Meeting of the Ukrainian Maritime Cluster with the participation of a representative of the Ministry of Strategic Industries of Ukraine
The general result of the meeting of the Ukrainian Maritime Cluster with a representative of the Ministry of Strategic Industries of Ukraine is the next: the development of the maritime industry of Ukraine is a common task of the state and business. Interaction of business and the state in the implementation of the Cluster strategic management processes in the direction of the maritime industry of Ukraine development is a primary factor of its activities effectiveness. The strategic management of enterprises conceptually and practically should be carried out in close cooperation with the state within the system of active bilateral communication the “business-state”. Even more relevant and necessary is the inclusion of specialized enterprises in the creation process of the Strategy of industry development and state policy formation in order to stimulate sectoral development.
On February 10, the Business Support Center hosted a meeting of the Ukrainian Maritime Cluster with Igor Lysytsky, Head of the Digital Infrastructure Development Department at the Ministry of Strategic Industries of Ukraine, to present the Cluster’s activities, current projects and vision of strategic objectives for the development of the maritime industry in general, as well as its some sectors, including shipbuilding.
Discussion of the need to form a state policy to stimulate the development of shipbuilding as one of the strategic sectors of Ukraine’s economy was a key issue of the meeting. The current situation in the industry requires the development of a clear Strategy for the development of the industry at the state level. The next step should be to launch an appropriate state target program, which will include necessary tools and mechanisms. Based on the results of the discussion, it was determined that the Ukrainian Maritime Cluster should be the initiator and co-developer of the draft strategy, ensuring the representation of all regions and market players.
An equally important issue was the discussion of the draft Strategy for the development of digital infrastructure of strategic industries, developed by the Ministry of Strategy and Industry. The primary task of the strategy is the digital transformation of enterprises and industries, which will provide up-to-date management information about the state of enterprises, industries (sectors) and the unified information space as a whole.
Oleksandr Yurchak, Member of the Supervisory Board of the Ukrainian Maritime Cluster and General Director of the Association of Industrial Automation of Enterprises (APPAU) confirmed the need for close integration into global value chains, which will produce unique engineering services and high quality products, as the digital transformation can give new impetus, meaning and perspectives to stagnant industrial sectors.
Olena Zhukova, Member of the Supervisory Board and MDEM Managing Director, reaffirmed the need to demonstrate competitive advantage at Industry 4.0 level and to merge the demands of private business, state-owned enterprises and government to implement innovative digital systems across all value chains.
Artem Vashchylenko, UMC Chairman of Supervisory Board and Founder of the Business Support Center, also stressed the need to ensure the representation of the industry at the national level, its interests, needs and directions of development. In this aspect it is necessary to involve the profile departments of the Ministry of Strategic Industries of Ukraine, including to establish cooperation in international technical assistance programs, access to foreign markets, training, etc.
Summarizing the results of the meeting, the Director of the Ukrainian Maritime Cluster, Roman Khanzhyn, stressed the potential readiness of the Cluster to become a locomotive for the development of the maritime industry if the required level of its institutional capacity will be achieved. However, the responsibility for the industry development should be shared by both business and government. Also, large-scale results can be achieved only in collaboration, by developing a strategy and ensuring the operation of appropriate mechanisms and tools in order to reach sustainable competitive advantages of economic entities that will operate in a dynamic market environment, deeply integrated into global value chains.