Sound of metal the heartbeat of silver kampong Mayangan<\/p>\n
By Widyarto<\/p>\n
PASURUAN, East Java (JP): Mayangan looks no different from any
\nother kampong in Java. What makes it unique is that the town has
\nbeen a metalwork town since last century.<\/p>\n
The name of the kampong comes from sayang, which in Javanese
\nmeans metalwork. This village of 1,200 inhabitants is located in
\nthe Gading Rejo district, Pasuruan, 70 kilometers southeast of
\nSurabaya.<\/p>\n
Every day, the neighborhood's narrow alleys are filled with
\nthe sounds of whirring machines, the tinkling of iron against
\niron, the thudding of hammers and the rhythm of the hot welders
\nand iron grindstones.<\/p>\n
It all began in the middle of the 19th century, when people in
\nthis kampong made silver and brass handicrafts. Household and
\nkitchen utensils were made of either material so Mayangan became
\nknown as a kampong of silver and brass craftsmen.<\/p>\n
Now they no longer work with silver. Instead they use
\naluminum, copper and brass in addition to iron, their main raw
\nmaterial. The kampong has become a major metalwork producer.<\/p>\n
In the 1960s the villagers started using man-driven generators
\nto process metal. The early 1970s saw the advent of diesel
\ngenerators. In 1975, Mayangan succeeded in producing diesel
\ngenerators.<\/p>\n
Mayangan products include souvenirs, components for
\nagricultural machines, looms, spinning frames, water pumps. The
\nproducts are often exported. Companies in Malaysia, Singapore,
\nHong Kong and Taiwan have shown great interest in various
\nmachines and components.<\/p>\n
\"Actually, it is not necessary to make the national car in
\nSouth Korea,\" said Haj A. Djuriadi, chairman of the cooperative
\nfor the metalwork and machinery industry, Sopongiro (which
\nliterally means Who Knows).<\/p>\n
\"If the government is willing, we can make the required items.
\nI guarantee the quality, and the price is lower.\"<\/p>\n
Mayangan has 200 people who run the metalwork home industry.
\nOther residents are in the business as craftsmen or workers.
\nThus, there is no unemployment. Businesspeople often find it
\ndifficult to hire workers from the area.<\/p>\n
If a Mayangan craftsman thinks he is capable of working on his
\nown, he starts his own business. There is no special school for
\nmetalwork and experience is the best teacher. The expertise has
\nbeen handed down through the generations. There is hardly any
\nmale in Mayangan who does not understand how to operate a
\nmachine, although none of them attended university. High school
\ngraduates number only a few. Many of them did not even finish
\nelementary school.<\/p>\n
\"From early childhood, people here have busied themselves with
\niron and metal. Craftsmanship is gradually handed down from
\ngeneration to generation and has been further developed,\" said
\nDjuraidi, who is a producer of tile and paving stone machines.<\/p>\n
Many Mayangan businesspeople specialize in certain products.
\nHaj Affandi, 42, produces axles for diesel engines, tractors,
\nwindmills and water pumps. Starting in 1982 as a craftsman,
\nAffandi rented a machine and started out with just Rp 1 million.
\nNow he has four machines and assets totaling Rp 47 million. He
\nemploys 12 workmen and produces 300 axles a week.<\/p>\n
Haj Asnawi, 56, owner of UD Barokah, which produces looms,
\nacquired his knowledge when he worked at a cloth mill in
\nPasuruan. Now, his five meter by six meter production room on the
\nground floor of his house yields 15 looms every month.<\/p>\n
\"That is my capacity. I often pass orders on to other
\nmetalworkers to meet the delivery time. Contrary to expectations,
\nin this time of crisis we have to work overtime to meet orders,\"
\nsaid the grandfather.<\/p>\n
He has a standing order from a Hong Kong garment factory for
\nfive looms every month.<\/p>\n
Businessman Rochim said he once received an order for organ
\nand piano components from the Yamaha music company in Hong Kong.<\/p>\n
A number of state-owned companies are regular customers of
\nMayangan companies, such as the state railway company, the state
\nelectricity company, the state telecommunications company and the
\nstate plantations company. Other clients include shipping
\ncompanies and companies in need of fire-fighting equipment.<\/p>\n
The customers are not limited to national companies.
\nMultinational companies such as PT Astra International have also
\nshown interest in Mayangan's products. A series of components
\nproduced in Mayangan have been test-approved to supply PT Astra's
\nautomotive plant in Cikarang, West Java.<\/p>\n
\"In November, the Mayangan metalworkers will have six work
\ncontracts with multinational companies,\" said Ainur Rofiq,
\nSopongiro cooperative secretary.<\/p>\n
It is regrettable that some of their agricultural machinery
\nand other products are sold as pirated goods.<\/p>\n
\"We have often found our products being sold in the free
\nmarket stamped Made in Taiwan or Made in China. We cannot do
\nanything about it even though the products were made in
\nMayangan,\" said Djuraidi, who added that he did not know how to
\npatent his products.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/sound-of-metal-the-heartbeat-of-silver-kampong-mayangan-1447893297",
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