Become Pioneer of Research Development and Design, Minister appreciate Polytron Create Innovation in Industrial Era 4.0

INDUSTRY.co.id - Kudus, electronics industry in Indonesia is increasingly improving research and development activities as well as strengthening the design in an effort to create technological innovations and products in the midst of a thriving digital era.

Based on the Making Indonesia 4.0 roadmap, the electronics industry is one of five sectors that will be piloted in the implementation of the 4.0 industrial revolution in the country.

"In Indonesia, the electronics industry employs a lot of manpower, Polytron is one of the electronics producers who become pioneers because they already have research and development facilities and design (R & DD)," said Minister of Industry of Airlangga Hartarto when visiting the factory PT Hartono Istana Teknologi in Kudus, Java Central (4/6/2018).

PT Hartono Istana Teknologi is a manufacturing company that produces a variety of electronics product type audio video, cellular phone and household needs with Polytron brand.

Having three factories in Central Java with a total area of ​​69 hectares, the company with the status of domestic investment is able to absorb more than 10 thousand workers.

Regarding the rapid technological developments, Minister of Industry explained that the industry is not disruptive but is transformed by following the latest trends, including those experienced in the electronics sector.

"A lot of electronic products have been lost from the market because they were replaced with other products, we used to know Betamax and VHS, which were replaced by VCD and DVD, and the DVD was also replaced with live streaming," he said.

Therefore, the Ministry of Industry continues to spur the competitiveness of the national electronics industry in order to be able to produce high value-added products. The strategic steps that have been taken include increasing the competence of workers through vocational education and training programs.

"They can encourage further innovation activities and accelerate technology transfer," Airlangga said.

Minister of Industry said the government is preparing fiscal incentives called super deductible tax or tax deduction above 100 percent. In addition to encouraging engagement in vocational education programs, these incentives can be used for companies committed to research to create innovation.

"So, innovation becomes the basis of industrial strength to compete in the increasingly fierce competition era," he said.

According to Minister of Industry, the development of electronics industry is still prospective because it is involved in component supply chain for other sectors such as automotive industry.

"Moreover, our automotive industry is growing and Indonesia is developing mass transportation facilities that can open bigger opportunities for electronic products business in the country," he said.

In fact, the electronics industry also plays an important role in optimizing the absorption of local raw materials. This effort is considered to encourage the strengthening of the Rupiah.

"For example, with the development of cinema in the country which later requires a lot of speakers, where the wooden speaker box should be made in the country," added Airlangga.

Meanwhile, CEO of PT Hartono Istana Teknologi, Hariono revealed, the company has exported electronics products to 52 countries. As for marketing in domestic, Polytron has 2,500 dealers spread all over Indonesia.

"For sales, more than 95 percent of it to the domestic market, while export destinations include Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Spain, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka and the Philippines," he said.

Until 2016, PT Hartono Istana Teknologi dominates the national market for speaker and tube television products with market share of 72 percent and 66 percent respectively.

"We are also supported by 20 sales offices and 64 service centers we already have," Hariono said.

R & D Director of PT Hartono Istana Teknologi, Adi Susanto said the company has started to build R & D division since 1982. In each year, R & D division of Polytron can produce 10 new innovation products.

Especially for television products, R & D division is required to produce two television products with the latest innovations to be marketed. "There are 60 patents that we have obtained from the research, from this research we can develop for the finished product," he explained.

One innovation of Polytron products that successfully obtained patents from the United States is the use of natural hair leather (cow and goat skin) as membrane speakers inspired from bedug at the mosque.