Pumping Local Brands

Ade Tarya pioneered the local medical device industry with his AbadiNusa group of companies.

When Ade Tarya Hidayat, now 62, lost his job in 1980 at Dutch medical device company Ahrend, he was inspired to start his own company. To do so, Ade relied on his customer networks to build his business, who became clients of his medical and scientific device trading company. That firm, PT Abadi Scientific, was started the same year and had just three staff, one of them being his wife.

Today, Ade heads five separate companies, all included under the umbrella name of the AbadiNusa group, which together have a total turnover of approximately Rp 300 billion a year. All of them are privately held by Ade, who is a pioneer of Indonesia’s medical device industry. The five are PT AbadiNusa Usahasemesta, a scientific and medical equipment trading company, PT Renaltech Mitra Abadi, which produces hemodialysis supplies, PT Sutek Mitra Utama, which produces rubber resins, PT Technomed Asia, which produces medical soft bags and neuro-diagnostic components, and PT Sugih Instrumendo Abadi, which produces medical equipment. Ade also owns a 35% stake in PT. Trimitra Garmedindo, a garment company that specializes in blood pressure cuffs and medical bags, run by his brother Gagan Sugandi.

In the early days, Ade was content to import equipment. He then decided to move into manufacturing his own products after getting hit with rupiah devaluations, which made it more expensive for him to import medical devices into the country. The first product was a blood pressure meter and today Ade’s Sugih Instrumendo Abadi is Indonesia’s oldest and largest blood pressure meter manufacturer. He started first in 1990 by producing blood pressure meter components and in 1994 he moved into selling his own ABN brand of blood pressure meters. Monthly the company now produces 60,000 finished blood pressure meters and 90,000 blood pressure meter components that it supplies to blood pressure meter giant such as Riester, WA Baum and ADC. Annually, the company’s total export is around $6 million with its blood pressure components make up 88% of sales. The U.S. and Germany are its two biggest markets, taking up about 76% of the total exports while the rest are shipped to 20 other countries. Locally, Ade says that his firm has captured around 40% of the blood pressure meter market.

To start the business, he bought 10,000 blood pressure meters from a Japanese company and then studied them. He chose to develop blood pressure meters because many of its components are from rubber, and Indonesia is a rubber producer, so he figured he would have a competitive advantage. Beside blood pressure meters, AbadiNusa also produces around 20,000 stethoscopes per month, which also use rubber tubes. Ade claims to have 10% market share for stethoscopes.

He recalls how difficult it was for him to convince his first customers to buy ABN products. “At first, many doctors would immediately say no to me even before I explain about my product just because it is an Indonesian brand. So at that time, I just gave free samples to doctors that I met and then get back to them around three months later,” he says. “Most of them were surprised with the quality of the product and then after that decided to buy it.”

In Indonesia, around 90% of medical devices are still imported as local companies have no expertise in this field. In order to promote growth for this industry, ASPAKI (the Indonesian Association of Medical Device Industries) was founded and Ade is currently its chairman. Ade says that there are around 200 medical device producers registered by the Ministry of Health. Of those, about 90% are small or midsized enterprises that make low-tech items such as gloves, bandages and orthopedic components, with total exports around $55 million per year.

The Ministry of Health released a medical device industry development roadmap last year. The roadmap expects the BPJS to double or triple medical device demand this year and therefore will open many doors to new and existing producers. The roadmap outlines products where Indonesia might have a competitive advantage, such as hospital furniture and condoms. Accordingly, Ade says that around 14% of hospital spending is allocated to disposable items such as needles, masks and hand scrubs, where Indonesian firms have less than a quarter of the market. Ade suggests that local firms should at least half the market. “Indonesia has to start capturing the disposable and hospital furniture markets if we still find it hard to compete in the more technologically advanced products,” he says.

Soon, Ade will pass down the business to his two children. His son will take care of the medical device supply business while her daughter will take care of the manufacturing business. Ade hopes that ABN will continue to be a market leader and that the business will be “abadi” as it is named (abadi means eternal). He also says that the company is currently pushing for product innovation by making digital blood pressure meters. Currently, products with the ABN brand accounted for only 12% of its exports, he hopes that he will increase this to 30% in a couple years especially by capturing the demand at home where he expects to increase its sales at 15% per year. As the chairman of ASPAKI he also hopes that local manufacturing will be able to pick up the opportunity. “I urge Indonesian businessmen to start looking at the medical device sector. In relation to the BPJS where Indonesians will have wider access to medical services, I believe that there will be great opportunity for a local medical device company to grow,” he says.

Aside from being a pioneer of medical device industry, Ade also has many other contributions to Indonesian healthcare. One very notable contribution was when he received Ksatria Bakti Husada Arutala Award from the Ministry of Health in 2011 for his commitment in providing cheap hemodialysis treatment for kidney failure patients. “Most people who have to do hemodialysis are retirees who don’t have enough money to do on a regular basis. So I thought, it would be helpful if we can design a cheap hemodialysis mechanism,” he said. Ade then assembled a local hemodialysis machine through one of Abadi Nusa companies, Renaltech. As a result, his initiative reduces the cost of the hemodialysis from Rp 750,000 to Rp 225,000 enabling more people to afford such treatment.

as featured in Forbes Indonesia magazine September edition

Thailand Trip

Just landed in Bangkok,
suddenly this reminded me a lot of Jakarta

Ferris Wheel in Asiatique.

Could never leave a place without getting some postcard!

We rented a traditional Thailand costume and took picture with it
Fell in love with the headpiece!

Seen on the road accross the Grand Palace
People sold micellanous items on the street..
Calculator, cooling pad, plastic jar, pen etc, all at one tarp

Golden temples and lavish shrines are common sights
in the middle of Bangkok hustle-bustle

I won't be surprise if they say Thailand has the biggest
women participation at workplace rate, not only in Asia but I guess
around the world. Even the bus kenek are woman

In contrary, male take what traditionally is female job hehe..
A lady-boy cabaret that took our breath away

Took the cheapest train to Ayutthaya from Bangkok.
We paid 15 baht (50 cent/Rp 5.000) for the 3,5 hours trip
along the Bangkok- Ayutthaya country road.

Thailand deep Buddhism culture is felt everywhere we go
If only you were there, you'd know the real hype when these people
are on the "change the Buddha-linen" parade.
The yellow sheet over their is Buddha's clothing (please be reminded
that the Buddha we're talking about is around 5-7 m long)

Kids fighter is nothing strange here and Muay Thai is
comparable to dangdutan in Indonesia... (I mean they are everywhere)

A very well- located Thai massage parlor
(exactly next to our hotel!)

Skill Training Program for Foreign Domestic Workers in Singapore

Familiar language and conversations were heard all around Lucky Plaza this Sunday. Well, no wonder.. It's the Foreign Domestic Worker's (FDWs) day-off in Singapore and many of the Indonesian FDWs are known to be headquartered in Lucky Plaza.

In 2012, the Singaporean government introduced a new regulation that gives FDWs in Singapore a weekly day off. Simply means during a week you need to have a rest day. It could be any day but there seems to be a common convention that this falls on Sunday.

Many FDWs, not only those coming from Indonesia, choose to spend their day off to hang out and meet their fellows.. or their lovers >_< . They dress up and put make-up on and crowds many places such as shopping malls and parks. They go on picnic and share stories with their friends. Well, that seems nice.

However, they can also spend it in a more thoughtful and productive way. That's what training program for FDWs are all about. More and more institutions in Singapore now provide skill training program for FDWs. It could ranges from cooking, computer operation, quilting, and now they even have business school for FDWs.

The purpose of these course is of course to give the FDWs a new skill (or enhance if they already acquire some previously) that they can use when they go back home. That's why during the classes, the tutors also take time to give motivation to these FDWs.

Based on the research, almost 70 percent of FDWs in Singapore wanted to renew their contracts and come back here to continue being FDWs. Well that makes a lot of sense because they generally get good living here. The employers generally treat them well and the payroll wasn't too bad (compared to their home country's standard).

Leaving the status quo and make betterment in life is certainly not easy especially for these (usually) young ladies. But empowering them through skill training program hoping that they are motivated to change their life isn't a waste of time.

Success stories are there. Hope many more follows!

Below is the infographic I made to give an overview about FDWs in Singapore :)

The Usman Harun

Again, a political hiccup in South East Asia...this time between Indonesia and Singapore.

As we all have probably heard about it, Singapore has called the Indonesian government as being insensitive for naming its patrol ship KRI Usman Harun. Usman and Harun were both convicted for bombing the MacDonald House in Singapore during the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation in the 60s causing death to 3 Singaporeans and left 33 injured.

 As we all can probably recall, the grand idea between this confrontation is Indonesia's (particularly President Soekarno) accusation towards Malaysia for being the British puppet. The MacDonald House in the Orchard Road was back then served as a house for British, American and Australian company... the neo-colonialism boss. Now here comes the twist, KRI Usman Harun was British-made and yep we bought it from Britain. ( I feel obliged to giggle at the Indonesian government now..)

I wonder how do Usman and Harun feel if they witness this...

Aside from that story, what I wanted to tell was really how much I fall in love with International Relations class. Being an exchange student, I am being experimental by taking classes from other departments, economics and communication. Occassionally, I sit-in at other classes and this time I was in Singapore Foreign Policy in the Southeast Asia.

Completing my 5th semester I felt like I got bored with International Relations class for their ngawang-ngawang-ness. Well I guess, I wasn't bored at all. Instead, I was just too amused by its complexity and eventually got overwhelmed with it. During my 5 semester in HI UI, attending classes has been an inspiring experiences, especially when my lecturer started the narratives. Their story is always full of drama and emotion, making it very exciting to be heard. As for now, we witness another drama between this two neighbours (remember when PM Lee Kuan Yew did the tabur bunga in Usman Harun graveyards? totally dramatic! ) and just like a normal life, you quarrel the most with your closest one. So, I guess.. a "working" crisis management is really what the ASEAN needs.

Befriending the Merlion

In 3 days, I will complete my first month living in Singapore as an exchange student in NUS. I can sense from the very beginning that this opportunity worth so much and I don’t want it to get into waste by letting time just flies. 

I started off as a stranger to the sophisticated system they have here. I can tell it from how many times I stopped at the wrong bus stop (not that many actually..), to my failure to comprehend the self-service printing system in campus, up to the confusion to differ Teh O from Teh Ice.

Daily life in Singapore is very much an excitement as I encounter a different routine. I’ve bought so many room embellishments ranging from dehumidifier, scented gel, shower basket, sticky hanger, to food rack to make things look neat in between the 5 other girls that I share the room with. I guess desire to clean up and rearrange things has been sitting in my blood all this time. It’s just that before I always have someone else to do it for me so I haven’t been so extensive about it.  Settlement shopping was clearly a highlight in my first month here. I might have been exaggerating a little, but choosing the color of my shower basket and food rack was really a muse for me I can even imagine filling up my future home with edgy furniture and embellishments. Food is still a challenge as I can probably find only one Halal food counter in a huge food court. It then leaves me with so little option on what to eat – which is sometimes a good thing as I’ve been known for having difficulty in choosing what to eat- while cooking doesn’t seem to be the greatest option here in the hostel I stay in.

Taking only 12 credits hours, I have left with so many times to do something else rather than reading journals and writing paper -Such an experience after a very tight 2,5 years in my home university although sometimes I feel bad by seeing how hardworking other students are-. I compensate it with sitting-ins, online course and extracurricular activity mostly sport and volunteering. I find that chances to gain yourself are even wider when you go out of class and leave the routine in a balanced amount.

Other than those, I feel especially obliged to observe this country deeper than its outer appearance. I am afraid that I will be so quick to judge as I haven’t indulged myself in any deep conversation or immersing into the real life of Singaporean. What I can quickly tell though, Singapore government- whom we know as a rather closed-autocratic one- is really a big part of everyone’s life here as they are so proactive in ensuring its people convenience as you can tell from elderly work-out station in a local neighborhood to a healthy life campaign in a hawker center. Meanwhile the kiasuist hardworking young generations are taking their bits of leisure time by watching TV series on their smartphone during the ride to work or back home.  

I guess I can go on and on with this, but let me get back to my laundry for now, Ciao!

Re-Written from 10 Brainteasers To Test Your Mental Sharpness

1. Johnny’s mother had three children. The first child was named April. The second child was named May. What was the third child’s name?
2. A clerk at a butcher shop stands five feet ten inches tall and wears size 13 sneakers. What does he weigh?
3. Before Mt. Everest was discovered, what was the highest mountain in the world?
4. How much dirt is there in a hole that measures two feet by three feet by four feet?
5. What word in the English language is always spelled incorrectly?
6. Billie was born on December 28th, yet her birthday always falls in the summer. How is this possible?
7. In British Columbia you cannot take a picture of a man with a wooden leg. Why not?
8. If you were running a race and you passed the person in 2nd place, what place would you be in now?
9. Which is correct to say, “The yolk of the egg is white” or “The yolk of the egg are white?”
10. A farmer has five haystacks in one field and four haystacks in another. How many haystacks would he have if he combined them all in one field?

Answers

1. Johnny.
2. Meat.
3. Mt. Everest. It just wasn’t discovered yet.
4. There is no dirt in a hole.
5. Incorrectly (except when it is spelled incorrecktly).
6. Billie lives in the southern hemisphere.
7. You can’t take a picture with a wooden leg. You need a camera (or iPad or cell phone) to take a picture.
8. You would be in 2nd place. You passed the person in second place, not first.
9. Neither. Egg yolks are yellow.
10. One. If he combines all his haystacks, they all become one big stack.

It wasn't my first time seeing these types of question. But what has never crossed my mind was how these questions and the way we answer it represents the way we, human, think.
From the article it said :

When we only see what we want or expect to see, we miss competitive threats because our brain tells us a threat couldn’t possibly come from that direction. We miss opportunities because we only see what has worked in the past rather than what could be. 

Departure to the USA (Summer 2013)

Long Post Alert.. bip bip

June, 23^rd 2013

After weeks of anticipation here comes the day of my departure. It’s the 22^nd of June and the flight will depart at 7.35 pm. We left home at 1pm because we are so worried about the traffic jam that might caught us on the way to the airport. However it turned out that the traffic wasn’t so bad and we were able to reach the airport in hours. So it was 3 pm and we are already at the airport, the check-in counter wasn’t opened yet so we leniently had lunch for hours.

That day was very interesting because I ran into several people at the airport. The first one was Kak Barkah, my cousin who had been in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia for several years to do his study and his job. Now he has completed the program and returned home and it happened on the same day of my departure. Next, I met bu Listi, my high school teacher who was about to travel to KL with her family. She was and still is one of my favorite teacher with her infamous sarcasm, LOL. But we got to be very close for some reasons. One of them  is that because she wrote the recommendation letter for my YES Application and it happened that the application successfully went through the selection. So we chatted for a little bit and talked about the previous and upcoming that attended and will attend my high school. The other people that I ran into (or actually the meeting was already pre-arranged) were Ganjar and Aska. Two friends, one from high school and one from college who are leaving for JENESYS program on the same day, we met for few minutes, chat a little bit, took a photo while waiting for my Mom who was shalat at that time.

 Not long after that, my plane was about to board, or actually it is already boarding time and I was all slacking. But luckily it didn’t take long to go through the immigration to reach the gate. I was lucky though, because right after I got into the immigration counter, a massive group of EF homestay student was behind my back. I was lucky that I got to the counter right in time before them coming because otherwise I might get stucked in the queue for a long time. As soon as I reached the gate, it was already the last call for passengers.

Well, I got into the plane, It was 1 hour 45 minutes flight to KL. It went all fine but the plane was a little late. We arrived in KL at 11.20ish and my next plane to Frankfurt will have their gate open in 11.25, so I had to kinda rush to the gate in the other terminal. It was a little hectic because I needed to go to the restroom and washed things. But luckily, I got to the gate in time for the flight. I BBM my family and posted twitter updates as KL airport has generously provided free Wi-Fi.

And again I got to the airplane, my seat  was perfect, it was on the aisle so I didn’t have to misi-misi if I want to go to the lavatory. It was even better because the seat next to me was empty so I could kinda laydown to the seat beside me. The flight was around 11 hours. I always hated flights but I have no options. So I just tried to sleep. I guess I was so tired I wasn’t even interested in checking the in-flight entertainment until the last couple of hours. The food was OK, or actually I think all airplane food tastes exactly the same, I mean the sauce and everything has this similar tastes.

I got off the plane, arrived in Frankfurt Airport. Second time in 4 years. It was still a pretty big airports for me. The transit took 6 hours and I was really bored because I was alone and really had nothing to do (or, well I had plenty of things to do such as writing my study guide but I just didn’t do it). The airport as I expected wouldn’t be as generous as KL airport in terms of giving Wi-Fi. But it was quite decent, 30 minutes free Wi-Fi times 3 different devices that I brought along with me (laptops, cellphone and galaxy tab). So I spent around 1.5 hours staring at my devices and posting unnecessary things out of my boredom. And then I walked around the airport, looking at some shops, saw some cute magnets and things but decided to buy it later on the way back home.

One thing I needed to do was to get my boarding pass for the next flight. I wasn’t sure how to get the boarding pass. I thought I   would need to just check-in at the gate later when they announced it. I asked some staff and they all directed me to go the main hall outside the gate. I was a little puzzled because I don’t think I can go out of the terminal to the main lobby without having a visa. But then they told me to follow the exit sign to the main lobby. I was really confused when the exit sign leads me to passport control. I approached the bundespolizie (federal police) guy only to asked for direction. But I was surprised that he also told me to go out to the main lobby, he checked my passport and stamped it with the Schengen arrival stamped. That was just crazy, because I didn’t have Schengen visa…. But then I was just following his direction, go out of the passport control to the baggage claim area and finally I was in the lobby. Well, at this point I realized that something wrong happened, because I was right in front of the airport entrance and I could go out anytime I wanted and there I am, entering Germany without visa… Well, that’s what I did, I went out of the entrance and breathed German’s air. It was so fresh… The summer breeze was breezing.. However, I realized that I broke an international law by doing that, so I just took a couple of photos and headed back inside to get my boarding pass.

I went across many counters (there were like almost 1000 check-in counters at the airport, which was crazy). I passed one of the Chines carriers and there were very long lines of Chinese waiting to get their boarding pass. Well this is the phenomenon I’ve been observing all over the airport. So many Chinese traveling. But anyway, I got my boarding pass and I headed towards the Z20 gate. Obviously, I need to get into another passport control/immigration. I showed up there, handed my passport to the the bundespolizie, and quite apparent he was confused with my passport. He asked me where I was heading, where was I earlier, did I have another passport and etc. Well, now I got caught! haha. He saw the Schengen stamp in my passport but  didn’t see Schengen visa anywhere in my passport. So then he asked me what happened, and so I told him what happened and he said he needed to take me to the office. I was nervous because I took some photos outside the airport and it was clearly breaking a law. So, I deleted the photo in my phone and in my tab instantly. I was worried that he was gonna check my belonging and searched through my stuff. He didn’t, however. He was just consulting with the other guy in the office and striked the arrival stamp so that it gets invalid. He was really nice though, he said that next time I entered the EU country don’t go out and just get your boarding pass at the gate. But he said it wasn’t my fault and everything and finally he said take care and have a nice trip.

That was an interesting experience… I mean, my solo travel wouldn’t be so exciting if there’s nothing out of the ordinary happening. So, eventhough It was kinda crazy but I was glad that it happened!