DEVELOPMENT OF UKRAINIAN METAL STRUCTURE EXPORTS ON THE WORLD MARKET: LOGISTICAL CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS

Abstract

The article examines the current state, logistics challenges, and development prospects of Ukraine’s metal structures exports on the global market. It is substantiated that, under the conditions of the transformation of the international economic environment, intensifying competition, increasing complexity of transport and logistics routes, and growing quality requirements, the export of metal structures is becoming increasingly important for strengthening Ukraine’s foreign economic position. The study analyzes the dynamics of export and import operations in the relevant segment and demonstrates that, despite the existing production potential, Ukraine’s position on the global metal structures market remains unstable. This instability is caused by high logistics costs, insufficient diversification of export markets, stronger external competition, limited access to financial resources, and the necessity to comply with international certification standards. Particular attention is paid to logistics factors that directly influence the competitiveness of Ukrainian exporters of metal structures. It is determined that the disruption of traditional supply routes, congestion at certain logistics hubs, rising transportation costs, and the specific nature of transporting large-sized and metal-intensive products significantly complicate the realization of the sector’s export potential. In addition, these factors increase delivery time, reduce supply reliability, and weaken the price competitiveness of Ukrainian products in comparison with foreign suppliers. At the same time, the study shows that the prospects for the development of Ukraine’s metal structures exports are associated with a set of interrelated factors. These include the modernization of the production base, improvement of export logistics, expansion of multimodal transportation, integration into European transport and logistics networks, diversification of external markets, and strengthening of institutional support for exporters. The paper concludes that further strengthening of Ukraine’s position on the global metal structures market requires a comprehensive combination of production, logistics, organizational, and foreign economic solutions aimed at increasing the efficiency of export activity and improving the competitiveness of domestic producers.