The Ups and Downs of Wooden Furniture Industry at the North Coast of Java in Pre and Post Reformation: A Case Study in Jepara Wooden Furniture Centre

摘要

This paper will describe the shift of dynamics, challenges, regressions, and improvements in the furniture industry in Jepara. This paper will provide more comprehensive portraits of the wooden furniture industry in Jepara by the 1998 reformation until the current situation, the yearof 2016. It applies primary and secondary method of data collection, critical or data, interprets and analyzes the existing data. In addition, it also reconstructs the furniture industry in Jepara during 1998–2016. It has three purposes. First, it portrays the improvement of the furnitureindustry by the outbreak of reformation indicated by the depreciation of rupiah in the lowest point to US Dollar. Later, it affects the wooden furniture industry in Jepara. Second, it describes both the condition of the wooden furniture industry in Jepara in the aftermath of the timber lootingand within the days when rupiah was back stable until the global crisis happened. Third, it depicts the development of the wood industry during 2005– 2016 showing the export escalation in the midst of world wooden furniture industry competition. The wooden furniture industry in Jeparaby the times of crisis does not undergo any significant shifts. During the monetary crisis, there was the booming of the wood industry experienced by export entrepreneurs. It also brought great impact to the craftsmen. This condition changed in 2002. At that time, rupiah was getting strengthenedand the international market starts to distrust the quality of the wooden furniture industry in Jepara as it is easy to crack. This low quality is caused by the wet wood taken from timber looting. Global crisis does aggravate this situation. The exportation significantly decreases until 2010.During 2010–2016, it shows a good improvement marked by the escalation of exportation as well as country export destinations.