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SHIMIZU Premium Interview #3 – A dialogue with Rodamas Group challenging the status quo
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n 1953, Tan Siong Kie founded Rodamas as a trading company. During that time, a multitude of Japanese companies headed toward Indonesia in search for new business opportunities. Some were fortunate enough to find a trustable partner, Tan Siong Kie, who was sincere, a fluent Japanese speaker and an avid golfer.
While Japanese partners brought technologies and financing, Rodamas provided local connections and market access, and most importantly, he helped them navigate through the local government regulations. For these Japanese companies, it was a competitive advantage to be able to connect with a partner who deeply understood Japanese corporate culture, creating a formula of success for these joint ventures.
Today, Tan Sion Kie’s grandson, Anthony Muki Tan, has succeeded the leadership of Rodamas Group as its president director, having held the position since 2019. During the past 70 years, the world has changed, and so has the Indonesian market, so how should the business model of Japanese joint ventures in Indonesia evolve going forward?
There is no single right answer, but one thing for sure is that maintaining the status quo is not an option.
A young ambitious business leader, Anthony Tan brings a fresh perspective regarding Indonesian partnerships with Japanese companies – what to preserve and what needs to change. He shared his insights with Akiyama Kohei, chief representative of the Shimizu Corporation Jakarta Office, during the third iteration of the SHIMIZU Premium Interview.
[Rodamas Group and Japanese Partners]
Even though Rodamas still has many JV companies, they are gradually focusing on their wholly owned businesses, because they can be as aggressive as they want there. With market knowledge, agility and a growth mindset, they are even looking to expand globally.
“We will certainly preserve the goodwill and trust that we have built with our Japanese partners. On the other hand, I’m afraid that certain things need to change to stay competitive in the market, especially if they want to win.”
Anthony continued, “I hope they rediscover their aggressiveness and hunger, that they begin to dream again and be prepared to fight. I often tell my Japanese partners to send me a samurai if they are going to send me someone!”
[Samurai in Indonesia]
Akiyama concurred by saying, “I am so glad to hear the word samurai. In my understanding, a samurai is someone who respects his roots but always strives for improvement and refuses to settle. In that sense, I consider myself a Samurai as well.”
Historically, Japanese building companies tended to build projects for Japanese clients only. However, Akiyama does not play small and has a unique approach toward conducting Shimizu’s business in Indonesia. In 2013, for instance, he saw a new high-value business opportunity in a local conglomerate’s project, the Menara Astra Tower, and he acted decisively to seize it. Although there were opposing voices that said it was impossible, he trusted his gut feeling and developed a winning strategy.
For Shimizu, the project was the first ever high-rise project in Jakarta awarded by a non-Japanese client. Construction was completed in 2017 and the Astra Tower has been standing proudly on Jl. Sudirman.
“To explore and cultivate new business opportunities is what I have been doing these past 10 years in Indonesia. With challenging spirits, I always believe I can change the status quo. And when the success of one project leads to another and another, it proves that the challenge was worth it.” Akiyama stated.
[The Way Forward]
Japanese companies were considered special in Indonesia when they first entered the country during the 1950s, as the government of both countries recognize each other as important strategic partners. Moreover, it is undeniable that Japan has been a key contributor to the development of Indonesia, with projects such as the Jakarta MRT system being a collaboration between the two nations, but the Indonesian market has evolved drastically.
“Today, Indonesian companies have many global competitive companies to choose from, so Japan is not as special as it used to be. We need to wake up, focus and ACT to be chosen again.” Akiyama stated sternly.
He continued by iterating how Shimizu had evolved to keep up with the market.
“With our slogan of ‘Today’s Work, Tomorrow’s Heritage’, we continue to build infrastructure, buildings and factories, etc. with our Master Builder Spirit to leave a tangible heritage to the future generation, we never work just to make a quick profit. We keep innovating and apply cutting-edge construction technologies so that we can provide quality and speed at the same time. I believe that is the reason why the clients continue to choose Shimizu,” he said.
The interview concluded with both company leaders exchanging good wishes for each other.
“My wish for the Rodamas Group is that they keep growing with Indonesia, always with a challenging spirit,” Akiyama said enthusiastically.
Anthony responded, “To preserve our appreciation of our Japanese partners, I hope that Rodamas Group continues to be the best-in-class joint venture partner. As for our wholly owned companies, I hope we can build world-class companies from within Indonesia itself. And I hope we can learn a lot from global champions like Shimizu Corporation in this regard.”
For more information regarding Shimizu Corporation, follow the link below: https://www.shimz.co.jp/en/.
