Who does not know Gudang Garam? A famous cigarette brand in Indonesia. PT. Gudang Garam was established on June 26, 1958 in Kediri, East Java by Surya Wonowidjojo. The company originated from the home industry that then grew into a factory. After Surya passed away, he forwarded his business to his eldest son, Halim Rahman. Then, when Rahman Halim resigned, PT Gudang Garam belongs to Susilo Wonowidjojo -the third son of Surya Wonowidjojo.. Susilo replaced Halim as the leader of the company.
How Susilo Wonowidjojo Developed PT. Gudang Garam
PT. Gudang Garam began from a home industry, established on an area of 1000m2 that was bought by Surya in 1956. His first product was clove cigarettes with the brand Inghwie that later turned into Gudang Garam after 2 years. In 1960 Gudang Garam opened a branch in Gurah, about 13 km to the southeast of Kediri in order to meet the increasing market demand. At that time, 200 employees had to go back and forth from Gurah to Kediri. For the safety of the employees, Gudang Garam rent a carriage for the employees’ transportation.
Along with the progress and development of the business, in September 1968, Gudang Garam opened a new area of production called Unit 1. Then, still in the same year, it opened a new production branch, called Unit 2. Gudang Garam grew rapidly. Three years later, Gudang Garam once again changed the status from a firm into a Limited Company in 1971. In the same year, the company received support from the government with the Domestic Investment, which even resulted in better growth of the business.
In order to settle the existence of the business, Gudang Garam once again sold the ownership of the capital into the open market. In 1990, GG (Gudang Garam) listed its shares in the Jakarta stock exchange and Surabaya stock exchanges.
Susilo Wonowidjojo and Business Innovation
In terms of production, GG has developed innovative products and production capacity. This can be seen in 1979, when GG developed special machines to manufacture the clove cigarettes products, and in 2002, the company made another innovation and released a new type of cigarette, mild clove cigarette. These cigarettes were manufactured in the Directorate of Production in Gempol, Pasuruan, East Java. In 2013, GG expanded its production area, which now has about 208 acres spread in the district and the town of Kediri and in Pasuruan region.
Although PT. Gudang Garam was not started by Susilo, he has done a lot of efforts to develop and promote the company as a cigarette manufacturer, which is not only famous but also the largest in Indonesia. Finally, Susilo Wonowidjojo has made the company listed on the domestic stock exchange as a compatible company.
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