A test of strength

How Dobrush Porcelain Factory solves problems with supply logistics

Growing uncertainty in the global economy, sanctions from a number of Western countries that have disrupted many commodity distribution flows — all this has become a serious challenge for Belarusian manufacturers. Nonetheless, domestic enterprises are holding up well: they are looking for new partners and improving their marketing strategies.

The Dobrush Porcelain Factory, the only one of its kind in Belarus and the leader in the CIS, calmly takes the new economic realities — there is enough margin of safety to resist sanctions and maintain its position in the world market. It produces more than 20 million products per year. All products are immediately sent to customers in Poland, Germany, the USA and other countries. Porcelain teapots or Belarusian-made pizza dishes are found in many restaurants in Paris and in the homes of French housewives, says leading marketing specialist Marina Zaitseva, “In recent years, the scope of deliveries to Europe has been growing. Despite the sanctions, our partners continue to co-operate with us, and they would not like to reduce the volume of purchases of Belarusian porcelain. Delivery has become more difficult, but we are solving this issue.”
The domestic market accounts for 20 percent of the plant’s deliveries. The rest is exported, and Russia occupies the vast majority of it — 80 percent. Alexander Vinokurov, CEO of Dobrush Porcelain Factory CJSC, is sure that this is not the limit, because the opportunities for increasing trade in the Union State have not been exhausted, “We have been working hard to capture very specific markets, and we do not intend to lose it. In Russia, we work with partners who represent us at the Wildberries and Ozon platforms. Partners from Germany helped us enter the Amazon, the world’s largest online marketplace. We started with small batches, now we ship products by trucks.” The plant does not hide the complexities with the supply of necessary materials. For example, the decal, which is used to apply images to porcelain products, was purchased from Ukraine. However, the situation is not critical, Alexander Vinokurov is convinced, “The plant has stocks that give us enough time to make decisions and allow us not to stop production. Experts are actively looking for new suppliers.”
The company employs more than 900 people. They all have their own dining room with minimal extra charges and a medical centre for a comfortable work. By the way, employees were vaccinated right at the workplace, and all those who were vaccinated received a cash bonus. Maria Lopukhova, the Quality Assurance Service Specialist, who has worked at the enterprise for 28 years, is sure that the plant will withstand any difficulties, “We have a very friendly staff, so there is no doubt that we will cope with all the tasks. I came here after school and just fell in love with production. I started as a simple worker, and now I am responsible for quality — in recent years, it has grown significantly thanks to modern equipment.” 


In 2007, a new high-speed tunnel furnace helped reduce energy costs and product costs while improving product quality. In 2010–2011, the company installed tunnel, batch and muffle furnaces of Czech production. Later, a new French machine for casting in plaster moulds began to operate in the production. And in 2014, they spent about €4 million on German equipment. Time has shown that these investments are worthwhile. Now the Dobrush Porcelain Factory is working on continuously incoming orders and is looking ahead with confidence.

By Dmitry Boyarchuk
Photos by BELTA, Ivan Yarivanovich