A lecturer from the Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FT UGM), Dr. Subagyo, was inaugurated as Professor in Product Management in a ceremony held at the UGM Senate Hall on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025. In his inaugural address, Professor Subagyo delivered a speech titled “Product Management: Managing Creativity for Goodness and Welfare.”
Professor Subagyo began his speech by explaining how advancements in communication and information technology have facilitated the transfer of knowledge.
He highlighted that information technology, particularly in production, enables companies to manufacture large quantities of products with high efficiency and accuracy.
However, he warned that production without innovation and differentiation risks reducing products to mere commodities.
“The rapid diffusion of production technology allows many companies to produce on a mass scale with similar efficiency, causing products to degrade into commodities,” he explained.
According to Professor Subagyo, maintaining a product’s competitive advantage requires development that goes beyond functional uniqueness.
Non-functional aspects such as branding, aesthetics, personal values, and cultural elements, which are often overlooked, must also be considered.
He emphasized that leveraging these non-functional attributes gives products a distinct value and identity for consumers, beyond mere efficiency.
He further observed that the modern industrial world is marked by shorter product lifespans in the market.
This condition, he said, compels companies to design new products quickly to remain competitive.
To address this, he proposed implementing the concept of concurrent engineering in product development, enabling design, testing, and production to occur simultaneously.
“As a consequence, product investment feasibility analysis should not be conducted per product, but comprehensively for all parallel products,” he explained.
Applying this concept, he noted, not only accelerates innovation but also reduces production costs and strengthens supply chain efficiency within national industries.
Furthermore, he drew attention to the growing trend of consumer lifestyles prioritizing convenience, particularly the use of disposable products that contribute significantly to waste and environmental pollution.
Many low-cost and practical products, he said, have caused notable environmental impacts.
To address this, Professor Subagyo proposed an economic incentive policy in the form of a ‘waste excise tax’ on products with high waste potential.
He emphasized that such a measure would encourage the development of sustainable and environmentally responsible product innovations.
In conclusion, Professor Subagyo emphasized the crucial role of engineers in addressing the challenges of the Industrial Revolution era.
He noted that industrial engineers are no longer limited to overseeing production processes but must actively engage in developing products that are both productive and efficient.
“The role of industrial product engineers today is not limited to creating productive and efficient production processes but also to actively engaging in ‘productization’ processes that enhance productivity and efficiency,” he said.
Nevertheless, Professor Subagyo emphasized the importance of strong synergy between industrial engineers and product designers, as collaboration is crucial to developing socio-technical systems that enhance productivity and efficiency.
This, he added, is essential in addressing the challenges of short product lifecycles and rapidly changing industrial needs.
He concluded by affirming that creative engineering practices must continue to be developed as part of broader efforts to achieve societal prosperity and welfare.
Author: Cyntia Noviana
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Lintang Andwyna
Photographer: Donnie Trisfian