish border offers swift logistics and optimal pricing.
- Several companies own outposts in Poland, easing customs and clearance processes.
The Global Connect Spotlight sessions were one of the many activations available through NKBA | KBIS during the trade show. Join us next year at KBIS 2025, in Las Vegas, February 25 – 27, 2025.
