The 32nd International Manufacturing Machinery, Equipment, Materials Exhibition is happening in Jakarta from 6 to 9 December 2023. This exhibition covers Industrial Automation and Logistics, Machine Tools, and Hand tools. It provides a cost-effective way to increase your business in Southeast Asia’s biggest manufacturing market. It includes a Manufacturing Digital Platform showcasing the latest digital automation technologies, solutions, […]
Mastering Cross-Cultural Business Etiquette

Which hand should you use when giving your business card in a) Indonesia? b) India? c) China? Understanding cultural nuances is crucial in business. While a misstep in handing over a business card may not make or break a deal, it can leave a bad lasting impression. In Indonesia, your customer won’t mind if you don’t know that – Beef Rendang […]
Is your Business Agent James Bond or Austin Powers?

When you conduct business abroad, you sometimes engage a local business partner. You are the Principal; the local partner is the Agent. You want your Agent to be a James Bond. If you are not careful, you may end up with Austin Powers, a humorous parody of Agent 007. Entertaining but with catastrophic consequences for your business. According […]
And the most corrupt country of 2023 is …

Corruption is a challenging concept to define. It’s as elusive as love, trust, or morality, with each person having their own interpretation. Pramoedya Ananta Toer is Indonesia’s most famous writer. In 1954 he wrote a powerful book “Corruption”. Describing the life of a civil servant gradually succumbing to corruption. It offers a profound analysis and shows that corruption is more […]
Nickel Mining and Indonesia Biodiversity

In the push for decarbonization and the transition to electrified transportation, Nickel has emerged as a key metal in batteries. Indonesia, having the world’s biggest reserves of ore, has risen as a major player in the nickel industry. In 2014, the country produced 100.000 tonnes of nickel per year. In 2022, Indonesia’s production surged to 1,4 million tonnes. Forecasts suggest […]
Indonesia Aluminium Smelter Inalum

Inalum is Indonesia’s only state-owned primary aluminium plant, also called a smelter. It produces about 270 thousand metric tons of pure metal per year. The original technology used at the start of the plant, 47 years ago, is Sumitomo from Japan. Since then, Inalum has engaged in many programs of modernization and technological upgrades. Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) is a […]
Consulting Battle: Men in Black Versus Interim Managers

What is the difference between traditional Consultants and Interim Managers? Everybody who has worked in a big corporation has already seen Consultants. They are usually the “Men in Black”, serious looking, impeccably dressed, mysterious, impressive. My first close encounter with them was in 2012, in France, when our CEO brought them in for an internal project. So when we spotted […]
“Indonesianization” a Double-Edged Sword in the Medical Industry

Local Content Requirement, or LCR, is a regulation aiming to boost the national economy by requiring imported products to have a part of their content made locally. In Indonesia, this regulation is known as TKDN “Tingkat Komponen Dalam Negeri”. In the Indonesian medical equipment industry, the LCR applies to public hospitals only and is currently at 40%, gradually increasing. While […]
Finding your Blue Ocean in Indonesia – Part 2

In the previous post we have seen the theory of the Blue Ocean strategy. Let us now look at this concept practically with two examples. B2B Indonesia is a significant player in the global mining industry and among the world top producers of coal, tin, nickel, bauxite, gold, copper, cobalt, etc. In the process, rocks move and bump onto transfer points that […]
Finding your Blue Ocean in Indonesia – Part 1

It is annoying when people give up before even trying. In business, some companies think they have no chance to compete in the Asian markets. They associate Asian markets with low costs and low quality. They wrongly believe that high-end expensive products cannot be sold in Asia. First, they forget that big portions of Asian populations have high income levels. Second, they ignore […]