Becoming an entrepreneur was something Sulistyo Chawasie never expected.
The UGM Geodesy Engineering alumnus, class of 1983, who now serves as the President Director of PT Hamparan Segara Niaga (HSN) Group, shared how he started a business with 14 of his friends in 1996.
Over time, only three people, including himself, remained as the company’s founders.
“We founded the company together, all of us starting from scratch with friends, and now we’re the number one refrigerated cargo transportation company,” said Chawasie to Kabar UGM.
Born in Karangkajen, Yogyakarta, 59 years ago, Chawasie explained that he started the business at 31 after working for about two years at a Singapore-based transportation and logistics company.
This company handled the transport of various types of cargo. Shortly afterward, in 1996, Chawasie saw an opportunity to start a company with his 14 friends when one of his investors, who had been a customer, invited him to go into business together.
“The investor was my customer. He said, ‘Why are you working with Singaporeans? Let’s work together.’ And that’s how HSN was founded,” he recalled.
Chawasie explained that the initial capital to start the company was around 200 million rupiah, which he pooled with his 14 friends.
The company was then established with bases in Jakarta and Surabaya, aiming to provide services to Indonesia’s western and eastern regions.
However, success took time to come. In the first ten years, the company’s Jakarta branch struggled due to tough competition, resulting in losses and the threat of closure.
The company was then taken over by the management team based in Surabaya. According to Chawasie, the collapse of the Jakarta branch was due to differences in niche markets.
Additionally, the closure of the Jakarta branch led to a split among the 14 founders. Even in Surabaya, 7 of the remaining founders decided to leave, leaving only three, including Chawasie.
Fortunately, through persistence, Chawasie and his remaining partners managed to turn things around.
Today, the company is one of Indonesia’s largest providers of refrigerated transportation for perishable cargo or goods that must be stored at specific temperatures to avoid spoilage. In 2022, HSN Group achieved a peak profit of around Rp 1 trillion.
He noted that HSN Group has 44 branch offices across Indonesia and employs over 1,000 people, including permanent staff and outsourced workers.
“We have 44 branches—wherever there’s fish, we are there. We have around 300 trucks and over 2,000 refrigerated containers for operations,” he said.
In its 28 years of operation, HSN Group has expanded to include seven subsidiary companies. In addition to refrigerated container service, the company trades cold storage-based fishing vessels and supplies food and beverages to mining companies outside Java.
“Thankfully, everything is still running,” he said.
Although the company has grown significantly, Chawasie admitted that challenges always arise when running a business.
Despite the ongoing challenges, relationships are crucial. The UGM graduate shared an example from the pandemic when transport ships faced difficulties docking due to restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19. At the time, one of PT HSN’s ships was trying to dock on the American mainland, but congestion rules prevented ships from staying in port for more than 24 hours.
“During COVID, ships in America couldn’t stay near the port for more than 24 hours. So, ships heading there were congested, meaning they couldn’t dock,” he explained.
However, due to strong relationships, HSN’s ships could eventually dock and deliver their cargo.
“While many ships were waiting to dock, many returned empty. But because we had good connections, we could fill our ships,” Chawasie said.
Reflecting on his 28 years of experience running a business, Chawasie offered tips for students interested in entrepreneurship. He emphasized that one of the most important things is learning to manage finances.
“Financial management skills are essential for students, even engineers,” he stressed.
When asked about his most memorable experience as a student at UGM, Chawasie highlighted the values of simplicity and a sense of family that he still appreciates. UGM’s campus culture always fostered a habit of living simply.
“We were taught to be simple. That’s really it. We don’t need to be extravagant or show off. That value is important—it made our sense of family strong,” he explained.
Author: Hanif
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Photographer: Firsto
Post-editor: Afif