TRIBUNPEKANBARU.COM, PELALAWAN - The bus carrying the Regional Communication Forum (FKD) group Kompas Gramedia Grup Riau - West Sumatra drove from the front of the lobby of the Unigraha Hotel to the factory area in the PT Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (RAPP) complex in Pangkalan Kerinci District, Pelalawan Regency on Thursday (2/3/2023).
There was no sound of engine roars and noisy exhaust as the 8-meter-long electric bus walked down the streets of the housing complex to the PT RAPP factory. The smoke that often billows on conventional buses is not visible at all. Even the noise from outside did not reach the bus.
"It doesn't feel like the car is already running. The sound is also very smooth and unlike other buses. Only this time I felt like riding an electric bus," said the Editor-in-Chief of Tribun Pekanbaru, Syarif Dayan, who is also part of the FKD Kompas Gramedia Group group after the bus entered the PT RAPP factory area, Thursday (2/3/2023).
The 28-seater bus was filled by the FKD Kompas Gramedia Group group accompanied by PT RAPP management. Passengers seemed comfortable with the medium-sized electric bus because the vibration and noise levels were minimal. Very cool cooling or air conditioning adds to the privilege of the bus with a maximum distance of 250 kilometers.
The trip was a series of visits by FKD Kompas Gramedia to the PT RAPP complex which had been previously scheduled. The FKD Kompas Gramedia group consists of all business units in Riau and West Sumatra Provinces.
Among them are Tribunpekanbaru.com management and other staff, representatives of Smart FM Pekanbaru, management of Gramedia Rosa and Henri Bookstore, and management of Santika Hotel and Amaris Padang City.
The group was welcomed directly by the Director of PT RAPP Mulia Nauli, Manager of Corporate Communication Budhi Firmansyah, and other Corcom staff.
The first place to visit is Unigraha Hotel and the group is served coffee and snacks while introducing and talking lightly. The familiar and warm atmosphere was felt when the conversation started casually. The FKD group and the management of APRIL Group's subsidiaries shared their experiences with each other and built intense communication.
"Our relationship with the Kompas Group has been well established, especially with the media business unit of Tribun Pekanbaru and others. This must be built again and more maintained," said Director of PT RAPP, Mulia Nauli in a light discussion in the hall on the ll floor of Unigraha Hotel. Basically, continued Mulia, PT RAPP, and APRIL Group need media in the process of running their business and investment in Riau.
Communication is needed to remind each other and build closeness so that people are enlightened through good information. Moreover, APRIL Group is currently expanding its business in Pangkalan Kerinci on a large scale with investments that make Riau count at the national level and Pelalawan ranks first in the highest investment value in Riau Province, for two consecutive years from 2021 to 2022.
"We are very happy to be visited by Kompas Gramedia Group in Riau and West Sumatra. This togetherness must continue to be fostered," said Mulia Nauli.
Representative of FKD Kompas Gramedia Group, Purnomo appreciated PT RAPP's willingness to accept the visit with open arms. This visit was the first to be attended by the Kompas Gramedia Group business unit in a complete manner.
On the other hand, the group was also curious about the condition of the PT RAPP complex ranging from housing to the factory area and electric buses that the company had purchased as many as 6 units.
"Of course, Kompas Gramedia Group has business ties with APRIL Group ranging from media, radio, bookstores, to hospitality. A good partnership will be built with good communication," he said.
After a light and casual discussion, the group was invited to tour the pulp company complex. The next location is the RGE Exhibition Centre. In this place, the history of PT RAPP's business journey from the 1980s was founded by Sukanto Tanoto until now. This includes exposing each work unit from planting, and processing Pulp and Paper, to making paper, rayon, and yarn.
Next, the group went to Kerinci Central Nursery (KCN), or the acacia wood nursery center planted for factory raw materials. PT RAPP's KCN has a capacity of up to 1 million seeds that supply all existing acacia Industrial Plantation Forest (HTI) concessions. After five years, the wood will be harvested for the raw materials of the Pulp and Paper mill to rayon and yarn.
"It's a very wide nursery and the numbers are quite large. The technology is also quite sophisticated," explained Gramedia Store representative, Henri.
After lunch, the group continued to tour the factory area. Participants were transported using an electric bus owned by the company purchased two years ago from PT Mobil Anak Bangsa (MAB). The electric bus remained steady and had minimal noise as it went down the streets climbing and cornering towards the factory. Even the noise from the huge machinery and processing system at the factory site could not penetrate into the bus.
The group stopped by the final processing of Pulp and Paper with paper products. Employees introduce various types of paper produced by PT RAPP. The paper processing process starts with large rolls, cut into several pieces to produce a paper of various sizes for the needs of the community. As well as the process of packing and distributing domestically and exporting abroad.
The next location is the Asia Pacific Rayon (APR) factory. Here the group was given an explanation regarding the manufacture of rayon from wood pulp processed using machines and chemical systems. Acacia wood is cut into pieces, melted into a slurry, and processed into rayon from a wooden handover that resembles cotton. The process is quite long and most of it is done by machines with large production capacities.
Still using electric buses, the group then shifted to the Asia Pacific Yand (APY) factory. In this place, rayon from wood fibers is processed into threads in large quantities. This yarn is the raw material for the manufacture of clothing that is exported domestically and abroad. This yarn-making process uses several systems with different production capacities. There are even a number of ready-made clothes with 100 percent rayon base material.
"Today APY is exactly 3 years old. Our products have been marketed domestically and abroad. Moreover, Indonesia with the highest number of Muslims is in very high demand for cloth," said APY representative, Asep, who received a visit from the FKD Kompas Gramedia Group.
Finally, the group visited Rumah Batik which is a Community Development (CD) program of PT RAPP at the Town Site ll Pangkalan Kerinci. Participants were introduced to batik clothes made by craftsmen assisted by the company under the name Batik Bono. Also had the opportunity to taste forest honey from the captivity of the PT RAPP-assisted group.
The Corporate Communication Manager of PT RAPP, Budhi Firmansyah expressed his gratitude to all the FKD Kompas Gramedia Group groups who took the time to tour the PT RAPP complex. This includes boarding an electric bus that the company has operated for the transportation of employees.
"This is the first visit from Kompas Group using an electric bus after the Covid-19 pandemic to RAPP. We hope that this partnership will be well maintained," he concluded.
Finally, the group of FKD Kompas Gramedia Group returned to Pekanbaru City after saying goodbye and taking pictures together. New experiences with RAPP products and electric buses are priceless mementos.
Source: Johanes / Tribun Pekanbaru