Serhii Podufalyi: Doors Built on Resilience

For 15 years, Kryvyi Rih native Serhii Podufalyi has been manufacturing doors for various purposes. He started his business in a garage with only an angle grinder and a drill. Today, he has two production workshops, a painting area, several lines of work, and a team capable of producing up to seven doors a day.

“I once dreamed that if I made one door a day, I’d become a millionaire. Now we make seven – and it’s still not enough to cover all the expenses,” Serhii recalls with a smile.

Growth Through Challenges

Before the full-scale invasion, the business was stable: Serhii supplied doors to the local market, serving Kryvyi Rih and nearby towns. After February 24, 2022, production stopped for six months – the team dispersed, and there was no confidence in tomorrow.

By August, the workshop reopened. The first doors after the pause were made for military facilities – free of charge. Production returned to full capacity, and by 2022 and the first half of 2023, business was, in Serhii’s words, “unprofitable.”

However, in 2024, the situation changed.

“Demand dropped by 30%. Before, the market was on our side. Now we have to chase customers. Because of the war, people spend less on comfort, repairs, and new doors. Many men are abroad or mobilized – and they are the ones who usually decide to install new doors.”

Another problem was the shortage of staff. Three employees were mobilized, and replacing them was not easy. Serhii describes himself as a “player-coach” – both the director and a skilled worker, participating in every stage of production.

From Scepticism to Results

Participation in the “Support and Recovery of the Kryvyi Rih District” Programme was Serhii’s first experience obtaining grant funding. He admits he was sceptical at first.

“I’m 41, I don’t believe in fairy tales any more. When they said they could help me just like that – I didn’t believe it. But everything turned out to be honest. The money came, and I immediately started investing in development.”

With the grant funds, Serhii purchased a new CNC plasma cutting machine – more precise and modern than the ones he had. He expects it will improve the quality of parts production, save time, and boost competitiveness.

The second part of the grant will complete the renovation of one of the workshops: insulation, interior finishing, and purchasing materials for display samples.

“My goal is to reach new sales points, ideally beyond the city. We already work with several dealers, providing door samples to their stores. People want to see and touch the product – that’s why display samples are so important.”

Looking to the Future

Despite the difficult conditions, Serhii continues to invest in quality and production upgrades. The Programme’s support became a good starting point for new decisions and confidence in tomorrow.

“I’m very grateful for this grant. I want to use it wisely: finish the workshop renovation and reach as much of the market as possible. If it works – we’ll move forward on our own,” says Serhii.

ℹ️ For reference:
The program is implemented within the framework of the “Support for Recovery of Kryvyi Rih Rayon” project, funded by the Government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg through the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency (LuxDev) and the Business Development Fund.

Authorized banks: Oschadbank and PrivatBank.