Carlo Tabalujan

Carlo Hein Tabalujan (born Tan Tjin Hin 譚欣下巴;^[1] 18 April 1924—10 November 2011) is a Chinese Indonesian businessman and entrepreneur of Hokkien origin.^[1] He is the head and founder of Indonesian conglomerate PT. Sumber Selatan Nusa.

Early life

Born in Buitenzorg (today's Bogor) in 1924, Tan Tjin Hin, adopted the Indonesian family name of Tabalujan soon after Indonesia became independent on 17 August 1945.^[2] He was the fourth son of an Indonesian Chinese trader in a small town near Bogor. The family moved to Manado in Sulawesi and prospered until the outbreak of the Pacific War in 1941^[3] which resulted in the complete loss of the family business.

Educated at the Anglo-Chinese College on the island of Kulangsu near Xiamen, (Amoy) and at a business college in Jakarta, Carlo Tabalujan at the age of seventeen was stranded entirely alone and without money when the Japanese occupied Java. He survived for three and a half years with the help from schoolmates and some poorly paid work. In 1945, his first real job was with the British Seaforth Highlanders, part of the Allied Forces^[4] that landed to take back control of Indonesia from the Japanese.

Business

In 1945, he began trading on his own by renting a desk in the office of a businessman. From that basic beginning, Carlo Tabalujan built up successful trading and manufacturing businesses. These include relationships with a number of international companies as his long-term partners, leading to joint ventures controlling about a dozen affiliated companies under the Sumber Selatan umbrella, including PT Nestlé Indonesia, PT Danapaints Indonesia, PT Century Batteries, PT Maskapai Ansuransi; Union-Far East and PT Dan Motor Indonesia Vespa which at the time became Indonesia's leading manufacturers and distributors of motorcycles, automotive and decorative parts.^[4] In 1994, Carlo Tabalujan strengthened the company's interest in the motorcycle industry by a joint venture with Kawasaki motorcycles and heavy industries.

In 1972, The Australian Dairy Board monopoly expired. Ever since then, Nestlé Indonesia continued to diversify its consumer goods catering to local markets. Products such as Nescafé Coffee, Milkmaid and Dancow milk powder. Carlo Tabalujan currently continues as a member of the board of Nestlé Indonesia with his two eldest sons Hans and James Tabalujan.

Family

Carlo is married to wife, Tine Kamboean and together have four sons and one daughter; Hans G. Tabalujan, James D. Tabalujan, Heyley L. Tabalujan, Peter L. Tabalujan and Benny S. Tabalujan. Carlo has fifteen grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

Autobiography

Fifty Years of Business In Indonesia

"This is the remarkable story of Carlo Tabalujan. Beginning in pre-war Indonesia, we learn how, as a seventeen year old schoolboy, he was stranded without family or money how he survived three and a half years of the Japanese occupation in Jakarta and how he then started out his business empire on his own; with nothing but a rented desk and a telephone"

Carlo Tabalujan with Richard Tallboys An Autobiography, Second Edition Published in 1996, The Pentland Press, Edinburgh-Cambridge-Durham-USA First published in Great Britain in 1995- All rights reserved Richard G. Tallboys CMG OBE, Australian Trade Commissioner, Indonesia, 1966-7, British Ambassador, Vietnam 198-7

Notes

Bibliography

• Tabalujan, Carlo H.; Tallboys, Richard (1996), Fifty years of business in Indonesia (1945-95) : an autobiography), Pentland Press, ISBN 978-1-85821-341-5

• Soebadio-Noto Soebagio, Haryati (1978), Dynamics of Indonesian History, North-Holland Pub.Co

• Marc, Frey (2003), The transformation of Southeast Asia: international perspectives on Decolonization, An East Gate Book, 2003, By M.E Sharpe

• Setyautama, Dr.Sam (1980), Tokoh-Tokoh Etnis Tiongha di Indonesia, Mihardja Pub.Co

• Economic bulletin - Singapore International Chamber of Commerce

Who's who in the world, 1991-1992-Marquis Who's Who, 1990 - Biography & Autobiography - 1218 pages

External links

• (in Indonesian)
• (in Indonesian)