Pindad Indonesia to Make Fireworks

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia state-owned PT Pindad plans to expand its business from solely military products to manufacturing large-scale fireworks, due to the lucrative business in selling fireworks.

"The fireworks business is very attractive. Based on calculations, spending on fireworks in Indonesia reaches Rp600 billion a year, though the fireworks have been imported from China and Japan," the company's head of munitions department, I Wayan Sutama, told reporters at the Pindad office in Turen, Malang, East Java, as quoted by Antara News.

He said if the business plan is successful, Pindad could take some share of the Rp600 billion firecrackers business.

Wayan noted that the fireworks PT Pindad would manufacture are not the childrens toy type, but the large sized ones used for official ceremonies, such as in sports competitions or new year celebrations, with the smallest one measuring 120 millimeters.

"It happens that a Chinese investor has invited us to cooperate, and we are interested," he said.

Pindad officials hope they could start production within a month, Wayan said, adding that the company has already has the building and experts needed for production while, in principle, manufacturing fireworks is not different from creating the type of ammunition that Pindad now manufactures.

"We are just waiting for the investors readiness. We have also coordinated with the police, because purchase of fireworks must be accompanied by a police event permit," he said.

ANTARA | SYAIFUL HAKIM