The Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia (FTUI), held another Doctoral Promotion session on Friday (01/03). Muhammad Habiburrahman, a doctoral student from the Industrial Engineering program at FTUI, successfully defended his dissertation, which aims to support the transformation of Indonesia’s automotive industry toward the electric vehicle (EV) era. His dissertation, “Competitiveness-Based Transition Framework to Position Indonesia as Southeast Asia’s Electric Vehicle Hub,” provides a strategic foundation for Indonesia to compete in the increasingly competitive global automotive market.
The research was driven by Indonesia’s urgent need to contend with Thailand and Malaysia in becoming a battery electric vehicle (BEV) hub in Southeast Asia. “On one hand, Indonesia has significant advantages, including abundant natural resources such as nickel, copper, and cobalt — key materials for BEV batteries — and a large domestic market. However, the country faces numerous challenges, such as low domestic EV adoption, high dependency on imported components, and limited skilled human resources in this technology,” Habiburrahman explained during his dissertation presentation.
Habiburrahman developed a multi-level analytical framework in his dissertation to support this transformation. The research encompasses three levels of analysis: regional, national, and corporate.
- The study highlights Indonesia’s substantial opportunities at the regional level, particularly in its domestic market and natural resources. However, it also emphasizes that Thailand currently leads in automotive industry infrastructure and investment attractiveness.
- The study underlines the importance of targeted government incentive policies, strengthening local supply chains, and developing supporting infrastructure, such as charging stations for electric vehicles, at the national level.
- At the corporate level, Habiburrahman introduced the concept of organizational ambidexterity, which refers to a company’s ability to exploit existing markets while exploring new opportunities in the EV sector.
The research also provides several strategic recommendations to support Indonesia’s ambition to become a BEV hub in Southeast Asia. Enhancing human resource capacity through education and training programs in EV technology is essential to meet future industry demands. Moreover, the government must offer more focused incentives to encourage producers and consumers to adopt electric vehicles. Collaboration among the government, academia, and industry players is key to building an integrated and sustainable EV ecosystem.
Acting Dean of FTUI, Prof. Ir. Mahmud Sudibandriyo, M.Sc., Ph.D., expressed his appreciation for this achievement. In his remarks, he emphasized that this research is academically significant and provides accurate contributions to developing the national automotive industry. “This research demonstrates that FTUI provides practical solutions for national progress. With this strategic framework, we hope Indonesia can soon solidify its position as a leader in the EV industry in the region,” he said.
As a result of his research, Muhammad Habiburrahman was awarded his doctorate with Summa Cum Laude honours and a GPA of 3.96. He is the 22nd doctoral graduate from the Department of Industrial Engineering and the 577th from FTUI.
The Doctoral Promotion session was led by Prof. Dr. Ir. Yanuar, M.Eng., M.Sc., with Prof. Dr. Ir. Rahmat Nurcahyo, M.Eng.Sc. as the primary supervisor and Assoc. Prof. Ts. Dr. Azanizawati Ma’aram as co-supervisor. The examination panel included Dr. Eng. Hotmatua Daulay, M.Eng., B.Eng.; Prof. Dr. Ir. Hendri D.S. Budiono, M.Eng.; Prof. Dr. Ir. Djoko Sihono Gabriel, M.T.; Prof. Dr. Ir. M. Dachyar, M.Sc.; and Novandra Rhezza Pratama, S.T., M.T., Ph.D.
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