Indonesia's manufacturing sector, buoyed by the rising competitiveness of local products and an increasing demand for exports, particularly in the global market, is confidently expanding its footprint. Among the manufacturing subsectors demonstrating outstanding performance amid global economic slowdown is the basic metal industry, renowned as the "mother of industry," playing a pivotal role in driving national economic growth. According to Doddy Rahadi, representing the Minister of Industry, the basic metal industry has excelled, experiencing double-digit growth of 10.86% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2023. This impressive growth significantly surpasses the national economic growth of 4.94% and the 5.02% growth in the non-oil and gas processing industry.
The positive performance of the basic metal sector is attributed to high demand, with a notable boost from increased export activities. The Ministry of Industry acknowledges the commitment of PT Gunung Raja Paksi (GRP) in aggressively penetrating international markets. In early 2024, GRP exported 1,500 Metric Tons (MT) of structural steel to Canada, valued at approximately USD 2 million. Throughout 2023, GRP achieved total export revenues of USD 25 billion. Doddy Rahadi commended GRP's dedication, highlighting their previous exports, including a shipment of 700 MT of structural steel to Arizona, USA, worth USD 1 million in March 2022. Furthermore, in September 2020, GRP made its debut structural steel export to Vancouver, Canada, amounting to 4,600 tons and valued at USD 4.7 million, a remarkable feat amid the COVID-19 pandemic. These achievements underscore the global recognition of the quality of domestic steel products, positioning Indonesia's steel industry as highly competitive globally. Doddy Rahadi emphasizes that the domestic steel sector exhibits exceptional competitiveness compared to similar products from other countries, meeting domestic market needs while successfully competing on the global stage.
