Indonesian Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise photos

This slideshow contains photos from micro, small and medium enterprises in Indonesia, taken in June and July of 2009

Russell Toth, Cornell University, December 2010rdt28@cornell.edu

Research based on this fieldwork can be found athttps://sites.google.com/a/cornell.edu/russelltoth/

A key paper from this project:"

Why Isn't Financial Capital Enough? The Dynamics of Entrepreneurial Human Capital and Emergent Small Enterprises in Indonesia"

Shoe producer, East Java. 15 full-time employees.

Makes use of some machines for production

Though much production still by hand

Blacksmith in East Java – reshapes rebar into basic implements for construction.

15 full-time employees. Enterprise started in 1920s; located in area with significant small-scale metalworks. Business in the formal sector.

Disposed materials on floor of work area

Some inventory not directly accessible

Bakery in Kalimantan (aka., Borneo). 15 full-time employees. Not formally registered. Founded in 1985.

Candle used to hand-seal the plastic wrappers for the bread buns.

Tofu-producing microenterprise in Central Java. 2 owner/workers. Supplying local neighborhood. Production occurs in back room off main house.

Clothing business in North Sumatra. Owner started business with 1 sewing machine, in 1981. Currently has 35 employees (had 55 at its peak). Business formally registered since 1988.

Has number of pieces of relatively modern equipment.

(Continued)

Inventory in clothing production enterprises typically strewn about the production facility, as here.

Enterprise based out of the back of the owner’s household.

(Continued)

Some use of technology to organize production.

Owner cried recalling when past promises of enterprise training from government turned out to be pre-election empty promises.

Restaurant in Sulawesi. Employs 4 people. Not formally registered.

Innovative food producer in South Sumatra. Came up with a dried version of common food that can keep for up to 1 year (as opposed to few days for typical product). Produces in kilns in a few nearby basements.

Rattan furniture producer in Central Java. Exports overseas.

Brick producers and retail locations in South Sumatra.

Main kiln (bottom left), drying racks (bottom right), retail storage (middle, and top right).

Fine clothing producers in South Sumatra. Much production occurs by hand or with mostly wooden, human-powered machines (bottom right). Particular enterprises here had 35 and 46 employees.

Due to unreliable power access it is extremely common for MSMEs to make use of generators to ensure constant access to power during frequent failures of the public system.

Submerged factories after the Sidoarjo mud disaster in East Java province. Also, a submerged mosque (bottom right).

Birds-eye view of Palembang, capital of South Sumatra province. Major palm oil producer.