Relocation is often the only way to save an existing business. This was the case for the Ukrainian steel designer radiator manufacturer EliTerm, which in 2022 was forced to relocate from the city of Kupiansk to Kharkiv. Despite the challenges, the company preserved its team and restored its production capacity. Today, the company offers a wide range of vertical and low-profile horizontal heating radiators, as well as various components.
Olha Dragel, co-owner of EliTerm, is one of the 65 winners of the “CREATE!” program who received grants to scale their businesses. Thanks to the grant, she was able to purchase new production equipment, which helped increase manufacturing capacity, expand the product range, and reduce both production costs and lead times.
With the “CREATE!” grant funds, the entrepreneur acquired a semi-automatic disc saw, a piston compressor, and a drilling-milling machine. This allowed for optimized production processes and the elimination of the need for subcontractors. As a result, the company gained full control over product quality at every stage of production.
“We were able to reduce production costs and shorten manufacturing time, which is crucial for our customers. Now we can carry out all technological processes on our own equipment and ensure quality control at every stage,” shares Olha Dragel.
In the video, the entrepreneur talks about how her business transformed after participating in the “CREATE!” initiative, implemented by the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, UMAEF, and the KSE Foundation, with support from OschadBusiness and the KSE Graduate Business School.