Maxindo Opens Third Factory in Kendal, Boosting Exports to 40 Countries

PT Maxindo Karya Anugerah Tbk has officially commenced operations at its third factory in the Kendal Industrial Park (KIK), Kendal Regency, Central Java. The inauguration of the company’s largest production facility marks a new milestone in PT Maxindo’s business expansion to increase production capacity, broaden its export markets to 40 countries, and strengthen partnerships with local farmers through the development of superior cassava varieties in collaboration with the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN).

The grand opening was attended by Kendal Regent Dyah Kartika Permanasari, the management of PT Maxindo Karya Anugerah Tbk, BRIN representatives, company partners, and farmer groups. As part of the ceremony, superior cassava seeds were symbolically handed over from PT Maxindo to the Kendal Regent, who then passed them on to farmer representatives as a sign of joint commitment to raising agricultural productivity and strengthening the cassava-based industrial supply chain in Kendal Regency.

President Director of PT Maxindo Karya Anugerah Tbk, Sarkoro Handajani, said the construction of the third factory forms part of the company’s strategy to respond to rising global demand whilst strengthening the downstreaming of national agricultural commodities.

“The factory in Kendal is the largest production facility we own. We hope to collaborate with the Kendal Regency Government and the local community so that this investment not only increases the company’s production capacity but also delivers broad economic benefits for the region,” said Sarkoro.

According to him, PT Maxindo’s current raw material requirement reaches around 100 tonnes per day. Part of the supply is already being met by farmers in several areas of Kendal Regency, such as Kaliwungu and Boja.

To safeguard the sustainability of this supply, the company does not simply purchase farmers’ harvests but also provides cultivation guidance through research cooperation with BRIN and IPB University. The collaboration has produced superior seeds with higher productivity and greater resistance to crop failure risks.

“We have invested billions of rupiah in research with BRIN and IPB so that farmers can obtain better seeds. Productivity can rise by one and a half to two times compared with before,” said Sarkoro.

He emphasised that company growth must go hand in hand with improving farmers’ welfare.

“Our spirit is not merely to buy farmers’ harvests, but to help increase their incomes through better productivity,” he added.

Beyond strengthening the agricultural sector, PT Maxindo also chose Kendal for its strategic location. The factory stands on a site of around 35,000 square metres, far larger than the company’s two previous plants. It lies only about two kilometres from the export port and is situated in an area offering various investment incentives.

PT Maxindo’s products are currently marketed to around 40 countries across four continents, including the United States, Australia, China, Japan, the Netherlands, Germany, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Kuwait, as well as a number of other countries in the Middle East and Europe.

“Markets in the Americas, Australia, Europe and the Middle East continue to grow. China has also become an export market for us again, so we are optimistic that production capacity from Kendal will be absorbed,” explained Sarkoro.

On the employment side, the company targets around 95 per cent of its workers to come from the surrounding community. Currently, some 90 per cent of the workforce recruited is local labour.

“We want this company to grow not only to earn profit, but also to create wider job opportunities and boost foreign exchange earnings through exports,” he said.

Meanwhile, Kendal Regent Dyah Kartika Permanasari welcomed the operation of PT Maxindo’s third factory. According to her, investment entering Kendal Regency must deliver tangible benefits to the community.

“We hope the people of Kendal Regency will not merely be spectators of the companies established here, but will be directly involved through job opportunities, business partnerships, or the supply of raw materials,” said Dyah Kartika.

She noted that the Kendal Regency Government remains committed to creating a conducive investment climate. In 2025, Kendal recorded the highest investment realisation in Central Java, with economic growth of 7.99 per cent, accompanied by falling unemployment and poverty rates.

The regional government is also encouraging companies to use local agricultural commodities as production raw materials and to broaden cooperation with farmer groups and micro, small and medium enterprises so that the benefits of investment can be felt more widely.

At the same event, Head of BRIN’s Genetic Engineering Research Centre, Ratih Asmana Ningrum, said the collaboration between BRIN and PT Maxindo, running since 2021, has successfully produced 11 officially registered superior cassava varieties and 10 candidate sweet potato lines derived from cellular engineering that are currently undergoing field trials.

“This collaboration is a concrete example of how research results can be applied in industry and deliver direct benefits to society. Over the past five years we have developed cassava and sweet potatoes through cellular engineering, molecular techniques and continuous field testing,” she said.

Ratih viewed the inauguration of PT Maxindo’s third factory as an important moment in strengthening the downstreaming of national research. According to her, innovation must not stop in the laboratory but must be able to create economic added value, enhance industrial competitiveness, open up jobs and improve farmers’ welfare.

Through the symbolic handover of superior cassava seeds to the Kendal Regency Government and farmer groups, BRIN and PT Maxindo hope the superior varieties can be developed more widely so as to raise agricultural productivity, secure industrial raw material supplies and strengthen the competitiveness of Indonesian commodities in the global market.

Going forward, PT Maxindo and BRIN are committed to continuing their collaboration in developing superior varieties, precision cultivation, quality seed provision, processing innovation and the development of value-added products. The synergy between government, research institutions, the business community and farmers is hoped to become a model for national downstreaming capable of driving industrial growth whilst improving public welfare.