“ Although Vietnam is our main competitor, the country will not be able to meet the global demands in textile manufacturing and, therefore, providing Indonesia with more opportunities. ”
We have over 30 years in the textiles industry in Indonesia in which we are also one of a handful of companies that have a vertical setup encompassing both upstream and downstream sectors for textiles and garments. Our aim is to offer a streamlined process for our customers while also ensuring product quality as well as the timeliness of product delivery. The company’s factory locations are spread within three locations in Indonesia in addition to having six subsidiary units under Nirwana Group.
Currently, we are preparing for stronger growth given the potential of the global garment industry albeit a slowdown over the past three years. To accommodate this plan, we are revamping our mission, improving the company’s infrastructure, building upon our corporate culture as well as strengthening our human resources through a wide-range of training programmes. Last year, we began expanding our garment production division because we are aiming to establish a total of 60 new production lines by mid-2018. In 2017, we are striving to set up 40 production lines. Moreover, we have upcoming plans of expanding to the Central Java region.
At the moment, our company does not have an apparel brand due to previous unsuccessful attempts, however, we are considering to venture into this area once more in the near future. Nirwana Group has amassed a highly impressive client portfolio encompassing global clothing brands such as H&M. Our manufacturing expansion plans are in keeping with our clients’ needs given that they are also looking to widen their market presence thus we must prepare ourselves to anticipate this expected growth. As such, we are in the midst of requesting certifications for various aspects including health & safety in addition to workers’ rights compliance. Abiding by the state as well as local regulations is an important aspect of our company. Going forward, we would also like to make available new facilities for our employees.
I am quite optimistic about the outlook for the company’s industry particularly because Nirwana Group has been able to remain profitable amidst the economic slowdown. There are two important factors which I believe will push the manufacturing industry forward. Firstly, we depend on our local market given the large size of Indonesia’s consumer segment. Secondly, there will remain opportunities at bay for exports given the significant number of global consumers that are present.
The government has certainly helped our industry through various efforts which among them include driving foreign investment into the local textile and garment industry. In addition, the textile and garment industry is one of the current administration’s priority sectors because it is labour-intensive and export-oriented.
Nonetheless, illegal imports for fabric or apparel particularly from China are an area which must be dealt with by the local government. I believe that the local government has an important role to push our industry forward; I hope that the government will continue to support our industry by issuing more economic policy packages in addition to forging strategic trade ties with the United States.
With the incoming Trump administration, there are now numerous uncertainties for the TPP agreement. Time will tell how the TPP will unfold under the Trump administration, but I hope that it will be beneficial to our industry. Although Vietnam is our main competitor, the country will not be able to meet the global demands in textile manufacturing alone, therefore, serving to Indonesia’s advantage. From the perspective of the textiles industry, I support the government’s interest in joining the TPP.
We are very open to initiating business opportunities with foreign investors namely because we have plans on expanding our garment division into the Central Java region. Keeping in mind Nirwana Group’s expansion plans as well as strong performance, we are interested in creating synergies for partnerships, joint ventures, and technology transfer.
We would like to be remembered as a fully integrated, vertical setup company in Indonesia which makes us unique to the industry. For companies seeking to work with a company that is eager to grow, Nirwana Group is the company of choice to realise these goals.