The Indonesian Stainless Steel Development Association (INASSDA) launched the first-ever national Indonesian Stainless Steel Summit (ISSS) 2025 at Grand Mercure Hotel, Kemayoran, Jakarta on Tuesday, October 21, 2025.

Dubbed as the largest stainless steel industry conference in the country, the event was organized with support from the National Economic Council (DEN), the Ministry of Trade, the Ministry of Industry, and the Morowali Metal Industry Polytechnic, and aimed at strengthening collaboration between industry players, policymakers, and academia in shaping a resilient and globally competitive stainless steel ecosystem.

Carrying the theme “Shaping Indonesia’s Stainless Steel Future: Policy, Talent, and Sustainable Application,” the forum seeks to address industry challenges while capturing opportunities amid Indonesia’s ambitious infrastructure expansion and downstream industrialization agenda.

INASSDA President Steven Sutiono highlighted the massive potential of Indonesia’s stainless steel market, driven by rapid growth across construction, automotive, manufacturing, and household appliance sectors despite several structural and trade-related challenges that must be addressed collectively.

The Ministry of Trade emphasized the importance of a national strategy to overcome global trade barriers and diversify Indonesia’s stainless steel export portfolio amid increasing international challenges.

Andri Gilang Nugraha, Director of Metal, Industry, and Mining Product Exports at the Trade MInistry said that export trends remain strong across several product categories.

“Although stainless steel exports reached US$15.16 billion (Rp251.75 trillion) in 2024, there was a slight decline to US$8.74 billion during January–August 2025. However, major export destinations such as China, Taiwan, Vietnam, India, and Italy remain stable,” Andri said while addressing the event.

He noted that Indonesia holds a comparative advantage due to its domestic raw material production and rapidly growing industry.

“This gives us the strength to remain competitive in the global market,” he said.

He emphasized the importance of export diversification, particularly for stainless steel pipes and tubes, chemical and food processing equipment, automotive components, and household products.

In terms of sustainability, Andri underscored the need for the national industry to transition toward greener production.

“Developed countries like those in Europe are highly concerned about decarbonization. We need close collaboration between the government, INASSDA, and industry players to accelerate the shift toward an environmentally friendly industry so that our products remain accepted globally,” he said.

Rising global trade barriers

Despite strong fundamentals, Indonesia’s stainless steel industry faces increasingly complex global trade challenges. Several countries have imposed trade remedies on Indonesian products.

“Australia has implemented anti-dumping measures on steel reinforcing bars, South Africa imposed safeguards, while Brazil and China targeted stainless steel slabs. Malaysia imposed restrictions on steel wire rods, and Egypt and Turkiye have also applied barriers on HRC (Hot Rod Coil) and CRC (Cold Rod Coil) products,” Andri cited.

Furthermore, the European Union is preparing to enforce non-tariff barriers, and India has adopted a Quality Control Order (QCO) − similar to Indonesia’s SNI standard − as an export requirement.

“Unfortunately, India’s certification process is non-transparent and time-consuming. This poses a serious challenge for our exporters,” he said.

To address these issues, the Ministry of Trade is pursuing active trade diplomacy to open new markets through ongoing and future trade agreements.

“We have signed a trade agreement with Canada, are finalizing one with the European Union, and are expanding access to the UAE, the Middle East, South Asia, and Latin America,” Andri said.

The ISSS 2025 is expected to serve as a strategic platform to discuss policy directions, talent development, and sustainable applications for stainless steel − solidifying Indonesia’s role as a key player in the global green metals industry.