Sergey Uderevskiy, General director of LLC "UniversalStroyMash" has been awarded the title of an "Honored Manager” for the greenfield establishment of a big machine-building holding.
The news about his becoming a laureate of the "National Managerial Reserve – 2016” reached Sergey Uderevskiy at home, in Volgodonsk. He received the message from Moscow, and congratulations on a well-deserved reward and the invitation to the solemn ceremony to be held in the "President-Hotel”.
– But unfortunately I failed to go to the capital, – says Sergey with a smile. – Right on that day all our family was going to celebrate my youngest son first anniversary. I think it’s not the last award in my life, but my son’s turning a year happens once in a lifetime.
Comments: The "National Managerial Reserve” is the All-Russian rating in the sphere of business and economic activities. It was established by the Business Initiatives Support Fund affiliated to the State Duma of RF and you cannot be enlisted into it "on your own accord” – the results of the enterprises performance over the last year are determined by the Federal Service of State Statistics (Rosstat). So the news that Sergey Uderevskiy became a laureate was really unexpected but pleasant. Today we are going to discuss with Sergey Uderevskiy how to establish and develop a big machine-building company in hard times of crisis, what is the most important thing in the private and collective success and in general, why to become a businessman.
– To begin with, Sergey, please say a few words about your company, as its name "UniversalStroyMash" doesn’t sound very familiar in Volgodonsk.
– It is not surprising, because our products are not designed for conventional consumers. LLC "UniversalStroyMash” is a machine-building holding, which produces vessel and tank equipment for enterprises of power, petrochemical and chemical industry as well as other industries, e.g. metallurgical or machine-building. More than that, we are an engineering company, in other words, we attend our customers from the very beginning, i.e. from the development of the project to the erection of the assembled equipment and its commissioning. We also deliver civil steel structures of different applications and erect them. Our company was established five years ago.
– Do you mean that you decided to establish the company in the midst of the crisis? How did you dare to?
– From my point of view, a crisis is one of widely used stamps, which are deeply engrained in the consciousness of people and prevent them from going ahead. You always have possibilities, even in a crisis. It was more essential that after my practically 15 years’ career of a salaried employee I decided that this part of my life is over. And it is not the case of finances (it is clear that an employee gains much less from implementation of his ideas than the employer); but of the possibility to fully implement your own ideas and to depend not upon the influence of other people and plans of the higher management.
– What did you start with?
– With a formation of a group of people close to my way of thinking– my respected partners. They were, like now, very few (I think they cannot be numerous), but it is the main point in implementation of your own ideas. They are real professionals and people whom I can fully trust. At first we rented some production facilities, established connections with suppliers and consumers, accumulated material and technological possibilities … At that time we worked as probably many people did all over the world: we established an assembly yard at the site where different suppliers deliver their components. The main thing at that stage was to ensure correct designing and engineering support аs well as continuous quality control of incoming components. And it can be provided (and is still provided) by our professional and dedicated staff members – experts.
– Do you mean to say that people are your core asset?
– Surely!
– How many people do you employ presently?
– We have a holding engineering company, which manages production programs of big enterprises numbering about 100 workmen and more. We also have engineering department with personnel numbering up to 20 persons. All this is located in different cities of our vast Russia. Thus we provide jobs for people in different regions and simplify our logistics because the delivery of products, including oversize cargo, in many cases costs as much as their production. That is why, instead of carrying them ”over the hills and far away”, disassembling a bridge half, hoisting gas pipeline and electrical trestles, it is more simple and less expensive to find a possibility to assemble the ordered article locally. I mean that we can work in different regions providing project management from Volgodonsk.
– How have you come to machine building industry? Honestly speaking, we are used to deal with young businessmen who entered the business by trading goods at markets in the 90-th.
– Well, I am not an exception. To be more precise, my elder brother traded goods and I gave him a hand. Thus, thanks to my brother I got the idea of goods/money relationship when I was only 10. But nevertheless I became a student of the Volgodonsk branch of the Platov South-Russian State Polytechnic University (NPI) (presently this building incorporates the Volgodonsk Engineering and Technical Institute, a branch of the National Research Nuclear University "MIFI”), faculty "Mechanical Engineering”. I often recall my studies and teachers with great respect, because besides theory, we were taught many practical skills – for example, we worked at machine-tools and had practical training at big machine-building enterprises. I launched my career in 2001, just after my thesis defense: I carried out a rather interesting research for which I took out a RF patent, and the HR manager of "Atommash” (at that time it was named "Energosg-UK-Limited”) who was present at the defense offered me a vacancy right at hand. I came to "Atommash” as a design engineer and I left it as а sales manager of the petrochemical department. So I first designed equipment for petrochemical enterprises and then I sold it.
– So, you still had to learn how to sell in a professional manner?
– You can say so. I was lucky to have good teachers during my work at "Atommash”! And after that I had to study myself how to arrange my business professionally. For this, I received the second degree; I completed the management training course under the Presidential program of management training for RF national economic enterprises. To do this, I even had to leave "Atommash”. At that time the former management, unfortunately, did not find the possibility to support me and to send me for training. That is why when later I applied for employment, I made a compulsory condition to give me time for the completion of the Presidential course. As a result, I left a large enterprise for a small one. At first I was a little bit shocked, but the gained experience, both training and production, was extremely valuable.
– It is always interesting to know what is the practical usefulness of such programs – presidential, governor’s, etc.? Are they only "show up” actions”?
– I wouldn’t say so, and it’s not only the case of theoretical knowledge. On the contrary: one professor told us that his task is make us understand why each of us starts his business, whether we have sufficient self-energy for it and are able to find likeminded people to become their leader, as well as to develop a really living and interesting project… Otherwise, as they say, it’s easier to sell from a hawker’s stand, it’s also a business. Furthermore, during my studies I met a lot of very interesting people, who represented a wide variety of fields of activities and management levels. So, for a young businessman or a fledging manager the presidential program can be considered as a good way to broaden his outlook. And of course, I made new acquaintances, business contacts; they are very important in business.
– What is the main thing you have learned there?
– Strange as it may sound, I learned that business is done not for the sake of money and your own business. Its main task is to satisfy a consumer. If the consumer is satisfied, he will go on dealing with you and, probably, even pay more than to any other businessman who offers him a similar proposal. It means that your company will be successful and it will work for a long time.
After the presidential program I had a chance to attend foreign courses and I have already completed three of them. I am very interested in Japan as a country and not only because of its highly developed techniques. I am interested in their mentality, their devotion to duty, the subjugation of private interests to the common goal, disciplined approach, and high corporate culture. By the way, the slogan of "UniversalStroyMash”, "Precise execution of contractual obligations is the linchpin of successful work”, was also chosen under the "Japanese” influence.
The Japanese appreciate well-established links and prefer to cooperate with the partners they trust even if their price is not the best. We have also chosen this way: we have permanent partners who are our best buyers. It always pays off. In fact, we don’t leave our partners in lurch, we try to show understanding. Difficulties pass over, but well-established links remain.
– Permanent partners, who are they? Name them please.
– JSC "MCC EuroChem” (Moscow) and JSC "Metallservice” (Rostov-na-Donu), JSC "Azot” and ”Perkal” (Nevinommyssk), CJSC "Energometall” (St. Petersburg) and "BMU” (Belorechensk) and many others. And of course, Volgodonsk companies, e.g. LLC "Donmetplast”.
– What can you advise our fledging businessmen as a matter of your own successful experience?
– The main thing for a fledging businessman is commitment to success. And the purpose must be much more ambitious than just to establish a company. And one more thing, your most valuable capital is your knowledge and the people who are beside you.
– Thank you for your sincere interview!
– I also thank you for the possibility to share my own realized ideas and I hope that they will inspire young businessmen to bring their own ideas to life by means of business. Let me take this opportunity to express my special gratitude to my wife, a businesswoman with 11 years of experience, for her patience during my business development, to my partners for their faithfulness, openness and adherence to the obligations undertaken, and to my employees for their dedication.
