INTERVIEW — Ahead of next week’s Lean Global Connection, one of our speakers talks about the comprehensive lean transformation of Indonesian food company Garudafood.

Interviewee: Basuki Nur Rohman, Director of Manufacturing, PT. Garudafood Putra Putri Jaya

Interviewer: Teuku Mirwan, Lean Facilitator, Lean Institute Indonesia

Garudafood is one of Indonesia’s leading food and beverage companies, best known for its wide range of snacks, biscuits, confectioneries and dairy products. Established in the 1990s and publicly listed in 2018, the company has grown steadily both domestically and internationally, serving customers across Indonesia and in export markets.

Operating through a broad network of three main manufacturing sites and around 25 production facilities, supported by 120 distribution depots and 180 sub-distributors, and with roughly 340,000 active customers, Garudafood manages a diverse portfolio of more than 160 SKUs. Guided by its strategy of “Winning Customers’ Choice,” the company is very customer-focused—striving to continuously improve how it creates, delivers, and sustains value.

As markets grow increasingly dynamic and complex, Garudafood faced a pivotal challenge: how can a large organization remain agile, competitive, and human-centered while continuing to grow?

In this interview, organized around the five dimensions of the Lean Transformation Framework, Basuki Nur Rohman, Manufacturing Director of Garudafood, shares the company’s ongoing lean journey—and how clarity, simplicity, and a shared purpose have become the foundation for sustainable growth.

Teuku Mirwan: What problem were you trying to solve when you turned to Lean?

Basuki Nur Rohman: Garudafood operates a vast network of manufacturing and distribution facilities, and with that scale came significant pain points: growing size and complexity, uneven efficiency, limited adaptability, and increasing cost pressures.

We needed to simplify our operations. The market was changing rapidly, consumer demands were evolving, and digital expectations were rising. We needed a platform that could adapt quickly.

Lean became the answer—not merely to reduce cost, but to drive both top-line and bottom-line performance. It offered a structured approach to build synergy across divisions and product lines, strengthening accountability and helping Garudafood remain efficient, effective, and customer-focused, even amid volatility.

We realized that improvement must start from the way we design and build our systems for efficiency from the very beginning.

TM: What were the key process changes you implemented?

BNR: Our transformation began with rethinking how the organization works. Garudafood redesigned its structure around clear responsibilities and ownership. Operational leaders played a crucial role in driving change—ensuring that system design, day-to-day operations, and standardization all move in sync.

This structure created alignment between teams and allowed every production line to connect directly to company-wide objectives through the Line Balancing Number (LBN)—the link between micro-level performance with strategic goals. We manage at the micro level without losing the helicopter view, which allows us to retain both agility and focus.

Our transformation not only streamlined processes but also established a rhythm of continuous improvement that enables our company to move as one cohesive system.

TM: How do you develop people’s capabilities?

BNR: For Garudafood, the transformation begins with empowering people. Capability development focuses on strengthening knowledge, skills, and behaviors, ensuring that improvement efforts become part of the every-day work.

Through open knowledge sharing, structured learning, and strong management support, our people are encouraged to learn from experience and turn insights into team-based capabilities. Supported by digital tools and a robust management system, lean principles are embedded not only in our processes, but also in our mindset. They help us maximize value with minimal resources. It is about discipline and rhythm.

The goal is not only to create competent individuals but also to build teams that can think, solve problems, and adapt together.

TM: What defines your leadership and management approach?

BNR: Garudafood’s leadership culture is deeply rooted in the founders’ values of honesty, commitment, perseverance, and gratitude. Every Monday morning begins with a BAK (Briefing Awal Kerja), where teams reflect on lessons from the previous week before setting priorities for the next.

The company cultivates what I call a “basic mentality”: Be grateful to God, Winning Spirit, Service to Stakeholders, Creative and Innovative Thinking, and Continuous Improvement.

Even with our ambition and innovation, we never forget gratitude and humility. That is what makes our leadership uniquely Indonesian. I think this combination of discipline, reflection, and gratitude has truly shaped our management system, which is a blend of global best practices and deeply felt local values.

TM: What cultural traits define your transformation?

BNR: As the company evolved, it faced the risk of spreading itself too thin, with too many ideas competing for attention. The turning point came when the team learned to clarify purpose and focus—their version of what we lean thinkers describe as True North.

Each team now aligns toward one shared direction while practicing Mindfulness-Based Business (MBB)—a principle of leading with inner purpose and clear intention.We strive to be both peaceful and dynamic, calm and decisive.

This clarity and mindfulness have become the heartbeat of Garudafood’s culture, grounding innovation in a sense of purpose and balance.

TAKEAWAYS AND NEXT STEPS

I think our key lesson is simple, yet profound: less is more.

Like a golfer’s swing, when all elements move in harmony, you can achieve greater distance with less effort.

To me, Lean is a mindset to see clearly, simplify, and sustain improvement. The hardest thing is, as it is common in the lean world, to align people’s way of thinking and keep the momentum going. Thing is, momentum never comes twice: when the opportunity is right in front of you, you must make the most of it.

Looking ahead, Garudafood’s next priority is to fully integrate Lean and digital—connecting production, maintenance, and planning into a seamless system. Beyond manufacturing, we aim to bring Lean to planning, warehousing, and support functions to create end-to-end value.

This journey is without limit in our eyes. There is always another swing that can help us improve.

Want to hear the full story? Join us at next week's Lean Global Connection 2025 to hear more about Garudafood’s transformation and how Lean continues to shape the future of Indonesian manufacturing. Register for free here.

_{THE INTERVIEWEE}

‍