Eri Agus Susanto: Self-reliant in Jepara, the “Land of Woodcarving”

KOMPAS/P RADITYA MAHENDRA YASA

Eri Agus Susanto

The foreign capital that has long kept a tight grip on the furniture industry in Jepara, Central Java, has made Eri Agus Susanto, 44, miserable. His aim is solid: Jepara’s woodcarving craftsmen and people must be self-reliant in their own land. In addition to providing jobs to hundreds of people, Eri has also encouraged his employees to someday have their own businesses.

Amid the noise from the woodcutting machine on the morning of Tuesday, July 31, Eri greeted his workers one by one at his warehouse in Batealit District, Jepara. Eri also checked every piece of resin furniture, the focus of his business. A familial atmosphere pervaded the warehouse.