Established in 1990, Duta Abadi Primantara (DAP) is a pioneer in the high quality bedding industry in Indonesia offering premium brands such as Aireloom, King Koil, Serta and Tempur. With these brands, the company aims to make (about one third) of people’s lives fulfilling through good quality sleep. We met with Anthony Setiawan, vice president of DAP who told us how they guarantee the best slumber.
Photo by Bagus Tri Laksono and Duta Abadi Primantara Doc.
How long has DAP maintained its focus on distributing high-end bedding?
When we started the business in 1990, we were selling a middle-class brand called Florence. In 1995, Indonesia started to welcome more international hotel chains, particularly in Jakarta and Bali. These hotels created a demand for high quality brands with a good reputation internationally, so we decided to start distributing King Koil in 1996. The brand has proven to be successful since then and we’ve continued to cater to the high-end part of the bedding industry.
Could you tell us a little bit about your experience and achievements to date?
In 2010, I joined DAP as a sales assistant manager. I learnt how to showcase the brand to hotel management and other large institutions. I also did door-to-door sales, from one department store to another, as a Tempur brand manager, so much so that I developed a network of contacts in retail, and got very well acquainted with how the market operates. After Tempur, I got involved with King Koil, which has a larger market base, before finally becoming a vice president.
Each position requires me to learn quickly, but with my experience in sales, I can anticipate what our team needs. I encourage teamwork in developing, designing, and distributing our products, and all the way to the corporate level.
Is there a reason why DAP offers American products as opposed to brands from other countries?
As a developing country, we have a lot to learn from more advanced countries like the US. Similarly, in the bedding industry, the US is the leading country considering their rapid innovation and progress. DAP, too, has learnt a lot from our liaison with brands from these brands.
How do you determine which brands qualify to be represented by DAP?
We choose brands with character and great or prestigious reputation, and those that we can learn from in terms of technology and/or design. Aireloom Is marked as a heritage to its excellence portfolio. King Koil is known for its comfort and luxury, and it’s a brand that has established its foothold in the Asian market. Serta is another legacy brand with impeccable quality and design. We also chose Tempur for its focus on ergonomics and innovation.
Which audience do you cater to?
We strive to accommodate all the different market segments by offering a wide array of brands. Florence for the middle class, Serta for the younger audience, King Koil for the upper class, Tempur for a particularly niche market and Aireloom for the socialites like celebrities and politicians with interest in heritage.
As DAP carries a lot of high-end bedding brands, how do you maintain sales at high prices given the current economic situation?
Given the poor condition in the market right now, we still launched a new high-end bedding collection under the King Koil Signature Series. The beds come with Gold Series coils and fabrics that have been made with special attention. The prices are higher than King Koil’s products in the past. The series was well accepted by the market.
While other vendors try to lower their prices, we try to maintain our prices consistent. I think consumers appreciate high quality products.
For Florence specifically, I admit that we struggle to keep the prices, but we remain focused on the value that we offer. We believe that our consumers can justify what they’re spending on with what they get. For the upper class products, product design and quality are always the key.
Have you noticed any changes in the market for bedding in Indonesia?
I think there is positive progress in the sense that consumers place an importance in a good night’s sleep. We try to educate the general public of how important it is to catch a full sleep, because it is a third of our lives. If we don’t invest time for sleeping, we’re missing that third of our lives. People’s purchases of high quality beds depend on their household’s economic condition and the economy in general. A lot of Indonesian still sleep on cotton mattresses of inferior quality. As time passes, these are replaced by spring beds that offer more support and comfort.
What’s next on DAP’s agenda?
Following the trend on the practical and digital side of things, we just launched Simply. Simply products are only sold on e-commerce platforms. Designed with the concept of an “express bed”, Simply mattresses can be compressed, rollpacked, and fit into small boxes for fast and easy shipping. They are good quality mattresses that are affordable and packaged to appeal to university students or those who live in small, rented spaces in the city. The technology is well known in the US, Europe and Australia but DAP has become a pioneer in express beds in Asia.
We continue to keep moving forward and growing for the better. We hope to keep innovating and fulfilling what our clients need regardless of their economic level. Our clients’ satisfaction is of utmost importance and we keep this in check when developing new products.