Mr. Lyakhovsky presented current trends in the global furniture market in an accessible and engaging manner, identified the direction of its development amid global macroeconomic instability, and highlighted the position and role of Ukrainian manufacturers in the market. The lecturer shared with the students that the company manufactures a wide range of kitchen, home, and bathroom furniture. Grade-Plus’s production facilities are based at two factories equipped with state-of-the-art machinery from leading global manufacturers. “Grade-Plus” is one of the leaders in the Eastern European furniture market, and its products are available in Ukraine and exported to dozens of countries in Europe, North America, Africa, Asia, and Australia.

In his lecture, Mr. Volodymyr emphasized that continuous improvement is the guiding principle of “Grade-Plus,” and that its business philosophy is founded on the principle that the company can achieve its own goals only by contributing to the business development of its partners. The specific examples of how “Grade-Plus” develops business strategies based on the changing external environment and responds to a range of contemporary challenges – such as martial law, power outages, and labor market disruptions – proved to be particularly engaging.

At the end of the meeting, the speaker answered questions from the audience. A discussion took place on a range of issues related to the opportunities provided by the digitalization of economic processes and the prospects for the active use of artificial intelligence, which demonstrated the high level of preparation of the university’s students. SUTE students received information about internship and employment opportunities at one of Ukraine’s most renowned furniture companies.

The university students and the faculty members of the Department of Economics and Competition Policy would like to thank Mr. Volodymyr Lyakhovsky for this wonderful opportunity to deepen their knowledge and broaden their horizons in the field of trade development and the functioning of industry markets.

Yurii UMANTSIV,
Head of the Department of Economics
and Competition Policy

Diana SHKUROPADSKA,
Associate Professor of the Department of Economics
and Competition Policy