Gudang Garam

PT. Gudang Garam, Tbk is a brand of cigarette manufacturer in Indonesia. This cigarette manufacturer is included as one of the leading cigarette companies in the country.

It is ranked in number 2 as the largest and the oldest kretek cigarette manufacturer, next to PT. HM Sampoerna, Tbk. or PT. Djarum.

The company is already famous and popular not only among smokers but also non-smokers.

PT. Gudang Garam, Tbk has a 514-hectare tobacco field in Kediri, East Java, the place where the cigarette manufacturer was also established.

PT. Gudang Garam, Tbk

As it is said before, PT. Gudang Garam, Tbk is one of the most famous and popular cigarette manufacturers in Indonesia which has been established since 1958 in Kediri, East Java.

Up to now, the cigarette company has been widely known both in the country and also overseas as a producer of high-quality kretek cigarettes.

The cigarette products of Gudang Garam can be found in multiple variants, from klobot kretek cigarettes or SKL, hand-rolled kretek cigarettes of SKT, until machine-rolled kretek cigarettes or SKM.

The commitment of this cigarette company is to give an irreplaceable experience in enjoying kretek cigarettes made from high-quality tobacco and ingredients.

PT. Gudang Garam Tbk and its subsidiaries provided job fields for 33.575 job seekers at the end of 2018.

As a big family, the employee’s well-being is the priority of the cigarette company, from work safety standards and the provision of health facilities and sports facilities.

Training in the fields of leadership, managerial, administration, and technical skills are held from time to time both inside the company and outside the company.

Started as a home industry, PT. Gudang Garam Tbk has been growing and developing along with good corporate governance based on Catur Dharma philosophy.

Those values are the cigarette company’s guidelines in the company’s performance and behavior for the employees, shareholders, and also community.

The History of PT. Gudang Garam

PT. Gudang Garam Tbk was established on June 26th, 1958 by Tjoa Jien Hwie or more known as Surya Wonowidjojo.

Before he built the cigarette company, Surya Wonowidjojo had a job offering from his uncle when he was 20 years old.

The job offering was in a cigarette company named Cap 93 which was one of the most famous cigarette companies in East Java at that time.

Because of his hard work and persistence, Surya Wonowidjojo was promoted and successfully got a position as a director in the cigarette company.

In 1956, Surya Wonowidjojo left Cap 93 cigarette company. He chose a location in Semampir street, Kediri, on an area of ±1.000 m2, Surya Wonowidjojo built his own home industry that produced kretek cigarettes.

He started by producing kretek cigarettes and klobot cigarettes with Ing Hwie as the brand name. After 2 years, Surya Wonowidjojo changed his company’s name into Pabrik Rokok Tjap Gudang Garam.

Surya Wonowidjojo died on August 28th, 1985. But he left precious values for the company which now are known as Catur Dharma philosophy. Those values are:

1. A meaningful and useful life for the community is happiness.
2. Hard work, tenacious, healthy, honest, and faithful are pre-requirements of success.
3. Success cannot be separated from the roles and corporation with other people.
4. Employees are the main business partner.

So, it can be said that the achievements of PT. Gudang Garam is not separated from the important role of the founder. The cigarette company does not directly distribute its cigarette products.

Instead, the cigarette products are distributed by PT. Surya Madistrindo to retailers then to the customers.

PT. Surya Madistrindo

Established in 2002, PT. Surya Madistrindo is a company owned by PT. Gudang Garam Tbk which functions to distribute the cigarette products along with other 3 distributing companies.

In 2009, PT. Surya Madistrindo was appointed as the only distributor which holds control of the distribution and field marketing strategy for all regions of Indonesia.

Headquartered in Jakarta, this company has grown and transformed into a modern and professional distributing company of cigarette products.

Starting from thousands of employees, PT. Surya Madistrindo is now supported by more than 14.00- employees spread over 12 regional representative offices and more than 180 area representative offices in Indonesia.

PT. Gudang Garam Tbk’s Kretek Cigarette Products

PT. Gudang Garam Tbk has launched some kretek cigarette products. The first is kretek klobot cigarettes or SKL (Sigaret Kretek Linting).

It is the original kretek cigarettes. This type of kretek cigarette uses klobot or dried corn leaves as a wrapper of a kretek cigarette which is rolled with hands.

Even though it is rarely found now, SKL cigarette is still popular among senior smokers. The second is hand-rolled kretek cigarettes or SKT (Sigaret Kretek Tangan).

Introduced in 1913, hand-rolled kretek cigarettes are the first kretek cigarette produced in a mass number for commercial purposes.

Just like the name, this type of kretek cigarette is rolled with hands. Up to now, hand-rolled kretek cigarettes are a popular choice.

The last is machine-rolled kretek cigarettes or SKM (Sigaret Kretek Mesin) which were launched in 1974. This type of kretek cigarette is a booming product in the history of kretek industry.

Machine-rolled kretek cigarettes are featured with a filter and have a similar appearance with western cigarette brands from the shape, size, and color.

With long experiences and supported by professional skills and advanced technology, PT. Gudang Garam Tbk always tries to bring high-quality cigarette brands that can fulfill the satisfaction and hopes of the customers.

All of the cigarette products produced by the company have characteristics which are different from each other. The uniqueness and specifications are hoped to be able to fulfill the needs of every kretek cigarette smokers.

There are a lot of kretek cigarette products which have been launched by PT. Gudang Garam Tbk. For instance, Gudang Garam Merah, Gudang Garam International, Gudang Garam Signature, Taman Sriwedari, Surya Pro Mild, Gudang Garam Surya Professional, GG Mild, and many more.

That is what you should know about PT. Gudang Garam Tbk. This cigarette company dedicates to create a perfect blend of tobacco and cloves with a rich flavor in its various cigarette products.