Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita said that during the January-September 2021 period, the export value of household electronic products was recorded at US$1.8 billion, up 98 percent compared to the same period the previous year. "We are committed to reducing the value of imports, including electronic products. Therefore, we are accelerating the 35% import substitution program by the end of 2022," said the Minister of Industry in a statement received in Jakarta, Monday. According to Agus, one of the strategies is to deepen the industrial structure through increasing domestic production of electronic components. The Minister of Industry conveyed this after making a working visit to PT Selaras Citra Nusantara Perkasa (SCNP), the parent company of PT Selaras Donlim Indonesia (SDI), which has been operating in Indonesia since 1985. Agus invited SCNP and SDI as winners to deepen the structure and increase investment for the domestic and global markets. "So, we must continue to innovate and expand, that's what we hope for. Moreover, exports are very important, in addition to filling the needs of the domestic market which also needs attention," he explained.
The Minister of Industry also stated that the current government is very serious about managing and improving the industrial business climate. Various policies to support this have been issued. "In my opinion, of course, there is no longer any doubt to continue investing and expanding industrial activities in Indonesia," he added. The Minister of Industry also admitted that he was happy and proud to hear the company's plan to develop medical devices. "This is very positive news because the government targets Indonesia to become an independent country in the health sector. This means that we must be independent in the pharmaceutical and medical equipment sector," he said. The Minister of Industry also appreciated SDI because although it only started its commercial production activities in February 2021, by the end of this year it was able to export vacuum cleaner products (600th container) to the United States. "This is a separate achievement for the company and shows PT SDI's readiness to become a vacuum cleaner production base in ASEAN," said the Minister of Industry. According to Agus, the achievement of PT SDI also shows that the products of the domestic electronics industry can compete globally and have international standards in quality. The ability of industrial human resources (HR) in Indonesia is already competitive. "This is something to be proud of, because to get a place in the American market is not easy, both in terms of quality and procedure to enter there. This is something that must be appreciated," said Agus.
Meanwhile, the Director-General of Metal, Machinery, Transportation Equipment, and Electronics (ILMATE) of the Ministry of Industry, Taufiek Bawazier, stated that one of the main factors in spurring the competitiveness of the manufacturing industry in Indonesia is the fulfillment of SNI requirements. "In addition to SNI, we also have instruments such as TKDN and lartas (prohibitions and restrictions). If there is a product whose TKDN value is above 40%, ministries and institutions must buy the product," he explained. Taufiek is optimistic that exports are a manifestation of the resilience of industrial players in Indonesia which is still very high. "Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have been very confident in the resilience of manufacturing industry players in Indonesia who are still enthusiastic about running their business," he said. For example, the increase in industrial investment realization was seen in the January-September 2021 period, which was recorded at IDR 659.4 trillion or an increase of 7.8% compared to the same period in 2020. Meanwhile, in January-October 2021, the export contribution of the industrial sector was recorded at 77.16 % or valued at US$ 143.76 billion of the total national export of US$ 186.31 billion. SCNP Chief Operation Officer (COO) Shirly Effendy said that the SCNP vacuum cleaner product with the Bissel brand could be exported to the United States, as a result of the collaboration between the company and the giant electronics industry from China, Guangdong Xinbao (Donlim). SCNP and Donlim together formed a joint venture called SDI. "SDI was established specifically to meet the needs of vacuum cleaner exports to the United States. The average volume of vacuum cleaner exports to the United States is 100 containers per month," she said. In addition to the Bissel brand, in early December 2021, SCNP also started producing air purifiers with the international standard BlueAir brand and has also been exported to the United States.
