An employee at Muhajirin's muffler workshop in Purbalingga, Central Java, works on a fuel-efficient muffler to fill a customer order from Jakarta. (JP/Agus Maryono)

After the government raised the price of fuels in 2005, Muhajirin set about producing a fuel-efficient engine muffler.

The 55-year-old is one of more than 140 home-industry muffler makers in Gerumbul Pesayangan, Purbalingga regency, Central Java.

Indeed, this subdistrict is well-known as a muffler-making center, where various types of mufflers -- for motorcycles and automobiles, and ranging from the cheapest to the most luxurious and expensive -- are made.

"This muffler was once used in a test-drive from Jakarta to Purbalingga, and the trip required only Rp 200,000 worth of gasoline," Muhajirin recently told The Jakarta Post as he held up the muffler.

"If you used an ordinary muffler, the car would need Rp 300,000 worth of gasoline over this distance," said Sugeng, 40, an employee at Muhajirin's workshop.

In a tribute to the region's main industry, Purbalingga Regent Triyono Budi Sasongko had a large muffler-shaped monument erected at the gates to the subdistrict in 2004.

Muhajirin, however, is the only muffler maker in the area producing what he claims are fuel-efficient mufflers. His mufflers have been sold all over Indonesia.

"My mufflers have been exported twice, to Germany and Japan. About two months ago, we received another order from Japan for some samples," Muhajirin said.

He added his products were sold in major cities across Indonesia, including Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya and Denpasar, and could also be found in Sumatra, Kalimantan and even Papua.

"In short, orders for my mufflers have come from almost all major cities in Indonesia," he said.

The fuel-efficient mufflers, Muhajirin said, had specially designed interiors and exteriors, which he claimed enabled fuel savings of between 25 and 30 percent.

"Although these mufflers are more expensive than the standard mufflers on the market, we continue to receive many orders. In the week after the government raised fuel prices, demand rose by up to 50 percent," he said.

Muhajirin said he sold an average of 100 fuel-efficient mufflers per month prior to the fuel price hike, and 150 per month after the price increase.

He added there are two types of mufflers for motorcycles and automobiles -- standard mufflers, made of iron, and stainless steel mufflers.

"A muffler for a motorcycle costs between Rp 100,000 and Rp 150,000. If it is designed to be fuel-efficient, the price ranges from Rp 400,000 to Rp 900,000. Motorcycle mufflers are all made of stainless steel," he said.

As for the fuel-efficient mufflers for cars, he said, those made of stainless steel retailed from Rp 900,000 and went up to Rp 1.5 million. He added those made of iron were priced between Rp 400,000 and Rp 500,000 per unit.

"The difference in price depends on the size of the muffler and the type of vehicle. Mufflers for large motorcycles, such as a Honda Tiger, GL Pro and the like, are the most expensive," he said.

Sugeng said the design of a fuel-efficient muffler was radically different from that of an ordinary muffler.

"For a fuel-efficient muffler, we add an iron pipe, called a mogen, to the outside. Likewise, the interior is specially designed," he said.

Sugeng said the pipe allowed hot gases to be directly exhausted, whereas in an ordinary muffler, the gas would circulate inside the muffler before being exhausted.

"Therefore, besides being fuel-efficient, this muffler also increases the power of the vehicle," he said.

To cope with growing demand, Muhajirin recently opened a workshop on Jl. Tentara Pelajar in South Jakarta.

"The quality of the products is the same, because I sent some of my staff from Purbalingga to manage the Jakarta workshop. However, many people from Jakarta still come to Purbalingga to order mufflers and have them fitted directly onto their vehicles," said Muhajirin, who is employs 20 workers in Purbalingga and six in Jakarta.

In Pesayangan, more than 2,000 people are employed in the muffler-making home industry, with each business employing between five and 70 workers.

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