Drone maker blames Ukrainian officials for disorganized approach to cooperation with businesses
Read NV on Google
Ukrainian businesses need a clear "understanding of what will happen tomorrow," Artem Viunnyk, director of the Athlon Avia aerial drone-making R&D company said in an interview with Radio NV on Jan. 18.
Viunnyk sharply criticized Ukrainian officials for their disorganized approach to cooperation with businesses.
"Traditionally, management consists of four things: forecasting, planning, control and analysis,” said Viunnyk.
“Currently, we have almost none of the first two components. We do not know what will happen in 2025, what orders we will receive, or in what volume. But for manufacturers, 2025 is already tomorrow.”
Longer-term planning is essential, and manufacturers should have some idea of what to expect, “at least a year in advance, and preferably two or three years in advance."
“Logistics itself take five to six months. And the production cycle is not just logistics. It includes the production itself, acceptance testing,” said Viunnyk.
The authorities' approach to manufacturers is not due to sabotage or treachery, but simply to a poor communication and organization.
"It is a kind of total disorganization, the absence of people who are aware and can set their own goals, determine the rules of behavior, and monitor the actions of their subordinates,” Viunnyk said.
He added that he often has to "push through obvious things that need to be done."
Compounding the problem is that contracting rules have changed four times in the past two years, making it difficult for manufacturers to navigate the market.
"All this seems to be presented as an attempt to liberalize this market, to simplify procedures, and to give up the still totalitarian control of manufacturers over pricing,” Viunnyk noted.
“But in fact, with each new iteration, the rules of the game become less clear and more dangerous for manufacturers.”
About 200 companies involved in drone production operate in Ukraine, Deputy Prime Minister and Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said on Nov. 21, including the Cobra strike drone and an analog of the Iranian Shahed-136 kamikaze drone.
The military war may be swinging in our favor, but the information war continues.
Just as an army needs soldiers, so does a free society need its journalists to ensure that people have access to honest, trustworthy voices to understand the world around them.
For the past five years, The New Voice of Ukraine has been working tirelessly to push back against Russian narratives and defend democracy. But we cannot do it alone.
Please consider supporting us on Patreon for just $5 a month – your donation does directly to supporting journalists and ensuring that this front of the infowar says solid and defended.
Thank you.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
