Here’s How Dwi Surya Lestari MSEs Survived the Storm of Digitalization

Socialization and mentoring for MSEs by PKM UMN (Doc. UMN)

TANGERANG – The Community Service Team (Pengabdian Kepada Masyarakat/PKM) of Universitas Multimedia Nusantara (UMN) successfully held a socialization and mentoring activity for Dwi Surya Lestari Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) in Panongan, Tangerang Regency.

This activity is a strategic step to strengthen the potential of micro-businesses in the area and educate Dwi Surya Lestari MSEs to face the digitalization era. It took place from June 2024 to December 2024. It was also supported by the PKM Directorate General of Higher Education, Research, and Technology (Direktorat Jenderal Pendidikan Tinggi, Riset, dan Teknologi/Dikti) grant for Fiscal Year 2024.

PKM Team Leader Ir. Arief Iswariyadi, M.Sc., Ph.D. said that the Dwi Surya Lestari MSE group consists of 25 micro businesses with a variety of products, from fish sticks, mangrove sticks, fish chips, peek, onion nuts, egg nuts, fish crackers, cendol, catfish noodles, and smoked catfish. He said the average monthly sales turnover per MSE actor is between Rp1 million and Rp3 million. According to him, the turnover rate is small.

Arif mentioned at least three main problems faced by Dwi Surya Lestari MSEs. The first is the lack of effective financial management practices, so MSE actors do not know the business’s financial health. Marketing management is also considered traditional, so it does not reach the wider community. Arief even explained that the product packaging used is still very simple, in the form of clear plastic or photocopied labels.

“For this reason, a team of lecturers and students will help design a logo and packaging that is unique and attractive to consumers. This improvement in marketing management is expected to increase the amount that can be sold,” said Arief, who also teaches at UMN’s Management Study Program and serves as Head of UMN’s Innovation Center.

In addition to improvements and education from financial management and marketing aspects, Arief also said that the UMN PKM team guided Dwi Surya Lestari MSEs regarding the production side. Regarding production, Arief said that none of the Dwi Surya Lestari MSEs have implemented a standard recipe. Arief said that without a standard recipe, the product’s results will likely not be consistent in taste, texture, and appearance. Therefore, the PKM team from UMN also helped Dwi Surya Lestari MSEs make recipe standards to Product Operational Standards (Standar Operasional Produk/SOP) for the production process.

During approximately four months of assistance, Arief revealed that Dwi Surya Lestari MSEs have shown significant progress in various fields of business management. This is especially true after the application of digital technology and innovation in finance, marketing, and production.

This program’s success is inseparable from the collaboration of various parties, even across sciences. Arif said the PKM team consisted of UMN Informatics lecturer Yaman Khaeruzzaman, M.Sc., and UMN Visual Communication Design (VCD) lecturer Andy Mardani, S.S., M.Ikom.. In addition, several students were also involved, such as Jeffriel Putra Gunawan and Yonas Kurnia Wijaya from UMN’s Informatics Study Program, and Rendi KJR Ludji from UMN’s Management Study Program.

“Further training plans will be carried out in digital financial management and online marketing. Periodic evaluations will also be implemented to ensure that every innovation and technology implemented goes as expected. Increasing competence in product innovation and developing new product variants will also be a major focus. In addition, collaboration with external parties and other business actors will continue to be explored to expand the marketing network and increase production capacity,” Arief SAID.

On Thursday (24/10/24), this socialization activity was also honored by the presence of Assoc. Prof. Muhammad Shahid Khan, Ph.D., an academic from Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University, Bangkok, Thailand. As the main speaker, Shahid presented two main materials that are very relevant to the development of MSMEs in the era of digital globalization. 

1. Fundamental Principles of SMEs: Local, yet Global, Self-Reliance, Creativity, and Human Resource Development.

This material emphasizes the importance of maintaining local wisdom in managing small and medium enterprises while promoting global thinking in innovation and development. Shahid also highlighted business self-reliance and how to manage human resources to build a resilient and competitive business.

2. Strategies for Digital Marketing to Boost SMEs & Value Proposition Canvas

In this session, Shahid provided in-depth insight into the importance of an effective digital marketing strategy, especially in maximizing the potential of MSMEs in the digital era. He also introduced the concept of the Value Proposition Canvas, which helps MSME players design unique values that can be offered to customers so that their business is more competitive and sustainable.

In addition to Shahid, Janar Gustian Hakim from the Tangerang District Office of Cooperatives and Micro Businesses also presented material on Micro Business Legality. In his presentation, Janar emphasized the importance of legality in micro-business management. 

This includes the licensing process and administrative management per regulations. Janar also explained the various support programs that MSMEs can access in Tangerang Regency to ensure that their businesses run according to the rules and benefit from government programs.

“This activity is part of our efforts to support MSMEs in the region in transforming digitally so they can better compete and survive in this digital era. We hope that this training and mentoring can help Dwi Surya Lestari MSMEs manage their business better, especially in terms of financial management and marketing,” Arief said.

In addition, Yaman Khaeruzzaman added that digitalization is not just a trend but a necessity that MSME players must immediately adapt to. Meanwhile, Andy Mardani also emphasized the importance of good branding and visual communication in attracting consumer attention on digital platforms.

This event is one of a series of PKM UMN 2024 activities that aim to encourage MSMEs in the Tangerang Regency to transform digitally, increase competitiveness, and become more innovative in facing the challenges of the times. Collaboration with academics, government, and businesses is expected to strengthen the local MSME ecosystem and support regional economic development.

Melinda Chang | UMN News Service

English translation by Levina Chrestella Theodora

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