theceomagazine.com | 51country – I think one of the best things that
we have done over the past decade or two is
to always nurture our people. We do have
strict targets that we need to meet but if the
market condition is soft, we don’t berate our
staff because we understand that there are
certain things that are beyond their control.
“Ultimately, the company is only as good
as the people we have working for us.
Compared with many of the other paint
companies, we can proudly say that we have
some of the best people in the industry
working for us. They helped us to grow to
where we are now, and we owe our success
to them. Without them it would be
impossible for us to continue our growth.
Our people, as cliched as it may sound,
combined with our good products, have
allowed us to continue to gain market share.
I truly think the combination of having good
people and good products has allowed us to
be where we are now.”
Because of this, Avia Avian not only
ploughs profits back into the research and
development of new products, it also invests
in its people. Each year, the company offers
extensive training programs and competitions
for its staff to increase their knowledge and
skills as well as strengthen cooperation among
team members. The training covers a broad
range of topics, from safety and quality
control to emotional and motivational
mindset training, leadership courses, and
even financial planning.
Not one to rest on its laurels, Wijono says
that Avia Avian is looking for further growth.
To achieve this, the company has set out
some clear short-term goals. “The short-term
target is to successfully launch the joint
venture with DuluxGroup. As its local
partner, we need to be responsible by
delivering the agreed KPIs that we set
up when we did our business plan.
“Another important goal is that we will
be a publicly listed company this year, maybe
towards the second half of the year. This is
a huge landmark. We’ll be the first paint
company in Indonesia to be publicly listed.
Then, after we list our company, we will look
for M&A opportunities. There are many
regional paint companies we would like to
acquire. Obviously, synergy is the main
consideration, so if the synergy is good, if
the valuation is positive, then they are
potentially a target for us to acquire. That’s
our plan for the next few years.”Interview | INSPIRE