Sound of metal the heartbeat of silver kampong Mayangan

By Widyarto

PASURUAN, East Java (JP): Mayangan looks no different from any other kampong in Java. What makes it unique is that the town has been a metalwork town since last century.

The name of the kampong comes from sayang, which in Javanese means metalwork. This village of 1,200 inhabitants is located in the Gading Rejo district, Pasuruan, 70 kilometers southeast of Surabaya.

Every day, the neighborhood's narrow alleys are filled with the sounds of whirring machines, the tinkling of iron against iron, the thudding of hammers and the rhythm of the hot welders and iron grindstones.

It all began in the middle of the 19th century, when people in this kampong made silver and brass handicrafts. Household and kitchen utensils were made of either material so Mayangan became known as a kampong of silver and brass craftsmen.

Now they no longer work with silver. Instead they use aluminum, copper and brass in addition to iron, their main raw material. The kampong has become a major metalwork producer.

In the 1960s the villagers started using man-driven generators to process metal. The early 1970s saw the advent of diesel generators. In 1975, Mayangan succeeded in producing diesel generators.

Mayangan products include souvenirs, components for agricultural machines, looms, spinning frames, water pumps. The products are often exported. Companies in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan have shown great interest in various machines and components.

"Actually, it is not necessary to make the national car in South Korea," said Haj A. Djuriadi, chairman of the cooperative for the metalwork and machinery industry, Sopongiro (which literally means Who Knows).

"If the government is willing, we can make the required items. I guarantee the quality, and the price is lower."

Mayangan has 200 people who run the metalwork home industry. Other residents are in the business as craftsmen or workers. Thus, there is no unemployment. Businesspeople often find it difficult to hire workers from the area.

If a Mayangan craftsman thinks he is capable of working on his own, he starts his own business. There is no special school for metalwork and experience is the best teacher. The expertise has been handed down through the generations. There is hardly any male in Mayangan who does not understand how to operate a machine, although none of them attended university. High school graduates number only a few. Many of them did not even finish elementary school.

"From early childhood, people here have busied themselves with iron and metal. Craftsmanship is gradually handed down from generation to generation and has been further developed," said Djuraidi, who is a producer of tile and paving stone machines.

Many Mayangan businesspeople specialize in certain products. Haj Affandi, 42, produces axles for diesel engines, tractors, windmills and water pumps. Starting in 1982 as a craftsman, Affandi rented a machine and started out with just Rp 1 million. Now he has four machines and assets totaling Rp 47 million. He employs 12 workmen and produces 300 axles a week.

Haj Asnawi, 56, owner of UD Barokah, which produces looms, acquired his knowledge when he worked at a cloth mill in Pasuruan. Now, his five meter by six meter production room on the ground floor of his house yields 15 looms every month.

"That is my capacity. I often pass orders on to other metalworkers to meet the delivery time. Contrary to expectations, in this time of crisis we have to work overtime to meet orders," said the grandfather.

He has a standing order from a Hong Kong garment factory for five looms every month.

Businessman Rochim said he once received an order for organ and piano components from the Yamaha music company in Hong Kong.

A number of state-owned companies are regular customers of Mayangan companies, such as the state railway company, the state electricity company, the state telecommunications company and the state plantations company. Other clients include shipping companies and companies in need of fire-fighting equipment.

The customers are not limited to national companies. Multinational companies such as PT Astra International have also shown interest in Mayangan's products. A series of components produced in Mayangan have been test-approved to supply PT Astra's automotive plant in Cikarang, West Java.

"In November, the Mayangan metalworkers will have six work contracts with multinational companies," said Ainur Rofiq, Sopongiro cooperative secretary.

It is regrettable that some of their agricultural machinery and other products are sold as pirated goods.

"We have often found our products being sold in the free market stamped Made in Taiwan or Made in China. We cannot do anything about it even though the products were made in Mayangan," said Djuraidi, who added that he did not know how to patent his products.