A Little Story About a Local Furniture in Jepara

Furniture industry in jepara seems to be falling down again. After facing some problems, such as lack of order, lack of wood, fuel rising, supported material rising and new competitors, now, a new problem comes. Wood as the nerve of furniture industry is now rising in price, more than 23%. Could craftsmen stand on such situation? A reporter of Gelora Bumi Kartini magazine, Sayfrudin S Sos, writes his report. (Ed)

One day, Gelora meets a craftsman of betawi lenong chair, just call him as Sholeh (50). He says that he cannot afford to make a high-class chair again. He, now, makes a putihan chair, instead of high-class one, because of wood price is rising and he cannot afford it any longer.

Wood price rising brings bad impact on small craftsman like him. Besides he cannot buy the material, he also has some problem in selling the chair if its price is always rising. “Because of its high price, the chair will not be sold well”, he explains



“Customer wants to buy furniture that is low in price but high in quality. That is very hard for us because of wood price, as a parameter, is always rising. And even now, wood price is more expensive than chair itself.”

Nowadays, to find a high-class chair is very hard. Most craftsmen prefer to make putihan chair. Only a few craftsmen who make high-class one, based on customer’s order of course. They do not want to speculate for its indefinite profit.

According to Sholeh, beside of its affordable price material, to sell putihan chair is not very difficult. “Many orders come for its low-price, only certain customer who is able to buy high-class chair”, he confirms.

To make furniture needs much calculation. Before making a kind of furniture, we should define customer segment first. If betawi lenong chair is high in price, no one will buy it for its segment is middle-low customer. It is not surprising that there are more putihan than high-class. “To use expensive material for sofa chair gives more profit than lenong since its price is higher”, he says.


From aspect of quality, high-class chair is much differs than putihan. However, they are seemed indifferent in shape. To deceit customer, craftsman adds color in putihan and makes it seems dark. “So, do not be surprised that wood paint is sold out since many people use it”, he says.

According to Sholeh, putihan chair cost is Rp. 90.000 per unit. It is much cheaper than high-class one that costs Rp. 260.000 per unit. We can find those chairs in Kedungcino, Dongos and Sukosono.

Influenced

According to Suyitno, one of craftsmen, it has been a long time since furniture industry in Jepara is falling down. Nowadays, it is hard for craftsmen to have much profit than they used to. Wood and another material price are rising so that they cannot afford it. “Besides of those problems, we are also lack of order. We used to accept much order and even refuse it, but now it is contrary. We only accept a few orders and its price is very cheap”, he says.

Suko, who works in sawmill, also says that furniture industry is falling down. He used to transport wood 4 – 5 times a day. But now, it is only once a day and even none. “Sometime we transport nothing in a day. Nowadays, only a few craftsmen who come to sawmill”, he confirms.

Falling down in furniture industry is not only influence the craftsmen but also workers in the manufacture industry; such as porters and sawmill operators, carpenters and sandpaper workers. “Our income is also getting lower because only few craftsmen come to cut their wood in sawmill. We are a daily worker. We get money for our job. If there is no job, we get no money”, warsani says (55).

Even Gimin, a carver, says that his income is getting lower. “Our boss prefers using his money to buy woods to give it to us. We can only do nothing and must accept it”.

M Anas Arbaani, the chief of HKPJ (Himpunan Pedagang Kayu Jepara/ Jepara Wood Trader Association), says that the problems are merely same. Craftsmen feel so hard because of price rising, in another side their product price is constant. “Most of them are small craftsmen with limited money and technology. For manufacture or big company, price rising has no much effect for their product cost is high”, he states.

As the consequence of wood price rising, most craftsmen fired half of their workers. Indeed, some craftsmen only have 2 workers. “They use more money to buy raw material. To make it more efficient, they use only few workers and also use local wood, not from forestry department, for its affordable price”, (SaO)