Hartono, Guitar Bags from Kembangan

KOMPAS/FERGANATA INDRA RIATMOKO

Hartono

Smart in seeing opportunities and never giving up. These two slogans were like mantras for Hartono after he faced bankruptcy during the economic crisis in 1998. At a time when almost all of his neighbors made guitars, he decided to produce guitar bags.

Hartono’s house is located in Kembangan hamlet, Mancasan village, Baki district, Sukoharjo, Central Java. The front room of the house, which measures 10 by 6 square meters, on Friday (11/09/2018) morning was crowded. Some workers were finishing various guitar bags made in different materials and models. In that room, Hartono and his workers produce roughly 20 dozen guitar bags every day.

“I am overwhelmed in meeting orders. My production capacity is less that the orders received,” Hartono said.

Hartono produces at least 25 types of bags in various sizes, including acoustic guitar bags, electric guitar bags and ukulele bags. The soft bags are made from 600D synthetic fabric (denier), which is commonly used for backpacks. Synthetic leather is also used to made guitar cases.

According to him, the demand for guitar bags is 23 to 25 dozen per day, but he can only produce 20 dozen.

Hartono, 48, and his wife Tumiyem, 48, initially produced guitars, just like most people in Kembangan hamlet. He learned the craft from his late father Minarto. Before Hartono was born, Minarto worked at a guitar workshop in Semanggi, Solo. He then opened his own business at his home in Kembangan. That is why Hartono became familiar with guitar production at a young age.

Minarto’s expertise was transferred to his son and many residents in Kembangan, which has become a center for the small and medium-scale guitar industry. “Since I was little, I have seen people making guitars. Finally, I started making guitars too,” he said.

Innovation

Hartono’s expertise in making guitars helped him get a job at a branded guitar manufacturer in Bogor, West Java. He brought with him 60 residents of Kembangan. However, Hartono eventually quit because the company continued to increase production targets without increasing workers\' wages.

Hartono then got a job at a prominent guitar factory in Jakarta. However, finally, he decided to return home to continue his father’s guitar business.

The number of employees at that time was approximately 12 people. Every week, they were able to produce 10 to 15 dozen guitars. And then the economic crisis hit. The price of materials for guitars surged, while sales continued to decline. Hartono\'s business faltered and he eventually went bankrupt. He then moved to East Kalimantan.

“I worked for a coal mining company. The salary was big, but I could only stay there for three months. I saved money from my salary for business capital,” he said.

Hartono went home with high hopes in developing his guitar case business, which was pioneered by Tumiyem. Before opening her own business in 1995, Tumiyem worked for Salimin, a neighbor who owned a guitar case business. After the business dropped following the death of Salimin, Tumiyem opened her own business.

With additional capital, Hartono focused on developing the guitar case business with his wife. He made innovations by designing and making new models of guitar bags. “My wife used to make only one model that was very simple,” he said.

Hartono’s creativity eventually paid off. Several shops selling musical instruments began noticing his products and orders began to flow in. He also received orders from keroncong musicians. Without much difficulty, Hartono was able to fulfill their orders. Besides making bags for guitars and other stringed instruments, Hartono also made keyboard bags.

Slowly, his guitar case business started to grow. From the initial one sewing machine, he bought a second, and slowly added more. Hartono now has 16 sewing machines. Eight sewing machines are in his home, while eight others have been lent to employees so they can work overtime from home.

Hartono and his wife recruited residents of Kembangan as employees. “In the past, [the workers were] only my wife and I. Now there are eight sewers and three employees in the cutting section,” he said.

Prospects

Compared to guitars, Hartono was more eager to develop a guitar case business. His business prospects are more promising because of the lower level of competition. That prompted Hartono to be creative in producing his products. “In Kembangan, guitars are made in almost every house, but only eight places make guitar bags,” he said.

However, the imbalance between production capacity and the number of orders makes Hartono reluctant to make promises regarding delivery time. He also rejects advance payments.

“I don’t want to disappoint customers. I\'m afraid if I accept down payments or promise a specific date for completion, I cannot make it. [Even though I don\'t accept advance payments], I always try to finish an order as soon as possible,” said the father of two.

To boost production, Hartono has tried to recruit additional workers. However, finding skilled workers is not easy. “Some people are interested in working here, but they can\'t sew,” he said.

To access capital, two years ago Hartono applied for a loan from Central Java-owned lender Bank Jateng. He applied for a loan with a ceiling of Rp 500 million. “I choose Bank Jateng because the interest is low, 0.5 percent per month,” he said.

Hartono claims to have borrowed from two private banks before, but said the interest rate was too high, which was 1.5 to 2 percent per month. Finally, he turned to Bank Jateng. “I borrowed from Bank Jateng with a repayment period of three years because I didn\'t want to be burdened with a long-term loan,” he said.

His guitar bags sell for various prices. The smallest and simplest case for a ukulele, for example, is sold starting from Rp 10,000 per piece. The best guitar bags sell for around Rp 500,000. “The better the model and the material, the higher the price,” said Hartono, who has been blessed with two grandchildren.

In addition to meeting the demand from musical instrument shops in Kembangan, Sukoharjo, Hartono also supplies music stores in a number of cities, including Malang, Ponorogo, Surabaya, Yogyakarta and Jakarta.

Now, Hartono aspires to have his own brand. “I want to expand my business by making various products, such as hard case bags and schoolbags,” he said.

KOMPAS/FERGANATA INDRA RIATMOKO

Hartono

Born: Kembangan, Sukoharjo, April 24, 1970

Wife: Tumiyem, 48

Children: Esti Umi, 27; Tiara Harmilawati, 19

Grandchildren: 2

Education: Elementary school SDN 2 Ngrombo, Baki subdistrict, Sukoharjo; State Technique School Sekolah Teknik Negeri 8 Solo (equal to junior high school).