Minister Of Industry Agus Gumiwang Says TPT Industry Utilization Increases To 70 Percent

JAKARTA - Minister of Industry (Menperin) Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita conveyed that the utilization of the Textile and Textile Products (TPT) industry rose to 70 percent, where previously it was only below 50 percent, which indicates the industry is recovering from the pandemic.

“Gradually, this sector has started to recover. Currently, the utilization is at 70 percent," said the Minister of Industry in a statement in Jakarta, Friday, after giving a virtual speech at the 3rd Indonesia Textile Conference.

Meanwhile, the value of textile exports rose 28 percent compared to last year, driven by apparel and yarn.

"Industrial investment also increased by 6.4 percent until the first quarter of 2022 compared to the same period the previous year," said the Minister of Industry.

In 2025 the national textile industry is targeted to be able to meet most of the domestic demand, achieve an increase in exports by 15 percent per year, and become the Top 5 textile manufactures in the world by 2030 with a specialization in functional clothing.

"The implementation of the Making Indonesia 4.0 agenda in the textile industry has begun with several activities, starting from building connectivity and improving the flow of textile material flows, then training for transformation 4.0 managers in the textile industry," said Agus Gumiwang as quoted by Antara, Friday, July 29.

In addition, a recycling and circular economy pilot project was carried out, preparation of a national TPT 4.0 lighthouse for the yarn and fabric sector, INDI 4.0 verification, and assessments within the framework of the INDI Awards, as well as incentives for engine restructuring.

"To accelerate the digital transformation process and achieve these targets, the Ministry of Industry has built the Indonesian Digital Industry Center (PIDI) 4.0 which offers five main services in helping the textile industry in particular," said Agus.

In addition, he said, the Ministry of Industry is upgrading the Bandung STTT Polytechnic to become a capability center for the development of Human Resources (HR) for the textile industry.

"We invite textile industry players to take advantage of these services in order to increase the competitiveness of national textile products in the global market," said Agus Gumiwang.

On this occasion, Minister of Industry Agus appreciated the STTT Bandung Polytechnic which had played a major role in efforts to advance education and the national textile industry.

"As one of the higher vocational education institutions within the Ministry of Industry, the STTT Bandung Polytechnic is part of the national industrial development ecosystem that has a strategic role in supplying skilled labor in accordance with the needs of the textile industry," he explained.

The holding of The 3rd Indonesia Textile Conference is part of a series of events to commemorate the 100th anniversary of textile education in Indonesia.

"The age of 100 shows the existence of the Bandung STTT Polytechnic as an education provider that has implemented a link and match with industry and is customized to follow the direction of the industry so that it becomes a solution for providing competent industrial human resources," he explained.

In addition, the Bandung STTT Polytechnic has become a good example of the management of vocational education so that it is used as a benchmark by other vocational education.

Head of the Center for Industrial Vocational Education Development at the Ministry of Industry, Restu Yuni Widayati added, in global competition, the Indonesian textile industry must shift itself from comparative advantage to a more knowledge-based competitive advantage by mastering technology and pursuing innovation through education and research and development (R&D).

Both are inseparable and form the backbone of the national textile industry.

“From the aspect of human resource development and the availability of raw materials, the implementation of higher education in the textile sector is very important. For this reason, efforts to adapt the implementation of textile education must continue to be carried out," he explained.

The Indonesian Textile Conference (ITC) is an international event initiated and organized by the STTT Polytechnic Bandung since 2017.

The activity brought together experts in the fields of textile, garment and fashion technology, with the active involvement and participation of researchers, lecturers, practitioners, and even students.

This year's conference also collaborates with the Fashion and Textile Department at Saxion University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands.

The 4th ITC took the theme The Future of Textile and Fashion: At the Intersection of Advanced, Sustainable, and 4.0 Technologies.