PT Bakrie & Brothers Tbk. (BNBR) and Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB) signed a research cooperation and development of breakwater products. This Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by BNBR President Director Bobby Gafur Umar and ITB Chancellor Prof. Dr. Ir. Kadarsah Suryadi, DEA in the ITB Rectorate Building, Bandung, Tuesday, January 29, 2019.

BNBR President Director Bobby Gafur Umar said, BNBR was optimistic about this cooperation, because, geographically Indonesia has one of the longest coastlines in the world, so the potential need for breakwater products is very large.

“We want to help the government in overcoming the problem of abrasion that often occurs in the territorial waters. As a first step we will target water areas in the Java region, especially Central Java, “Bobby said.

Bobby added that the development of A-Jack type breakwater products will be carried out by PT Bangun Bantala Indonesia (Bantala), a business unit under PT Bakrie Building Industries (BBI). BBI itself is a subsidiary of BNBR which is engaged in the building materials industry.

Bantala Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Yogi Pratomo Widhiarto explained, A-Jack breakwater itself is one of the breakwater products that is important to protect water areas such as coastal areas, watersheds and dams from the threat of abrasion. This product has three times the ability to be more effective in breaking water waves than other similar products.

“In terms of production materials, the product also requires one third less material than competing products, so that it will automatically affect the selling price on the market,” Yogi said.

Yogi added, he plans to invest an initial fund of Rp 15 billion in 2019. The funds will be used for the construction of a batching plant and production operations and application of the installation of a breakwater on the shoreline on one of the toll roads in Central Java.

“This toll road section is on the edge of the coastline and has the potential to require the construction of a 7 kilometer breakwater,” Yogi said.

In addition to the road project, said Yogi, Bantala has also prepared itself to be involved in the Patimban Port revitalization project in Subang, West Java. The plan, A-Jack breakwater products will also be applied at the port. “We hope that in the future it will be able to expand throughout Indonesia,” explained Yogi.

At present, A-Jack’s own products have been widely applied in coastal areas such as Jakarta’s Ancol Beach, Pelabuhan Ratu Sukabumi Beach, and Kalibaru Jakarta.