INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS PAGES
The ceremony was also graced by the
Minister of Industry, Agus Gumiwang
Kartasasmita, the Minister of Public
Works and Housing Basuki Hadimul-
jono, Presidential Staff Head Moeldo-
ko, the Governor of Riau, Syamsuar,
RGE Founder and Chairman Sukanto
Tanoto, and Anderson Tanoto, Director,
RGE.
Speaking at the inauguration, President
Widodo welcomed APR’s investment
in the development of the national tex-
tile industry. The role of the private
sector was influential in driving eco-
nomic growth, alongside the stimulus
provided by the Government, he said.
“Our garment industry should be great-
er than Vietnam. We already have our
own raw materials here, such as vis-
cose rayon, to support the industry,”
he said.
Economic Contribution
APR’s business aligns with President
Jokowi’s vision to encourage more
value-added investment in the nation
and the strengthening of the national
textile and textile product (TPT) indus-
try, as set out in the Making Indonesia
4.0 Road map. In addition, the produc-
tion of viscose rayon will reduce de-
pendence on the import of textile raw
materials, particularly cotton, to meet
domestic demand.
Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita, Minis-
ter for Industry, said: “By optimising the
availability and use of raw materials
originating from Indonesia, we can
boost the performance of our textile
sector. This is just one of several steps
we are taking to continue to improve
the performance and competitiveness
of the labour-intensive industry.”
Basrie Kamba, Director APR, said:
“The presence of APR will have a pos-
itive impact on employment and busi-
ness opportunities for small and me-
dium-sized businesses in the upstream
and downstream sectors of the textiles
and textile products industry. We are
honoured and grateful to President
Jokowi for inaugurating our new facili-
ty”.
In addition to Turkey, APR’s productsBPMI Setpres/Muchlis Jr
are exported to 14 other countries in-
cluding key textile centres such as
Pakistan, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Bra-
zil, and various parts of Europe. The
products also support an expanding
Indonesia fashion industry.
It is estimated that APR may gener-
ate foreign exchange revenues exceed-
ing Rp1.77 trillion (USD130 million) an-
nually, and reduce dependence on im-
ported raw materials by about Rp2.01
trillion (USD149 million) annually.
Sustainable Production
APR produces sustainable viscose
rayon fiber from renewable, traceable
and biodegradable raw materials. The
company’s raw materials are supplied
by APRIL Group, which is recognised
as a responsible pulp producer through
national (Timber Legality Verification
System) and international (Program for
the Endorsement of Forest Certifica-
tion/PEFC) certifications.
APR is the first viscose rayon manu-
facturer in Indonesia to receive the in-
ternationally recognised STeP certifi-
cation from OEKO-TEX ®, an indepen-
dent Swiss-based certification organi-
sation, for the responsible manufactur-
ing of viscose staple fibre.
APR has launched the ‘Everything In-
donesia’ campaign to promote the sus-
tainable sourcing and production of
fashion from Indonesia. The aim is to
NCM-MARCH 2020
69support Indonesia’s resurgence as a
global centre for textile manufacturing,
and catalyse home-grown fashion de-
sign and creativity.
About Asia Pacific Rayon:
Asia Pacific Rayon is the first fully in-
tegrated viscose rayon producer in
Asia. The factory with 240,000 ton ca-
pacity, located in Pangkalan Kerinci,
Riau, uses the latest production tech-
nology to produce high-quality rayon
to meet textile needs. APR is commit-
ted to become a leading viscose ray-
on producer that has the principles of
sustainability, transparency and oper-
ational efficiency, serves the interests
of the community and the country, and
provides value to customers. APR is
part of the RGE (Royal Golden Eagle)
group of resource-based manufactur-
ing companies.
Coronavirus cripples
garment supply chain
in Vietnam and Cambo-
dia
Even small changes in China have
global effects.
Even as China pushes factories to re-
open, the ripple effects of Covid-19
have already proved inescapable for
manufacturers outside the country.
Particularly hard hit is Southeast Asia,