For a street furniture manufacturer, speed and precision matter just as much as the design of the finished product. This is especially true when a company works with custom orders and complex structures that need to be manufactured precisely according to technical drawings.
This was the challenge faced by FIX Union, a member of the Lviv Furniture Cluster, as the company looked to transform part of its production process.
FIX Union manufactures street furniture and urban infrastructure elements for public spaces, including benches, waste bins, lighting structures, planters, bicycle infrastructure and public transport shelters. However, some metal components — particularly laser-cut parts — previously had to be produced by external contractors.
For FIX Union, the solution was to modernize its own production with the support of the Ukrainian Veterans Fund.
The company received grant support from the Ukrainian Veterans Fund through the “Varto Diiaty” programme to implement a project introducing a hybrid laser cutting machine.
The choice of equipment was deliberate. Street furniture often combines not only sheet metal, but also tubes and profiles.
“It was important for us to purchase hybrid equipment that can work with both sheet metal and tubular metal,” explains Pavlo Straz, Director of FIX Union and a veteran.
The purchase of the machine was only one part of the project. The company prepared a dedicated production area, installed the necessary utilities and lighting, arranged workstations, and completed the installation and commissioning of the equipment.
At the same time, employees were trained to work with the new technology, from technical documentation and safety procedures to independent operation.
As a result, FIX Union gained more than new equipment: the company acquired a production capability it had previously outsourced.
Having its own laser cutting capacity shortens the path from a technical drawing to a finished component. It gives the company greater control over production schedules, reduces dependence on external suppliers and makes it easier to respond to custom orders.
The new equipment also opens opportunities to manufacture more complex structures and expand the range of street furniture.
The first results are already visible in real projects. Among the first products made using the new equipment were metal components for Lviv Chess Commons: Move by Move, a project for the new Stein Chess Square in Lviv. The design of the chess tables takes into account the needs of people with different physical abilities, including wheelchair users.
In this way, production modernization becomes something tangible: new technological capabilities are transformed into solutions for public spaces.
For FIX Union, upgrading production is about more than machinery.
The company cooperates with vocational education institutions and provides students with opportunities for practical training. A modern production facility therefore also creates opportunities for future specialists to gain hands-on experience with current technologies.
Another important direction is creating employment opportunities for veterans and people with disabilities, with safe, adapted working conditions and opportunities for professional development.
The new production capabilities allow FIX Union to look beyond optimizing existing processes. The company plans to develop new street furniture models, scale production and expand cooperation with B2B and municipal customers.
In the future, the equipment could also become the basis for a separate laser cutting service for external clients. For now, however, meeting the needs of FIX Union’s own production remains the priority.
The experience of FIX Union demonstrates that grant support for veteran-owned businesses can be much more than an opportunity to purchase new equipment. It can become a tool for transforming production, strengthening a team, creating new jobs and preparing a business for its next stage of growth.
For a Ukrainian street furniture manufacturer, the result is also the opportunity to create more solutions for cities — more precise, more complex, more accessible and better adapted to people's needs.
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