Indonesian Industry Minister Saleh Husin inaugurated the new USD $60 million shoe factory of Changshin Reksa Jaya in Garut (West Java) which will produce Nike branded shoes. The shoe factory has an annual production capacity of 15 million pairs and will provide employment to 5,500 people. Reportedly, all of the shoes produced at this plant will be exported to Europe, USA, and other parts of Asia. Minister Husin stated that the new factory is highly appreciated as it will boost the country’s non-oil & gas exports.

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Foreign investors continue to be concerned about rapidly rising minimum wages in Indonesia. In Indonesian media it was reported that a total of sixteen investors, mostly from South Korea and Japan, cancelled their plans to establish footwear factories in Indonesia due to uncertainty over Indonesian minimum wage growth. In the last couple of years, minimum wages in Indonesia have grown sharply, possibly as a result of politicians looking for popular support ahead of regional elections.

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Domestic sales of footwear in Indonesia declined 20 percent (y/y) to IDR 4.8 trillion (USD $393 million) in the third quarter of 2014 according to data from the Indonesian Footwear Association (Asosiasi Persepatuan Indonesia, abbreviated Aprisindo). Meanwhile, exports of Indonesian footwear declined as well but not as much as domestic sales. In fact, in terms of value, footwear exports increased due to the rupiah exchange rate that has depreciated considerably against the US dollar.

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Exports of shoes (footwear) from Indonesia could reach USD $8 billion per year in the foreseeable future, from USD $4.5 billion currently. Eddy Widjanarko, Chairman of the Indonesian Footwear Association (Aprisindo), said local footwear factories in Indonesia are currently only operating at a utilization rate of between 50 and 60 percent, implying a significant portion of local production capacity in the shoe industry remains unused. Widjanarko is convinced earnings from Indonesia's shoe exports can double by raising production while still relying on the nation's traditional shoe markets: Europe and the USA.

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