The People of Asia Pacific Rayon (APR) and Aspirations for Advancing Indonesia | Asia Pacific Rayon Skip to main content

The theme of this year’s Independence Day is Indonesia Maju” or Indonesia Advances and aims to lift the spirits of Indonesians as we continue the fight of Covid-19.

As a company that makes doing what’s good for the community one of our core values, this sentiment is close to our hearts. As Indonesia celebrates its birthday, Asia Pacific Rayon (APR) showcases some of the people who are helping make a positive impact on the community and helping to develop the domestic textile Industry.

Dahlan, Truck Driver

Dahlan was born in Aceh but is currently living with his family in Pangkalan Kerincin, the home of APR’s operations. “APR has provided a lot of economic support and job opportunities for Pangkalan Kerinci locals.”

It has been over a year since Dahlan started working with APR, transporting viscose in and out of the warehouse. “By way of contribution on this Independence Day, I celebrate our resilience, as a form of appreciation to our heroes and their past struggles.” Dahlan, a father of three adds that, like most Indonesians, his hope for the country this year is to improve for the better, and get through the pandemic by following government policies.

Muhammad Rodi, Forklift Operator

“The hardest part was operating the forklift during my first few times: it’s so easy to damage the equipment and goods,” says Muhammad Rodi. a 25-year-old recent hire, born and raised in Pangkalan Kerinci. He has been working with APR as a forklift operator for at least 18 months. “Pelalawan is fortunate to have APR, a company that can transform wood fibre to textile fibre and fabric. My wish for our Independence Day is for our country to keep improving in the future, especially APR.” Rodi says.

Mega Novitawati, APY Spinning Engineer

Asia Pacific Yarn (APY), APR’s younger sibling that oversees viscose yarn processing, has a 21 tons production capacity per day. “Not everyone gets to learn the yarn process from the first to the last machines,” says 20-year old Mega Novitawati. She started working in APY in October 2019, having recently trained and graduated from vocational high school, a training programme supported by APR. “I hope that the pandemic ends soon so we can go out in full force celebrating national holidays in Indonesia like we used to,” she comments. “And I hope that the presence of APY’s textile mill can contribute and strengthen Indonesia’s fashion industry.”

Putri Tampubolon, Cleaning Staff

Putri Tampubolon, also born and raised in Pangkalan Kerinci, is one of the cleaning staff at the new APY mill. Putri has been with APY for five months and lives with her family. As one of the breadwinners of her family, Putri has siblings who are still in school, while her parents have a small shop at their house. “Living in Pangkalan Kerinci my whole life, my parents are very proud that I’m working in the company,” she says. “I’m also proud that there’s a big textile company in my community.”

Putri, Mother and Housewife

As a mother to young children, Putri is always actively participating in company classes and programs in her neighbourhood in Pangkalan Kerinci Timur village. “In my opinion, the APR program in child development is very helpful and beneficial for us,” she said. Talking about Indonesia’s 75th birthday, Putri hopes that her children can grow up healthy so that one day they can contribute to Indonesia’s future. “I hope my kids can grow up healthier for a better future,” said the 29-year-old mother. Putri currently has four children who are taking part in a nutrition and wellness monitoring programme that APR supports in the prevention of stunting, as part of APR’s extended community development services.

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