The family business in Rumšiškės felt the impact of profits: employees look abroad, customers wait for furniture for 2-3 months

It all started with a need for yourself

“The beginning of the business started with wood paneling. I had to do repairs myself and it was very expensive everywhere. We were a young family, the children were still small, we did not have much money and we still had to queue for half a year to buy wall tiles. It turns out very simple and self-made.

Production was driven by demand, there was nothing at the time. Friends, acquaintances, neighbors began to order siding, so things gradually expanded. Later, we moved on to the production of kitchen sets, because we also needed ourselves and then others, ”says D. Jasevičienė.

Currently, the company produces dining room furniture – chairs and tables, working mainly with individual orders. ‘TO. Jasevičius furniture can also be seen in the Presidential Palace, some Lithuanian embassies abroad, the Pažaislis Monastery, and many hotels and restaurants.

“Now I don’t think there are many companies that manufacture furniture in such an individual way because when choosing the wood, its type, color or tapestry, nobody plays like that anymore. There are more individual orders, more manual work ”, he adds.

At the wheel – two sons

Currently, two sons are running the family business: Edwin, 37, and Moren, 42. Both brothers were preparing to take over the family business a day in advance, so after entering college, they incorporated. The senior graduated in marketing and economics, and Edwin graduated in furniture design and technology. Both admit to having chosen a difficult business direction.

“I worked here in the summer, I knew it was the base, but I was not sure about going here. There were times when everyone was drawn to America and got green cards, I would consider that I need them too. However, while I was in from college, I learned about my father’s illness, which I had lived with for many more years, but something inside of me worked. So, immediately after my studies, I began to delve into the processes, although the various teams did not tell me. They were very interesting, if frankly, even today I am afraid of going through a large work unit, ”says Moren about the vocation of joining the family business.

“He’s already gone, we work here in the summer, when we were in school we knew it was a warm place,” Edwin smiles. “My dad told me about the prehistory of the business: he cultivated, harvested two crops in the summer, took them to Russia to sell once, brought a bunch of boards from there, had to do something with them, and that’s how they started the furniture.. “

In the forest, they themselves chose the logs.

The interlocutors assure that Lithuanian wood is used in the production and that they have recently been transporting part of Ukraine. In the past, the brothers even chose logs in the forest that were suitable for furniture production.

“We went to the forest, I even collected logs myself, but now we are buying boards. Because you need the best wood, the most expensive and the highest quality, it means the thickest trunk with the least amount of branches, damage or cores So choose not to leave the furniture rotten, ”Moren says.

A couple of years ago “A. Jasevičiaus baldai ”started exporting products to Scandinavia. Today, exports account for half of production, when two years ago Lithuania accounted for about 90 percent. products and 10% for export. Now the second stage has begun: renovation, entrepreneurs invest a lot of money in production.

“There was no constant flow of orders in Lithuania, in addition, we felt the seasonality: in autumn we are fine, in summer there are no orders, everyone worries more about the holidays. Such waves have prompted the search for more overseas traffic to retain people; They can’t forgive us in the summer and accept them again in the fall, ”says Edwin, saying there was a breakdown in trade.

Increased competition also contributed to this: “More companies have emerged, many of them are imported and sold, and in our own production the cost is not very cheap, we use solid wood and manual labor. In other parts of China, many products come, but not all buyers understand whether it is a Chinese or a Lithuanian product. A Chinese chair can be two or three times cheaper than one made here. “

“It just came to our knowledge then. We don’t save on materials, internal things that are not visible. It doesn’t allow me to ‘climb’ myself. On the other hand, you can set foot in business, because a competitor offers a similar image, but perhaps a less durable product ”, adds Moren.

Products have to wait 2–3 months

The Rumšiškės furniture maker also felt the consequences of the quarantine, but exports drove the business out of the hole.

“We did not receive any income in the Lithuanian market, the salons were closed and the rent had to be paid. As we were able to apply for state aid, but at the same time we received a lot of income from exports, it was not difficult for us, ”says Moren.

Edvinas explains that the export margin is quite different from that of Lithuania: “A foreign customer asks for a larger quantity, they need a low price. If you don’t produce for that price, someone else will produce: Polish, Romanian, or Bulgarian, so you have to stick to the price you say. And in Lithuania, when there are different and individual products, there is a higher order margin, so it is a little easier to breathe. When the classrooms were closed during the quarantine, they had to turn around. “

Entrepreneurs say that the entire market for wood products is in chaos due to inadequate prices and supply of raw materials. Material prices almost double every year or by 50%, and if a company has a contract to sell at a certain price, this can cause great difficulties.

“We have many challenges at the moment, they all need to be addressed in parallel: if you don’t sell, production doesn’t work, if a chain doesn’t work, then the whole mechanism stops. One of the main challenges is volatility with commodity prices. premiums, there is no certainty, we do not know how many material components we will receive next week. Sales prices cannot be over-regulated because it costs a lot of energy, “explains Edwin.

Production times have also increased: currently, you would have to wait two to three months to order a table. However, interlocutors say they have anticipated events: by hiring foreigners and thus increasing capacity, they shorten production times.

He reduced the consequences by employing Ukrainians and Belarusians

“With the workforce, it is really difficult, we have felt a lot in the sector of people who receive benefits, they do not want to go to work, it is not worth it, because they receive benefits, they sit for a year or two. We had orders, but there was no labor, so we directed our searches to third countries, today we have many and we continue to increase the number. By increasing capacity and production, we shorten deadlines because we have manpower and equipment, “say both brothers.

The three family businesses (furniture manufacturing, restoration and antique furniture trade) have a total of 65 employees, of which about a quarter are from Ukraine and Belarus. Employers admit that hiring foreigners in Lithuania is not so easy.

“There are many challenges to hiring them – it’s financially expensive, the documentation is a lot of administration, and in the end, you need to find and train them,” Edwin said.

“Many have a residence permit, many people want to put down roots and dream of going up here with their families, but they have not gone yet,” Moren adds.

Discover peace while traveling

The brothers admit that whether there is a pandemic or good times, there will always be challenges in production.

“There are always things to do in production, it is not that I have recovered well and calm: it is broken, broken, external factors, they are raw materials”, says Moren. The brother tells him: “You wake up on the third night and you think about how to complete an order, it is a deadline, the birthday of a town or a wedding, they need that table.”

Entrepreneurs seek peace in nature by traveling, exercising, doing yoga, or meditating.

“With my brother and two friends, we have the tradition of going on a trip with backpacks once a year; without any plan to break up, I personally” clear “my head, so I unload. We travel through Africa, South America, without booking hotels, with minimal planning. When you return, seeing how you live in another place, you realize that it is not so bad in that Lithuania and your problems no longer seem so difficult “, smiles Moren.

It is true that they also have another family business – Rumšiškių baldai, which sells antique antique furniture. Walking through the exhibition, it feels like in a museum: here you can find various shapes, colors and period furniture and interior details: from luxurious classic or subtle retro, romantic Provence to modern interiors. Antique furniture comes to Rumšiškės from all over Europe. The third restoration company was born from the antique furniture trade, where furniture is reborn for a second life.