What Is Manufacturing and How Can Labamu Manufacturing (MRP) Help MSMEs Level Up?

In today’s fast-paced digital economy, many MSMEs and small manufacturers often find themselves stuck with a fundamental question: What is manufacturing, and how can it be managed more efficiently?

Manufacturing is not just about producing goods—it’s a long process that involves planning, resource management, and distribution. Without a well-structured system, manufacturers can easily become overwhelmed by market demands, especially when fulfilling large orders from national and international clients.

This is where innovation comes in. Labamu Manufacturing (MRP) provides a solution that digitalizes the production process, making it more measurable, efficient, and competitive in the global era. Curious to know how this system can help your business? Be sure to read this article until the end.

What Is Manufacturing?

Before diving into the solution, let’s first understand the basic concept. Manufacturing is the process of transforming raw materials into finished products through a series of structured production steps.

According to Investopedia, manufacturing covers everything from material planning and workforce management to fulfilling customer orders.

For MSMEs, manufacturing often means managing workshops, maintaining product quality, and ensuring on-time delivery. The problem is, many local producers still rely on manual record-keeping or fragmented systems. As a result, they face challenges such as:

• Inaccurate inventory

• Difficulty tracking production progress

• Delays in order fulfillment

• Struggles in managing production capacity for exports

  
  

This is where Manufacturing Resource Planning (MRP) comes into play.

So, What Is MRP and Why Does It Matter?

MRP, or Manufacturing Resource Planning, is a system that helps businesses manage resources, production schedules, and inventory in an integrated way. According to the Association for Supply Chain Management (APICS), MRP has been proven to boost operational efficiency by reducing waste and speeding up production times.

In the past, MRP was typically used only by large enterprises. But thanks to digitalization, even MSMEs can now access this technology. A real example is Labamu Manufacturing, a new feature designed to empower small and medium manufacturers across Indonesia.

A Collaboration Story: When Tradition Meets Technology

Labamu Manufacturing (MRP) wasn’t born overnight.There’s an inspiring story of collaboration behind it—one that bridges the world of traditional craftsmanship with digital technology.

It all began when Emmanuel Van De Geer, CEO of Labamu, met Mr. Abdul Sobur, founder of PT Kriya Nusantara and Chairman of HIMKI. PT Kriya Nusantara is widely recognized as a premium furniture and handicraft company with clients across Europe, the Middle East, and the United States.

This global reputation was built on decades of artisanal expertise passed down through generations. Yet behind these achievements lay one major challenge: the absence of an integrated modern manufacturing system.

Mr. Sobur saw the urgent need to manage production more efficiently. Without an MRP system, PT Kriya struggled to track production progress, manage inventory, and adjust capacity to meet the growing demands of export markets.

In response to this challenge, the Labamu product team acted quickly. Within just 48 hours, they developed an initial MRP prototype and immediately tested it at PT Kriya. The response from Mr. Sobur and his team was overwhelmingly positive. The prototype proved that local technology could truly address real-world challenges.

This collaboration was more than just a tech project—it was true co-creation.

Labamu brought expertise in software, system design, and user-friendly experiences, while PT Kriya contributed invaluable on-the-ground knowledge, from artisan workflows and production challenges to export quality standards.

Adding to this, the Indonesian Furniture and Handicraft Industry Association (HIMKI) provides an extensive network to help drive wider adoption among local manufacturers.

The result is a synergy that delivers a purpose-driven manufacturing solution—one that not only supports PT Kriya’s growth but also has the potential to become a new standard for Indonesia’s furniture and handicraft industry.

Key Features of Labamu Manufacturing (MRP)

Labamu Manufacturing is more than just ordinary software. It is designed as a cloud-based modular system that supports manufacturers from the early stages of production all the way to export. Here are its core capabilities:

1. Production Tracking & Automation

• Digitizes traditional workflows

• Provides real-time visibility into production progress

  
  

2. Modular Environments

• Connects various stages such as Dev, Staging, Pre-Prod, and Production for smoother transitions

  
  

3. Infrastructure-as-Code

• Uses Terraform and Jenkins pipelines to provision auditable infrastructure

  
  

4. Secure Operations

• Relies on Pritunl VPN for private access

• System secrets managed automatically through Vault Agent Injector

  
  

5. Scalable Service Components

• Redis for performance caching

• Kubernetes (EKS) for workloads with autoscaling

  
  

All these key features are powered by robust technologies, including:

• Backend: GoLang

• Dashboard: React for a user-friendly interface

• GitOps: ArgoCD for automated synchronization

• Monitoring: Redis scaling and Jenkins monitoring

Who Is Labamu Manufacturing For?

Labamu Manufacturing is designed for:

1. Factory Managers & Operations Leaders

• Need real-time visibility

• Want to reduce manual workloads

• Value secure and stable systems

  
  

2. IT Engineers & DevOps Professionals

• Manage pipelines and deployments

• Ensure system secrets remain secure

• Oversee cloud-based infrastructure

  
  

The Real Impact of This Feature for MSMEs

Although this manufacturing feature is set to launch soon, its impact has already been visible since the pilot phase. Through HIMKI’s network, this feature will:

• Support artisans in Jepara, Bandung, Cirebon, and Bali

• Improve production efficiency

• Ensure export orders are delivered on time

• Provide equal access to technology that was once exclusive to large enterprise

  
  

For MSMEs, this means a real opportunity to level up. Small home-based businesses can now transform into global players, confidently serving markets in Europe, the Middle East, and the United States.

So, if you are an MSME owner, a furniture manufacturer, or a craftsman, it’s time to ask yourself: Is your manufacturing system efficient enough to compete?

The collaboration between Labamu, PT Kriya Nusantara, and HIMKI proves one thing—digital transformation is not here to replace tradition, but to strengthen it. With the right technology, Indonesia’s artisanal heritage can grow and thrive without losing its identity.

Now that you understand what manufacturing is and how Labamu Manufacturing (MRP) can transform the way MSMEs in Indonesia operate, the next step is yours.

If you want your manufacturing business to be more efficient, export-ready, and on par with big enterprises, download the Labamu app today on the App Store or Play Store and experience the benefits of Labamu Manufacturing firsthand.