Jakarta,
June 3, 2017 (Antara) - Indonesia's state-owned railway manufacturer PT Inka
has been producing a variety of locomotives, trains, and cars that are
competitive both in terms of their pricing and quality.
As the first fully integrated rolling stock and automotive manufacturer
in Southeast Asia, PT Inka has targeted to export its products to
developing countries, particularly in South Asia and Africa.
In fact, without much publicity, its products have been exported to
Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore,
and even Australia.
Last year, PT Inka had exported a shipment of 150 Shovon-type passenger
carts ordered by Bangladesh Railways in a deal worth US$73 million. The
coaches were made specifically catering to Bangladesh's needs by the
Indonesian company.
Shawkat Jamil, the divisional traffic officer of Bangladesh Railway
(BR) West Zone (Rajshahi), was last year quoted by Dhaka Tribune as
saying that BR had imported the coaches under a bilateral agreement
between Bangladesh and Indonesia.
This year, PT Inka is preparing to produce 250 railway carriages for exports to the South Asian country.
"The process is now underway. All necessary requirements have been
fully met. A total of 250 carriages will be exported to Bangladesh and
90 others to Sri Lanka," Agus Purnomo, the president director of PT
Inka, had noted in Madiun, East Java, last February.
The total value of export contracts from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka
reached $200 million. Purnomo admitted that his company had faced stiff
competition from China in the two projects.
