Investors often choose plots with nothing on them but weeds and grass. Then production has to be built from scratch: design, permits, environmental reviews and community approvals, all the way to connecting electricity, water and gas. Connecting utilities was always a problem. For example, getting gas to a plant requires a huge amount of equipment that only a few years ago was imported — slow, expensive and bad for the regional economy.
Roman Matys discussed this many times with Lvivgaz. Thanks to effective cooperation, good communication and Taras Kytrysh’s professionalism, a solution was found: the gas distribution company now manufactures equipment for cleaning, metering, regulating and maintaining stable natural gas pressure in distribution networks. The RGC Production project was approved in early November 2018, the equipment was sourced within weeks, and in 2020 the company offers the market:
- gas pressure regulating units;
- gas metering units;
- cabinet-type gas regulating stations;
- block-type regulating stations;
- remote data transmission devices.
Because of high demand, RGC Production keeps expanding output for corporate and household customers. Every stage of production undergoes technical control, and the company holds ISO 9001 and ISO 45001 certificates. Its equipment is installed in almost every part of Ukraine, and it has more than 30 foreign partners.
In 2019–2020 investment in the project exceeded UAH 50 million, and staff numbers grew sixfold in a year to 170. Everyone received workwear designed for their specialisation, and a separate rest room was set aside for staff at Lvivgaz — not at all typical for Ukrainian employers.
“There was no service at all on the gas market when it came to connections, and RGC Production created it,” Roman Matys sums up. Getting gas to a plant is now much easier: there is a local manufacturer of all the equipment and unified standards. Other utility companies would do well to follow the same approach.
