SEGMENTATION OF UKRAINE’S RECOVERY CONSTRUCTION MARKET AND STRATEGIC POSITIONING OF A CONSTRUCTION ENTERPRISE

Abstract

The article proposes an original approach to segmenting Ukraine’s recovery construction market as a basis for the strategic positioning of a construction enterprise. Post-war recovery is commonly treated as a single homogeneous market; however, the study substantiates that it consists of at least five distinct segments — social, humanitarian, critical infrastructure, commercial, and export — which differ significantly in customer type, funding sources, dominant requirements for speed, quality and transparency, payment models, and acceptance procedures; the segments are interpreted as strategic market archetypes within a multidimensional classification of demand that may overlap in practice. A comparative matrix of segment requirements is developed, demonstrating that the choice of target segments determines the enterprise’s technological model (2D panels, 3D volumetric modules, or hybrid solutions), the structure of its product portfolio, and its financial model. The empirical basis of the research is the longitudinal case of Chornomorsk Bud Group LLC (PARAMETRIQ brand), an enterprise established in 2021 with its own production facility of over 1,500 m². Initially focused on the resort and recreation segment, the enterprise pivoted to humanitarian construction in March 2022 and, during the full-scale war, manufactured and installed more than 10,000 m² of prefabricated buildings across all five segments: the “Unbreakable Mothers” centre in Lviv built jointly with the Ukrainian Red Cross, about 80 houses under the UNHCR Core Homes programme, administrative service centres, a dormitory assembled from volumetric modules for the Reni port, a three-storey panel-frame building in the Chornomorsk port, commercial business centres for private investors, and a tiny house for the UK market. Particular attention is paid to the institutional specifics of the donor segment: the rigidity of tender prices under construction cost inflation, payment schemes with retention money, mandatory bank guarantees and their impact on the producer’s liquidity and working capital. The study proves that multi-segment positioning based on an industrialised prefabrication platform smooths demand fluctuations across segments and increases enterprise resilience under martial law. Criteria for selecting target segments for construction enterprises of different scales are proposed, and managerial implications for product portfolio design and partnership strategies with donors, communities, and private investors are formulated. The limitations stemming from the single-case design and the participant position of one of the authors are explicitly acknowledged.