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Tag: Indonesia

  • Three Indonesians Receive UK Alumni Award

    Three Indonesians Receive UK Alumni Award

    Three Indonesian nationals, who graduated from universities in UK, received awards from the UK government at the British Council’s Education Alumni Award 2016 held on Thursday, March 3, 2016.

    The three graduates are Betty Purwandar, director of information technology at the University of Indonesia, Theresia Alit Widyasari, young entrepreneur and founder of three clothing companies, and Ahmad Fuadi, author of Negeri 5 Menara (The Land of Five Towers) novel.

    Betty was awarded as the best alumni in the professional achievement category. After completing her computer science doctorate program at Southampton University, Betty returned home to work at the University of Indonesia (UI). Betty was considered as the best alumni for helping UI to reform and improve information technology services in the university.

    “I learned how to study the World Wide Web and how the web can have positive impacts on humanity,” Betty said.

    Theresia was awarded as the best alumni in the entrepreneurship category for facilitating young generations to design, produce and market their products through her brands. Theresia, who majored in fashion business at Westminster University, said that living and studying overseas had broadened her horizon and sharpened her business skills.

    Despite doubts over the future of the fashion industry, Theresia remains confident with three of her brands, Bloop, Endorse and Urbie.

    “I learned that being good is not enough. You have to be excellent and creative,” Theresia said in her speech delivered by her colleague, since she could not attend the event.

    In addition to Betty and Theresia, Ahmad was awarded as the best alumni since his novel was considered to have positive social impacts on many people. With his readers, Ahmad founded a non-profit community called `Komunitas Menara` that provides education access and books to poor people.

    Ahmad said that the award was a proof of how a teacher can be influential to students.

    “My teacher told me to study anywhere, to go outside and not to limit myself. The advice gave me quite a push,” Ahmad, who was graduated from Royal Halloway, University of London, said.

    The Education UK Alumni Award is an event to commemorate the UK Education Month and to tighten Indonesian and UK partnership in the higher education sector. The event is also held in nine other countries, namely Brazil, China, Hong Kong, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the United States.

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  • Ford to Shutter Operations in Japan, Indonesia

    Ford to Shutter Operations in Japan, Indonesia

    After pursuing “every possible option,” global auto giant Ford Motor Co. has said decided to close down all operations in Japan and Indonesia by the end of this year.

    “It has become clear that there is no path to sustained profitability, nor will there be an acceptable return over time from our investments in Japan or Indonesia,” said Karen Hampton, Ford’s Asia Pacific spokeswoman, in a statement.

    The company, she said, is committed to restructuring parts of its business that “have no reasonable path to achieve sales growth,” adding that Ford will provide ongoing support in both countries to customers for service, spare parts, and warranties.

    Industry-wide sales, even among domestic auto makers, in both Indonesia and Japan slumped in each of the last two years. Domestic automakers sold about five million vehicles in Japan last year with foreign brands holding less than six percent market share there.

    Ford's operations in Indonesia involved shipments of export cargo and import cargo in international trade.

    “In Indonesia, it was difficult for Ford to compete without local manufacturing and vehicles to sell in key market segments,” Ford spokesman Neal McCarthy told the Associated Press.

    The company, he said, has restructured its business there, but still has less than one percent of the market with “no reasonable path to sustained profitability,”

    The Ford retreat follows in the wake of rival GM’s closure last year of its manufacturing plant in Indonesia, the largest auto market in Southeast Asia.

    The GM plant was originally opened in 1995, but closed between 2005 and 2013, when it reopened with a $150 million investment.

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  • Telkom Nets Rp15.5tn Profit

    Telkom Nets Rp15.5tn Profit

    State-owned telecom operator company PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Persero) Tbk., booked a net profit of Rp15.5 trillion last year. The figure reflects a six-percent increase from 2014’s Rp14.4 trillion net profit.

    Telkom official says that the net profit climb was mainly supported by an increase in revenue.

    “Last year our revenue rose 14.2 percent to Rp102.4 trillion,” president director Alex J. Sinaga said in an official statement to the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) yesterday.

    Despite the revenue increase, Telkom’s net profit achievement last year was held back by the 26 percent increase of operating, maintenance and telecommunications services costs. Interconnection charges also rose 21.6 percent.

    As a result, last year’s operating income only rose 10.9 percent to Rp32.4 trillion.

    Telkom is currently the only listed telecommunications operators Indonesia that still managed to book profits. Other operators have been noting losses or profit declines. PT XL Axiata Tbk (EXCL), for example, suffered a loss of Rp506 billion in the period of January-September 2015. Not unlike with PT Indosat Tbk (ISAT), who posted a loss of Rp733.8 billion in the first half of 2015.

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  • Indonesia, Philippines and many more sign up as exhibitors for WTM Connect 2016

    Indonesia, Philippines and many more sign up as exhibitors for WTM Connect 2016

    The first editions of World Travel Market’s new “pod” shows – WTM Connect Asia and WTM Connect China, will take place back to back in May this year focusing on the booming South East Asian and Chinese leisure tourism markets.

    Both events bring together carefully selected South East Asian, international and outbound Chinese Hosted Buyers to meet with suppliers of international travel product for 2.5 days of pre-scheduled business appointments, inspiring education content, networking functions and cultural evening events.
    WTM Connect Asia will see the likes of Visit Berlin, Malaysia Tourism Promotions Board, Prodo Travel, Philippines Tourism Promotions Board, Jordan Tourism Board, Penang Tourism, Europcar International, Ministry of Tourism Indonesia and many more gather in Penang, Malaysia from May 18-20, 2016.

    Confirmed exhibitors attending WTM Connect China taking place in Sanya, Hainan Island, China from May 23-25, 2016, include Marriott Vacation Club International, Eskimos Iceland, Cox & Kings, Nepal, Westfield, Poseidon Expeditions, Uniline d.o.o, Jac Travel and Lernidee Trains & Cruises. Some suppliers such as Penang Tourism, Visit Berlin and Marriott Vacation Club are attending both Connect events making the most of the shows being a couple of days apart leading to more business deals.

    Tiara Firsalina Surya, Director of South East Asia Tourism Promotion, Ministry of Tourism of The Republic of Indonesia says: “Ministry of Tourism of The Republic of Indonesia is delighted to participate in the very first WTM Connect Asia 2016. We believe this event will be our new B2B platform based on the success of WTM London for the last several years. Ministry of Tourism of The Republic of Indonesia together with 5 tourism industries will promote Indonesia tourism to international buyers during the event.”

    James Sy, Marketing and Promotions, Philippines Tourism Promotions Board adds: “The Philippines would like to utilize the full potential of WTM Connect Asia as the world’s leading B2B travel exhibitions’ organizer and as a platform to launch our Visit the Philippines Again (VPA) 2016 branding. In addition, WTM Connect Asia will serve as a prime tool for the WTM buyers and the Philippines exhibitors to connect and network.”

    Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia, Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau, Tourism Malaysia and State Tourism of Penang are all supporting the launch of WTM Connect Asia in their home country. And WTM Connect China is officially supported by Sanya Tourism.

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  • “Wonderful Indonesia” to join berlin Tourism Bourse

    “Wonderful Indonesia” to join berlin Tourism Bourse

    Indonesia will participate in Berlin Internationale Tourism Bourse (ITB Berlin) in Germany, March 9-13, 2016.

    The Indonesian delegation to the ITB Berlin would be headed by Tourism Minister Arief Yahya, Nia Niscaya of the tourism ministry told Antara on Sunday.

    Indonesias pavilion themed “Wonderful Indonesia” will feature a Phinisi traditional boat of South Sulawesi.

    Some 100 travel operators will join the Indonesian delegation to promote the countrys tourist destinations and offer various tour packages to buyers from all over the world.

    “The point is to market tourist destinations from Sabang (Aceh) to Merauke (Papua),” Nia Niscaya said.

    The ITB Berlin is expected to attract 10 thousand participants from 185 countries as well as at least 23 thousand visitors.

    In 2015, Indonesias delegation consisting of 88 travel agents, recorded business transactions worth Rp4.8 trillion in the ITB Berlin.

    This year, Indonesia expects to generate an increase of some 20 percent from last years value, as 850 qualified top buyers have confirmed their participation in the ITB Berlin.

    The Indonesian government hopes to generate foreign exchange amounting to Rp172 trillion from 12 million foreign tourist arrivals and Rp223.6 trillion from 260 million domestic tourists this year.

    The country has also set a target of receiving 20 million foreign tourists by 2019.

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  • Sanction for SMS Cartel

    Sanction for SMS Cartel

    The verdict delivered by the Supreme Court (MA) that punishes six cellular phone operators is a new hope for consumer protection efforts.

    For years, the Business Competition Supervisory Commission (KPPU) has been trying to bring shady businessmen to justice but it was always to no avail.

    The win is not only for KPPU, but also for consumers.

    The appeal panel of the Supreme Court on Monday last week imposed a fine of Rp77 billion to six cellular operators after it is proven that they were involved in the short message services (SMS) tariff cartel in the period of 2004 – 2007.

    The verdict also strengthened the ruling made by the KPPU in 2008, that was annulled by the Central Jakarta District Court.

    The sanction is actually very light.

    The Supreme Court should have imposed a more severe sanction, considering financial losses suffered by consumers are quite big.

    Based on the calculation done by the KPPU, financial losses suffered by consumers due to the SMS cartel reached Rp2.87 trillion.

    In addition, the fine is nothing compared with the profits gained by those cellular operators.

    The suspicion of conspiracy to determine the SMS tariff was apparent when the KPPU began investigation of this case.

    The indication of the violation of Law Number of 5 on 1999 on the ban of Monopoly Practices and Unhealthy Business Competition is seen from the SMS tariff that did not move from the figure of Rp250-350 since 2001.

    In fact, according to the calculation of the Regulation Board of PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia, tariff of sending text messages (SMS) should have been lower.

    Besides, since 1 January 2007, the calculation of the tariff is based on production costs.

    If we follow the pattern, there should be no reason to set the tariff high.

    From the calculation of the Regulation Board, production costs of sending a single SMS should be only Rp76 at most.The money is divided for the sending operator and the recipient operator.

    The evidence that the cartel did exist was getting stronger when the KPPU found a written agreement among them.

    This conspiracy must be stopped.

    Over the years, users of cellular phones had to pay higher tariffs of sending text messages, even higher compared with the tariffs in developed countries.

    For the record, users of cellular phones are not only bosses in skyscrapers, but also construction workers and meatball vendors.

    Consumer protection is indeed a rare item in this country.

    It is often much talked about and even regulated by laws but the practice is non-existent.

    Our consumers are virtually without power.

    The verdict delivered by the Supreme Court can serve as an ammunition for consumers to retrieve their rights stolen by cellular operators.

    The verdict can also be used as evidence to file a class action at the district court.

    The class action can also give deterrent effects for those shady businessmen.

    As an institution mandated to conduct supervision, the KPPU should be more active in unveiling nasty practices in the business world.

    If ‘economic diseases’ such as monopoly, cartels, and unhealthy business continue to get rampant, the economy will not be efficient and will be difficult to compete with other countries.

    Eventually, not only consumers in certain business sectors who will suffer, but the whole nation will also bear the brunt.

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  • Toyota starts production of new engine at its Indonesia plant

    Toyota starts production of new engine at its Indonesia plant

    Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indonesia has commenced production of engines at Karawang plant in West Java.

    Karawang plant has been built at a cost 2.3 trillion Indonesian Rupiah ($172m).

    The plant is expected to produce at least 216,000 engines per year by employing about 400 employees.

    The plant will produce 1.3 and 1.5 liter Toyota NR engines, which the company claims to be fuel efficient.

    According to the company, some of these engines are for export.

    Toyota already has four more plants in Indonesia, with two plants in Sunter and two more plants in Karawang. This is the third plant in Karawang.

    Speaking at the plant’s opening ceremony, Toyota’s senior managing officer Koei Saga said: “Toyota sees TMMIN as one of our core hubs for the production and supply of both vehicles and engines.”

    “Through our operations here, we hope to maintain and strengthen our position as part of the local community here in Indonesia.”

    The Japanese car manufacturer said that it wants to achieve a sustainable growth which is a significant shift from its previous strategy of high-volume production.

    It says that it wants to build plants which are safer and more environmentally friendly where innovative production techniques could be introduced.

    At this plant, Toyota is introducing two major production technologies including on-site melting, which it is deploying for the first time outside Japan.

    The company is introducing a smaller furnace which reduces the risks associated with transporting the molten alloy and improves safety.

    By using smaller furnaces, Toyota has also been able to keep the cost at minimum.

    Toyota is also introducing inorganic sand cores which will be placed inside casting molds to create cavities for final cast components.

    Earlier organic materials were being used which produce tar particles and strong odors. To remove these impurities, large dust collectors and deodorizers are required.

    By introducing inorganic materials, Toyota hopes to reduce the use of these dust collectors and deodorizers.

  • Indonesia to reopen banking transactions with Iran

    Indonesia to reopen banking transactions with Iran

    Indonesia said it is open to resume banking transactions with Iran following the lifting of economic sanctions against Iran.

    “Banking relations, an obstacle we are facing, will soon be resumed,” President Joko Widodo said after receiving Irans Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on the sidelines of the 5th Organization of Islamic Cooperation Extraordinary Summit on Palestine and Al Quds here on Monday.

    The President said economic and investment cooperation between the two countries had been hindered because banking transactions were closed due to the imposition of economic sanctions against Iran.

    He said Indonesian banking authorities had agreed to follow up on the cooperation plan.

    “The chairman of the Financial Service Authority (OJK) said just now that the banking transactions would soon be resumed to develop and strengthen economic relations between the two countries,” he said.

    Bank Indonesia (the Central Bank) and OJK would discuss the mechanism for cooperation with Iranian banking officials.

    Due to the imposition of economic sanctions several years ago, Iranian banks were unable to conduct transactions with overseas banks.

    Since Irans nuclear program came to be known in 2002, the United Nations, the European Union, the US and several other countries had imposed economic sanctions on Iran.

    After these sanctions were revoked, the flow of trade to and from Iran is expected to become easier.

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  • Indonesia cuts exports of natural rubber to prop up market

    Indonesia cuts exports of natural rubber to prop up market

    Indonesian rubber exporters agreed to cut their exports of that commodity in line with the Agreed Export Tonnage Scheme (AETS) starting March until August this year.

    “AETS scheme agreed upon by the three member countries of the International Tripartite Rubber Council (ITRC) is aimed at propping up the natural rubber market by cutting supply of that commodity to the world market,” Foreign Trade Director General Karyanto Suprih said in a statement here on Monday.

    The government has asked the business players to comply with the scheme, Karyanto pointed out.

    The commitment was declared at a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) with theme “Readiness of Indonesian Rubber Exporters to implement the AETS scheme in 2016 in line with the agreement reached on February 4, 2016 between the governments of Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia to cut supply of natural rubber to the world market.

    The export cut would be effective from March 1 to August 31 this year.

    Under the AETS scheme Thailand, the worlds largest producer is to reduce its exports of natural rubber by 324,005 tons, Indonesia, the second largest producer by 238,736 tons, and Malaysia, the third largest by 52,259 tons.

    Altogether ITRC member countries agreed to reduce exports of natural rubber by 615,000 tons during the March-August period.

    Indonesia, while cutting exports hopes to increase domestic consumption of natural rubber.

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  • Indonesian fishery products showcased at Boston expo

    Indonesian fishery products showcased at Boston expo

    Maritime Affairs and Fishery Minister Susi Pudjiastuti hoped that the visitors and prospective buyers of fishery products at the seafood exhibition in Boston, the United States, would recognize the progressive market and potential of Indonesia.

    “With our sincere efforts to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, the people will witness a rapid growth in our fishery products,” the minister noted on the sidelines of the seafood fair held in Boston on Sunday local time.

    The minister was also optimistic of receiving valuable feedback from both the exhibitors and visitors to boost the exports of its maritime products and to garner global recognition.

    “I also hope that the Indonesian fishery businessmen would engage in fishing in a responsible manner,” Susi said, adding that the Indonesian fishery community is not only selling the products but also engaging in rightful fishing practices and not violating IUU.

    The minister also urged the Indonesian businessmen to continue developing the fishing industry in ways that are environment-friendly.

    “I see a great opportunity for the exports of Indonesian marine products, although there are still obstacles to be faced, and certainly, we can solve such problems,” she emphasized.

    Susi also gave assurance to the Indonesian maritime businessmen that curbing illegal fishing would open up a larger market, and thus, they must follow the international regulation on fishing.

    “The Indonesian fishery businessmen have been urged to follow responsible and sustainable fishing practices,” Susi remarked.

    As many as 17 fishery companies, including PT. Central Proteina Prima, Tbk, Sustainable Fisheries, Sekar Bumi, PT. Wahyu Pradana Binulia, PT Permata Marindo Jaya, and Kudatama Mas had showcased their products at the Indonesian pavilion during the seafood exhibition.

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  • “Wonderful Indonesia” promoted on sidelines of OIC Summit

    “Wonderful Indonesia” promoted on sidelines of OIC Summit

    Indonesias Tourism Ministry promoted “Wonderful Indonesia” brand on the sidelines of the Fifth Extraordinary Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held at the Jakarta Convention Center on March 6-7.

    The ministry extended support for conducting the summit, the ministrys spokesman Billy Iqbal Alamsyah said here on Monday.
    “We provided support in several forms, including by providing souvenirs, etc.,” he said.
    The summit was also a strategic forum to promote “Wonderful Indonesia” brand as a total of 605 delegates from 57 countries and two international organizations were present in the meeting, he said.

    While the OIC leaders held a closed-door meeting, the ministry showed a video on Indonesias top tourist destinations at the media center set up to facilitate some 500 national and foreign journalists.

    Heritage and Wonderful Indonesia stands presenting the Indonesian Beauty Pageant were set up in front of the media center.
    Widayanti Bandia, head of the tourism business partnership department of the Tourism Ministry, said the ministry, in cooperation with Mustika Ratu, offered free spa treatment to delegates.

    “The spa that we offer here is halal and in accordance with Syariah (Islamic laws),” she said.

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  • KerjaDulu, ‘Indonesia’s LinkedIn’ raises money from MNC Group

    KerjaDulu, ‘Indonesia’s LinkedIn’ raises money from MNC Group

    KerjaDulu, an Indonesian social recruitment portal for job seekers and employers, today announced a strategic investment from local media conglomerate MNC Group. The startup said its post-investment valuation is at $5 million, but did not disclose other terms of the deal. Following the investment, MNC plans to intensify its own use of the portal for recruitment purposes and use its media channels to help market KerjaDulu.

    “MNC itself has more than 40,000 employees and is very active with recruitment. We can utilize KerjaDulu’s innovative social recruitment platform as our priority to hire talented people,” David Audy, director of MNC Media Group, said in a statement. David will join KerjaDulu’s board of commissioners as part of the investment.

    Launched in January 2014, KerjaDulu now consists only of about ten people, CEO and co-founder Chris Liu says.
    Some of the site’s features make it resemble LinkedIn. People set up a profile page and connect with professional contacts. But unlike LinkedIn, which prioritizes a person’s CV, member pages on KerjaDulu focus on their online activities.
    Members can follow company profiles and get an alert when there are new job openings. Chris says the aim is to combine the benefits of a job portal with that of a social network.

    The site now has “somewhere in between 500,000 and 1,000,000 registered users,” according to Chris.
    So far, Chris says, 388 companies have completed the site’s sign-up procedure, where they are put through a verification process.
    KerjaDulu is free to use for companies and job seekers, explains Chris. Monetization will come at a later point, and the team is still discussing the possibilities.

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  • Indonesia could block internet services

    Indonesia could block internet services

    Indonesia is the latest country to question the tax arrangements of the world’s internet giants, issuing a threat to block their services if they fail to comply with local set-up requirements and pay tax.

    “All have to create a permanent establishment, like the contractors for the oil sector, so they can be taxed,” stated Bambang Brodjonegoro, the finance minister, although the Jakarta Globe reported that he did not name any particular businesses.

    According to Communications Ministry estimates, digital advertising was worth around $800m last year but was untaxed because of the loopholes in regulations.

    A spokesman for the Ministry said that imminent new regulations would address this issue and would apply to streaming and messaging providers as well as social media websites.

    Indonesia is one of the most social media-connected countries in the world. It is Facebook’s fourth-largest market target, while Jakarta is the most active city for Twitter – Jakartans account for 2.4% of all tweets worldwide.

    Accordingly, major brands are looking to tap into this high level of digital social engagement while local entrepreneurs have been able to use social networks as an inexpensive platform to build their brands and do business.

    But these activities could be at risk if the government carries out its threats: the Communications Ministry spokesman, Ismail Cawidu, indicated that those internet businesses that did not comply with the new regulations faced a reduction in bandwidth or, in extremis, being blocked completely.

    While some of the businesses potentially affected have already set up legal entities in Indonesia, others only have representative offices.

    And even those, such as Google, that do have a properly constituted business may not be immune from government scrutiny.

    “Google has an office in Indonesia, but digital age transactions do not go through that office,” Communication Minister Rudiantara told Metro TV. “That is what we’re looking to straighten out,” he added.

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  • Lotte Group in Indonesian confectionery push

    Lotte Group in Indonesian confectionery push

    South Korean confectionery manufacturer Lotte Group is planning an eCommerce joint venture with one of Indonesia’s largest conglomerates, the Salim Group, within the next few months with the aim of being up and running by early next year.

    This follows a new government policy on eCommerce that opens up a market of nearly 250 million people to foreign brands. According to the Korean media, the deal was formalised when Lotte Group chairman Shin Dong-bin met with Salim Group chairman Anthony Salim in Singapore during an Asia Business Council meeting.
    Under Shin, Lotte has been aggressively expanding its overseas businesses, and the Indonesian confectionery market is considered a key strategic opportunity, reports Deal Street Asia. The company hopes to secure a strong foothold in the eCommerce market through an omni-channel retailing strategy and establishing a stable delivery service via the partners’ offline stores.
    Also planning to introduce products popular in Korea, Lotte first became involved in the Indonesian market in 2008 when it acquired 10 stores of the Dutch discount chain Makro. Lotte has one department store in Indonesia and 41 retail outlets, while Salim Group has 11,000 Indomartconvenience stores. The Salim Group’s businesses cover such sectors as food, distribution, telecommunications, media, automobile manufacturing and property development.

    An eCommerce roadmap has been drafted by the Indonesian government as a basis for guidelines regulating the sector. It covers such aspects as funding, taxation, communication infrastructure, logistics, cyber security, consumer protection and education, with the aim of achieving eCommerce transaction value of $130 billion by 2020.

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  • Mountia launches Bali outlet

    Mountia launches Bali outlet

    A Korean outdoor brand has opened a store in Bali, its third store in Indonesia.

    Mountia, owned by Dongjin Leisure, opened stores in Jakarta and Puri last year, with its latest outlet being in Parkson Department Store, in Bali’s Discovery Shopping Mall.

    A Mountia official describes as “meaningful” the fact the company has opened a third store in the market for outdoor sports clothing and equipment, with Southeast Asian countries traditionally not being regarded as attractive markets for such products.

    “We can say that Black Yak is strengthening its position as a global luxury brand, and Mountia will make another success story in the global market with  products developed using entirely domestic technology.”
    Meanwhile, Mountia will participate in the sports market exhibition ISPO Beijing 2016, from February 24 to 27.

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