Eri Agus Susanto: Self-reliant in Jepara, the “Land of Woodcarving”

KOMPAS/P RADITYA MAHENDRA YASA

Eri Agus Susanto

The foreign capital that has long kept a tight grip on the furniture industry in Jepara, Central Java, has made Eri Agus Susanto, 44, miserable. His aim is solid: Jepara’s woodcarving craftsmen and people must be self-reliant in their own land. In addition to providing jobs to hundreds of people, Eri has also encouraged his employees to someday have their own businesses.

Amid the noise from the woodcutting machine on the morning of Tuesday, July 31, Eri greeted his workers one by one at his warehouse in Batealit District, Jepara. Eri also checked every piece of resin furniture, the focus of his business. A familial atmosphere pervaded the warehouse.

Eri had established this atmosphere at his furniture company, Jepara Asia Mas Furniture, set up in 2010, so his workers were comfortable. If the workers felt comfortable, their work would be solid, and they could even contribute brilliant ideas. Eri instilled the concept from his unpleasant experience working at a furniture company owned by foreign investors.

"My boss was a foreigner and very harsh. Employees were treated like laborers. That made the team weak. I finally quit,” he said.

Given the status quo, Eri grew even more annoyed. He believed that the people of Jepara could stand on their own two feet without relying on foreign investors. When he started his business, he recruited seven local residents. Today, he has around 130 workers and his business continues to grow.

Furniture was not actually Eri\'s chosen career. Although native to Jepara, he did not have a lineage or education in the timber business. Shortly before graduating from Diponegoro University’s Urban and Regional Planning Department, Eri started working at a consultancy in Semarang.

Two years later, he felt working behind a desk was not suited to him. He decided to return to Jepara, where he began his career in the furniture industry. Motivated by the success of Jepara furniture businesses, he jumped in head first.

Eri started his career from the bottom. He worked as an administrative staffer at one of the dozens of furniture companies in Jepara. Even though his salary was much lower than when he worked at the consultancy, he had strong motivation. "I started from zero. From administration, personnel, to outsourcing, I did it all,” he said.

Learning

Eri\'s career grew. He was eventually trusted to become a production manager, until he became directly involved in marketing. The entire process improved his knowledge of the furniture business. He gained know-how in bookkeeping, sourcing raw materials and marketing.

With his experience, Eri moved from one company to another, until eventually he landed at an American company. Here, he and other employees felt pressured by the targets the company set. The working environment was not enjoyable because of the minimal teamwork.

All employees and workers at that foreign company were Indonesian. The company owner had the capital and a marketing network, but local residents carried out every stage of the production process. The boss, who often suppressed and treated workers poorly, made Eri feel even more discomfited. In 2010, he quit and founded Jepara Asia Mas Furniture.

Initially, Eri produced classic, carved furniture, such as chairs and bed frames. In 2013, he participated in his first major exhibition at the JIExpo Kemayoran in Jakarta. After the exhibition, his customer base grew. The exhibition was the most effective place to attract buyers.

His business continued to grow, attracting international markets such as China and the Middle East. "Then I learned that the trend in classic furniture would soon decline. Therefore, I looked for other products that had more value. In 2015, I started experimenting with resin furniture,” said Eri.

The market responded well to the wood-resin combined furniture. Eri continued to attract potential buyers, especially after the exhibition. Today, he speaks with the young workers at his company on creating new and innovative designs every three months, prior to taking part in an exhibition.

"We are a small and medium business, so if our products are not unique, it will be difficult to survive. Large companies can make anything with better efficiency. We face all challenges by discussing and developing ideas together,” said Eri.

Being the boss

In addition, Eri\'s marketing strategy since 2013 has been to email new product catalogs to all customers. Whatever the response, Eri promotes every new product. It is not uncommon for him to receive good responses from his customers.

Eri said the trade expos had been an effective marketing strategy. He also learned the general character of prospective buyers through the expos. "For example, from the way they ask [about my furniture]. I rely on my gut feeling,” he said.

A number of interested buyers came from abroad. In 2016, he participated in exhibitions in Shanghai, China, and his products raised great demand. Today, he sends an average of two containers per month to foreign customers.

Eri admitted that combining wood and resin in furniture was not new. However, he was sure that his company would continue to develop creative designs to attract the market with the help of his younger staff. This was what motivated him to treat his employees as co-workers and not subordinates.

Aside from his interest in unique items, Eri said his decision to grow a furniture business was driven by his aim to involve the people of his hometown, including his family. In fact, several people he had hired already had their own businesses, ranging from raw material suppliers to owning core companies.

Furthermore, Eri wants to see the Jepara furniture industry expand with the future involvement of creatives from Jepara. Doing so would shows that the people of Jepara could compete with foreign investors who have been in the business for a long time. The combination of young employees, creativity and innovation is the key to realizing this. (Banu Astono)

Eri Agus Susanto

Born: Cianjur, Aug. 13, 1974

Education:

- Diponegoro University, Urban and Spatial Planning 1992-1998

- SMA Negeri 1 Jepara, 1989-1992

- SMP Negeri 1 Jepara, 1986-1989

- SD Negeri Panggang 6 Jepara, 1980-1986

Organizations:

- Member, economic cooperation and export product marketing, Jepara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), present

- Secretary, Jepara chapter, Indonesia Furniture and Crafts Union (Himki). 2017-present

- Board member, Jepara Furniture and Crafts Association (Amkri), 2012-2017