Sarinah launches creative hub for SMEs

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Boosting the competitiveness of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), Sarinah Department Store and the State-Owned Enterprises Ministry have opened the Indonesia Creative Center, financed by the State-Owned Enterprises Assistance Program (PKBL).

The state-owned department store has provided its 1,800 square-meter 14th floor for a period of one year for SMEs to promote their products

SMEs participating in the program include partners of airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II, Garuda Indonesia, Bank BNI, forestry company PT Perhutani, PT Pertamina and PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Telkom).

Around 820,000 small companies are part of the PKBL program, involving more than 100 state firms.

Ministry’s chief of restructuring and privatization Achiran Pandu Djajanto said the PKBL was required by the 2007 law on limited liability companies. Companies must set aside a percentage of their profits for corporate social responsibility (CSR) and assistance programs.

“The Center is the first step on the road globalization for these SMEs. If selected, it means they are ready to compete at the national and international levels,” he said.

Sarinah president director Mira Amahorseya said that the booths were at a much lower price than those offered by other event organizers. Sarinah hopes to garner between Rp 150 million (US$15,781) and 200 million from the booths by August 2013.

One of the chosen enterprises is Ie-Osh Batik. Ie-Osh Batik produces an array of hand-made batik goods. Ie-Osh Batik owner, Ethy Setiawati, said her enterprise had been part of Telkom’s PKBL for almost two years.

“I create the designs in Jakarta and the products are made at a workshop in Tegal, Central Java,”she said.

Meanwhile, Garuda Indonesia has more than 3,000 SME partners in various sectors. About 50 percent of them are in agriculture, while the rest come from the fisheries, plantations and tourism fields.

“For our participation at the center, we plan to bring SME partners whose products are related to tourism,” Ridwan Edi, manager of Garuda Indonesia’s CSR and the PKBL programs said.

For the center’s soft launch, Garuda brought four of its partners and their products to the show — meat floss products from Cianjur, West Java; clothing from Depok; wicker products from Tasikmalaya, West Java; and
batiks from Yogyakarta. (tas)