Digitalization of Human Resources for Palm Oil, PTPN IV PalmCo Wins National Recognition

JAKARTA - PTPN IV PalmCo's efforts to transform human resource management (SDM) based on digital have received recognition at the national level.

In the Indonesia Human Capital Brilliance Awards 2025 (IHCBA 2025), this palm oil plantation company won the Platinum title as the National Champion for the category of The Most Brilliant Human Capital Sustainability Strategy of The Year 2025.

The award was announced at an event organized by Business Update, with the support of the Ministry of Communication and Digital, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Indonesian Human Capital Forum (FHCI), in Jakarta, last Friday.

Not only at the corporate level, appreciation was also given to the management of PTPN IV PalmCo. President Director Jatmiko K. Santosa was named The Most Brilliant CEO in Human Capital Transformation, while the Director of Human Resources and Information Technology Suhendri received the title of The Most Brilliant Chief Human Capital Officer of The Year 2025.

The Chairman of the IHCBA 2025 Jury Board assessed that PTPN IV PalmCo has successfully demonstrated adaptive human resource management practices to industry challenges, especially in the context of the labor-intensive and geographically dispersed palm oil sector.

Director of Human Resources and IT of PTPN IV PalmCo Suhendri said that the company's main challenge at present is managing around 70,000 workers spread across more than 150 plantation and factory units, with a total area of more than 500,000 hectares.

"As a labor-intensive company, our challenge is to ensure that this large number of workers really has an impact on productivity, revenue, and cost efficiency per person," said Suhendri in a statement, Wednesday, January 28.

According to him, the conventional management approach is no longer sufficient to oversee activities in a very large area. Therefore, PTPN IV PalmCo accelerates digital transformation through the development of PalmCo Business Cockpit, an Internet of Things (IoT) based platform, drones, and sensors.

The platform allows for real-time and automated performance monitoring, from the headquarters level to unit managers in the field.

"Work progress can be monitored daily in real time. This is the backbone of data-based decision making," said Suhendri.

However, he emphasized that digitization is not merely about technology. The biggest challenge is actually in increasing human resources competence so that they are able to adapt to these changes.

"We are not only building a system, but also changing mindsets. The goal is that our workforce is able to work as modern farmers who are familiar with technology," he said.

Meanwhile, Director of Strategy and Sustainability of PTPN IV PalmCo Ugun Untaryo said that this award reflects the company's success in aligning business strategies with human-oriented human resources management.

At PTPN IV PalmCo, said Ugun, employees are no longer seen as mere production factors, but as strategic partners. "The health of the company is determined by the readiness and well-being of its human resources," he said.

He assessed that, with the operational area stretching from Aceh to Sulawesi, supervision based on the physical presence of the leadership in the field was irrelevant. "In the past, performance was determined by how far the leader's footsteps went around the garden. Today, it is impossible without the support of technology," said Ugun.

Regarding the digital literacy gap among field workers, Ugun is optimistic that this can be overcome. He cited the success of technology adoption in the informal sector, such as online motorcycle drivers.

"We provide self-learning applications on employees' devices, a kind of internal digital assistant. They can ask about technical work, including calculating harvest results. The learning process becomes faster and more inclusive," he said.

This award, according to PTPN IV PalmCo management, is a driver to continue to innovate in the midst of the challenges of climate change, global sustainability demands, and the dynamics of palm oil industry regulations.

With the digitization of HR management, the company hopes that tens of thousands of its employees can grow together, while strengthening the competitiveness of the national palm oil industry in the future.