CEO of PT PAL Indonesia Kaharuddin Djenod said in Surabaya, East Java, on Friday, that the presentation was delivered in front of the Japanese parliamentary group at the building of PT PAL Indonesia.
"We are honored by the arrival of former Japanese defense minister Onodera Itsunori along with delegates from the Japanese parliament today," he remarked.
According to Djenod, PT PAL Indonesia has a long-standing history with Japan, in the areas of shipyard development, Transfer of Technology (ToT) in commercial ship products, and development of human resource capabilities.
“We are still in the process of building and increasing capacity in the production of advanced technology ships. The main aspect to pay attention to is the need for change apart from supporting facilities, that is building a work culture, so that it can at least be on par with Japan," he remarked.
Djenod recalled that two years ago, the company had built a system that he learnt about while studying and working in Japan.
"I worked in a Japanese shipyard, a system we call maritime industry 4.0 or IM4," he remarked.
Moreover, he explained that during its 43 years of existence, PT PAL Indonesia had produced a marine fleet to support national stability.
"This visit aims to find out more about PT PAL's profile and business processes, considering that PT PAL has become a national shipyard that has successfully exported warship products as well as looking at the potential for cooperation between Indonesia and Japan, especially in the defense industry sector," Djenod stated.
Meanwhile, the former minister of defense of Japan, Onodera Itsunori, expressed hope that his visit and his delegation would intensify cooperation with Indonesia, especially with PT PAL.
“I would like to thank all of PT PAL. Our visit today is to hold discussions on increasing cooperation with Indonesia, especially through PT PAL, in the defense equipment sector," he stated.
According to Itsunori, since the start, Japan has only carried out defense equipment development with partners from the United States and is currently expanding further, including Indonesia.
"Through changes in strategy, we can now expand cooperation with other countries, including Indonesia. It is hoped that this cooperation can increase the two countries' contribution to maritime security along world routes," he affirmed.
The discussion was focused on planning potential projects that could be collaborated between countries.
As a country, with a sea area of 3,257,357 square kilometers, the need for ships is certainly high enough to strengthen Indonesia's fleet.
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Translator: Abdul Hakim/Naufal Ammar Imaduddin, Cindy Frishant
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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