Enhancement of employment opportunities by expanding employment categories (Indonesia)

It was 1997 when we first established our production site in Indonesia. Since that time, we have directly employed many women as packagers. In 2013, we expanded job categories for women and hired women for the first time as equipment operators, positions for which we had only hired men before. After receiving training in Japan and Indonesia in order to gain the necessary skills, the five women who were hired as operators have been rising to the challenge in their new jobs. We at Unicharm support the social advancement of Indonesian women by enhancing employment opportunities as well as by promoting our products.

Our production activity in Indonesia is an important hub which provided us with a significant awareness in developing overseas business. In 1997, when we first expanded our business to Indonesia, we produced and sold the disposable diapers “MamyPoko,” the same product available in Japan. We soon realized, however, that in Indonesia “MamyPoko” was a luxury product, out of reach of the common people. So we conducted detailed surveys by home-to-home visit, sometimes even by home stays, in order to fully understand everyday life in Indonesia, including local climate and culture. We were then able to offer the more affordable product “MamyPoko PantsStandar,” by eliminating and enhancing functions according to their needs. As Indonesian people don’t generally make bulk purchases, we introduced a system by which they can buy diapers individually, which became very popular.