NF ELIT Establishes Dedicated AI & Automation Unit to Streamline Logistics and Warehouse Operations

CINCINNATI, Ohio — June 22, 2026 — NF ELIT LLC, an American importer and supplier of birch plywood and engineered wood products, has established a dedicated artificial intelligence (AI) and automation unit and tasked Denis Ostapenko with leading it. The move formalizes the company's push to automate its operations end to end — from procurement and logistics to warehouse inventory management.

"The world is changing faster than we are used to. Artificial intelligence has moved from a novelty to a working tool — today it is a requirement for a competitive company, not an experiment for the future. We are giving it a dedicated unit with its own remit and measurable goals: not technology for its own sake, but faster, more accurate planning in every process — less downtime, shorter lead times, and lower costs."

Ostapenko will lead the new unit while continuing to manage the company's logistics operations. His mandate is to build AI tools for flow planning and warehouse management on top of processes the company has already standardized. He brings years of hands-on logistics experience — customs clearance, documentation, and shipment coordination — together with daily work building AI and automation tools.

"Automation only works on top of a process you already understand," Ostapenko said. "We put the logistics flows and customs paperwork in order first; the AI tools for planning and the warehouse build on that."

"Denis is one of the most responsible and capable professionals I know, and I am grateful he has agreed to lead this work," Nechaev added.

The unit begins work immediately. NF ELIT will share early results here, in the News & Articles section.