Heri Kristanto Harvest through Miniature Truck
BLITAR – Heri Kristanto's creativity deserves a thumbs up. The 49-year-old man turned wood into a valuable item, namely a miniature truck.
The man who is familiarly called Mr. Ndemo has been working on the miniature truck craft for about 11 years. He made a self-taught miniature truck. His artistic soul is able to produce the best products. “Initially, I was interested in miniatures. I bought it, then disassembled it. I want to know about the miniatures, including what sizes are used," he said, Thursday (29/9).
Starting with a capital of Rp. 350 thousand, Heri started making miniatures. At that time the facilities were still limited. He borrowed equipment from a friend to produce his miniatures. "After borrowing, I return it again. The next day I borrowed it again," he explained.
Over time, his miniature craft business is growing. Many works have been produced. He then tried to sell it outside, including around the Bung Karno Tomb (MBK).
“The work received a positive response. I used a capital of Rp 800 thousand, then it increased to Rp 1.3 million and has increased until now,” he explained
Turning wood into a new item is not done haphazardly. Mr. Ndemo always uses selected ingredients. Namely, mahogany, waru, or wadang. "If I make low-quality materials, it will break quickly, but if it is, it will be strong and sturdy," said the father of two.
The process of making a miniature there are several stages. Among them, cutting, assembling, to painting. The wood is cut using a chainsaw. Initially, Mr. Ndemo used a manual wood cutter. As a result, it can only be used for three months. "Finally I innovated this wood cutting tool with a machine," he explained when met in the production room.
In a month, Mr. Ndemo can produce 500-700 units of various sizes. Small, medium and large. The best-selling is the small size. Because, the price is relatively more affordable, around Rp. 125 thousand. "Miniature small trucks are made with a height of 25 centimeters, medium 30 centimeters, and the large 35 centimeters," he explained while showing his products.
“I don't just provide complete miniatures. But it also serves trucks without tents, trucks without lights, and so on,” he explained.
Not only locally, the marketing of Ndemo's work is also selling well outside the region. Among them, Tulungagung, Trenggalek, Pare, Jombang, Malang, Batu, to Pamekasan. Mr. Ndemo is now not working alone. He was assisted by several workers.