Fiberglass Pipe Manufacturers In Tangerang Penetrating The US Market

Glass fiber composite pipe (fiberglass) produced by PT. Future Pipe Industries (FPI) is able to penetrate the export market to the United States. (Photo: Ministry of Industry)

JAKARTA - The government is focused on spurring the industry to aggressively increase its investment and export value. This effort is believed to be able to encourage the strengthening of the competitiveness of the manufacturing sector and the structure of the national economy. Moreover, the potential for domestic industry is expected to be maximally utilized, both in the domestic and export markets.

"Until now, the national economic growth has been driven by the non-oil and gas processing industry with a contribution of 17.58 percent. With global economic pressure, the manufacturing industry is still the largest contributor to exports with a contribution of 75.6 percent of total national exports, "said Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita at the Expansion of Investment and Export Release to the United States by PT Future Pipe Industries in Balaraja, Tangerang, Banten, Wednesday 26 February.

This challenge, said the Minister of Industry, needs to be answered with responsive policies that are relevant to address uncertainty. "Government support for the industrial sector is really needed, for example for the composite pipe industry, which has the opportunity to be developed for the future," he explained.

Agus explained that composite pipe products are very efficient because of their strong, anti-corrosion properties so that they do not leave an environmental footprint, and do not require high maintenance costs.

"In the future, the industry must contribute to a circular economy, because in time all the waste from industrial processes can be processed and reused as raw materials. This is a contribution from the manufacturing industry sector, "explained the Minister of Industry.

Thus, the Minister of Industry gave his appreciation to PT Future Pipe Industries for the realization of its investment commitment in Indonesia and the success of expanding its export market to Uncle Sam's country.

"PT. Future Pipe Industries has invested about 40 million US dollars, and in 2020 plans to increase investment again in order to meet the growing domestic needs and fulfill the needs of the world market, especially ASEAN, "he said.

Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita heard an explanation from the Chief Commercial Officer of PT. Future Pipe Industries (FPI) Imad Makhzoumi. (Photo: Ministry of Industry)

The additional investment, according to Agus, will have multiple effects on the national economy. The impacts include, among others, state revenues in the form of taxes and foreign exchange, employment, absorption of products or services for supporting industries, as well as empowerment and transfer of technology to local companies in terms of installation and maintenance.

"In fact, it can also further strengthen the branding of Indonesian products in the global arena," said Agus. Previously, PT Future Pipe Industries had exported fiberglass pipes to a number of countries, such as Singapore, China, Malaysia and Abu Dhabi.

The Minister of Industry said that one of the efforts to attract investors is through the Increased Use of Domestic Production (P3DN) program.

"We believe that the implementation of this program will attract more investors from other countries to enter Indonesia, because it shows as a country that has domestic market power," he added.

PT Future Pipe Industries began this year to export pipe products to the United States for a sewer system infrastructure development project that connects several cities in the San Francisco, Belmont, Redmond, and San Carlos areas.

This export momentum shows that industrial products in Indonesia can be competitive in the international market with high standards. The company exports fiberglass composite pipes with a diameter of 3.4 meters with a total length of 5.3 kilometers.

Future Pipe Industries Chief Commercial Officer, Imad Makhzoumi, said that the US $ 20 million fiberglass pipe delivery project was the first in Indonesia, supported by a team of domestic experts, from the design process to planning to final production.

"Export activities to the United States will continue in the future, considering the need for sustained products such as fiberglass pipes will continue to increase in the next 10-20 years," he said.