TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Head of Karawang's Manpower and Transmigration Agency, Ahmad Suroto, revealed that an increasing number of factories in Karawang are currently optimizing their assembly automation, which is the reason why they tend to reduce the number of their human resources.

“There’s a trend where companies utilize [automated assembly lines] instead of humans. Which is the reason why employment rate continues to decline each year,” Suroto said on Wednesday, February 8, 2017.

There are many newly established factories in Karawang, according to Suroto, but they’re dominated by automation process in its assembly line. Factories are increasingly attracted to robotics technology that are getting more and more sophisticated. “Almost every production stage is [handled] by a machine,” He said.

PT Ichii Industries Indonesia for example, produces automotive spare parts but only employs 50 workers in total. “I hope that this factory can employ more local workers,” Suroto said during the official opening ceremony of PT Ichii Industries Indonesia.

Managing Director of PT Ichii Industries Indonesia, Junanto Sani Saputra, admits that there are only 50 employees working in the 3 acre factory. He explained that 90 percent of production is handled by robots in order to produce 8,500 spare part units each year.

“Despite all this, it will continue to develop onward. Coinciding with the increasing number of orders from consumers. The more orders we receive, the more manpower we need to employ,” Junanto said on Tuesday, February 7, 2017.

HISYAM LUTHFIANA