Polinema turns to juicy business to pay expenses

Wahyoe Boediwardhana , THE JAKARTA POST , MALANG, EAST JAVA | Sun, 06/21/2009 1:18 PM | Discover

(JP/Wahyoe Boediwardhana)

Malang State Institute of Polytechnic (Polinema) in East Java is more than ready should the controversial law on educational institution taken into effect.

The newly passed bill will transform state universities into business-like entities by cutting subsidy and entitle universities to generate money to pay operational cost, including by raising students' admission fee and tuition.

While many concerned students and lecturers took to the street to stage protest over the new regulation, Polinema management cooperates with private business in selling fruit juice in plastic bottles.

The whole processing and packaging of the drink trademarked Josiee are based on researches carried out by Polinema students and lecturers. The production itself is taking place in a building of Polinema Chemical Engineering.

"We adopt researches on plastic packaging and the quality of fruit juice produced," said Sulton Basuki, supply chain director of Buana Citra Vista, the company established to manage the production.

The technology adopted from the research is the filling of fruit juice to 17-gram density of plastic bottles with 90 Celsius degree heat without deforming the bottles. Similar companies commonly used 33-gram density of plastic bottles to fill in fruit juice with maximum temperature of 70 Celsius degree.

The other research is on how to produce fruit juice without leaving sediment at the bottom of the bottles.

"The technology enables us to produce fresher and more hygienic fruit juice. We have also adopted some minor researches in the production," said Sulton, adding that the company targeted production of 35,000 bottles per month.

The cooperation, according to Buana Citra general manager Triono Wahyudi, has cut potential expenses to build a laboratory.

"The laboratory and the researchers come in a package with the cooperation. We don't need to hire experts like other companies. We have saved a lot of operational costs," he said.

The low production cost enables the company to sell the product at Rp 2,500 per bottle, much lower than similar product sold at between Rp 3,500 and Rp 4,000 each in the market. Wirawan, a deputy dean of Polinema, said that the campus projected at least four advantages in the business.

First, he said, the profit from the business could pay at least 70 percent of the campus' operational cost per year. It could also be a training field for students. Another advantage is that it could optimize laboratory work and the last advantage is that it could offer job opportunities for graduated students.

Polinema dean Budi Tjahyono said that the joint venture was the first of its kind in the country.

"It's a breakthrough . I hope other educational institutions be inspired to find a way dealing with the new regulation," he said.