The history of the DMS Financial and Industrial Corporation is the story of people who, by building their own businesses, shaped the modern contours of the market during its formative years: the team of the future holding company was already developing actual production facilities at a time when most entrepreneurs were merely considering possible scenarios.
Now, after nearly 20 years of progress, we find ourselves at a new starting point: the war launched by Russia against Ukraine in 2014 and escalated in February 2022 has destroyed many of our achievements, but it has not destroyed our spirit, reputation, or ability to fight for the ideas we believe in.
DMS Corporation was established in 2007 as a result of the merger of companies operating in various sectors of the economy. The goal is to pool resources, optimize management and business operations, and effectively represent and protect shared interests in various segments of regional and national markets: metallurgy, coal mining, agriculture, construction, outdoor advertising, railway rolling stock repair, transportation and logistics services, in the field of comprehensive business security, and real estate management. Andriy Alyosha became the Corporation’s president.
The first enterprises, later merged into the Corporation, emerged at the turn of the 1990s and 2000s. In 1998, the company entered the rolled metal and coal markets, and shortly thereafter, the security services sector. Since 2003, the outdoor advertising business has been developing. In 2005, a construction company entered the market and quickly strengthened its position in the segments of high-quality affordable housing construction, administrative buildings, trade and exhibition complexes, the renovation of healthcare and educational facilities, comprehensive improvement of municipal and private infrastructure, and the construction and renovation of overpasses, roads, and stadiums. A sound strategy, effective management, and high-quality work have enabled the specialized division of DMS Corporation to increase its market share in the region’s civil construction sector to 25%. In the same year, 2005, a transport, freight forwarding, and leasing company was established—the enterprise performs comprehensive repairs of all types of railway rolling stock and supplies spare parts for railway transport.
Thanks to the optimization of business processes and the expansion of capabilities within the DMS Group, the companies are achieving significant results, and the Corporation confidently maintains its leading positions in its traditional sectors. The accumulated business experience not only enables the development of programs to attract investments in the holding’s core business areas but also serves as a key competitive advantage in expanding into new markets.
Since 2013, the Corporation has entered the agricultural market, establishing itself in viticulture and winemaking, as well as the cultivation of traditional annual crops. That same year, a DMS representative office opened in Zaporizhzhia: its activities are focused on the regional markets for metal products, construction, and petroleum products in the Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
2014 marked a turning point for Ukraine. As a successful player in the domestic economy focused on the interests of its country, DMS Corporation chose to align itself with Ukraine’s economic and political agenda. The company relocated its headquarters to Kyiv and began a new, difficult, and challenging chapter in its history. While remaining Donetsk at heart and preserving the best business traditions, the diversified business becomes Ukrainian—a reliable and profitable partner in the national market.
We think in different categories, plan and act differently, but, as before, we work for results.
With the start of the war, contributing to the strengthening of our country’s defense capabilities and resilience has been added to the list of priorities in the Corporation’s activities. Our enterprises are working on projects that improve conditions for Ukrainian defenders, and we are partially reorienting our business to meet the needs of the army. At the same time, we are not stopping our development: we are entering high-tech segments, building and renovating, paying taxes, preserving jobs, and planning our participation in the country’s post-war reconstruction.
Since 2015, the flagship of the Corporation has been the enterprises of the “BAZIS” group, which are actively involved in the construction, reconstruction, and major repairs of social, residential, industrial, and road-transport infrastructure, as well as military facilities in various regions of Ukraine.
Over the past—war-torn—decade, DMS Corporation, like all Ukrainian businesses, has operated under conditions of extreme turbulence. This period has not only taught us resilience but also revealed our true values. From 2014 to 2022, having started many projects from scratch, we steadfastly pursued our goals: we achieved strong financial results, expanded our business footprint to cover nearly all of Ukraine, built numerous significant facilities, and forged partnerships with domestic giants in the metallurgical, energy, and logistics sectors.
2021 was the Corporation’s most successful year since the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war in 2014. We laid the foundation for robust growth over the next five years.
February 2022 brought us the realization that our most valuable achievements are not metrics and contracts, but our inner readiness to take action, seek like-minded partners, unite, and help one another in order to grow and succeed. Once again.
Construction: our experience and high standards of work on projects of varying complexity now allow us to effectively address the needs of the Ministry of Defense and municipalities across various regions of Ukraine.
The enterprises of the “BAZIS” Group have been designated as critical to meeting the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations during this extraordinary period.
Logistics: Maintaining our position in the rail and road transport and shipping markets, as well as our gradual development despite the challenges of wartime, have been made possible by the foundation we have built over years of diligent work and our boldness to scale up. From the start of our operations to the present day, our drivers have transported over 30 million tons of cargo, and our engineers and workers have mastered the restoration and modernization of railcars, mainline, and shunting locomotives.
Technologies: Amid an acute energy shortage and constant attacks on Ukraine’s power grid, the Corporation’s enterprises ensure the stable operation of boiler houses using alternative and eco-friendly fuels, manufacture high-quality equipment for gas transmission systems, and resolve a range of issues related to its delivery and installation.
One of the Corporation’s strengths has always been its portfolio of promising projects, which were largely ahead of their time and attracted investors. Currently, DMS Corporation aims to preserve its existing capacity and pool of specialists, who will be invaluable during Ukraine’s post-war recovery.
At the same time, we are exploring commercial partnerships with existing manufacturers or promising startups—more details
here