What happened to Yamaha's Indonesia factory?

Cymbalise

Senior Member
We all know about the Yamaha/Sakae split leading to the opening of the new Chinese factory, but whatever happened to their Indonesia factory?

Surely that one was always a 100% yamaha owned and operated facility. It churned out all the stage customs and tour customs so must have produced tens of thousands of drums over the years (if not more).

All of a sudden, however, the stage custom became the stage custom birch and production was outsourced to an OEM manufacturer in China.

So, what became of the Indonesia factory? When exactly did they stop producing drums there? And why?

Anyone know?
 
First of all, the Stage Custom and all the others (Live Custom, Absolute Hybrid, Recording Custom as well as the piano and percussion-production) did NOT get outsourced to an "OEM manufacturer in China". Yamaha has built its very OWN factory there, just like Tama, and slowly moved more and more of its production there, once the japanese-factory quality standards could be guaranteed. It is 100% Yamaha owned, with japanese (from Osaka factory) and (highly trained) chinese workers there.

Furthermore, the Yamaha/Sakae split did not lead to the opening of the factory. That's two different things. Yamaha still has a factory in Osaka, Japan - just like Tama in Seto - where they built the PHX and "could have built" all the other pro-grade drums.

The opening of the factory in China afaik had to do with costs for workers in an increasingly competitive market, logistics (closer to Japan plus China is an increasingly important market, too), storage of woods (In Indonesia, they had to use some kind of microwave-oven in order to dry the wood due to high humidity. This is not necessary in China, which again lowers costs) and wood-supply (easily obtainable Birch from China; they do not use Indonesian Mahogany anymore afaik).

The factory in Indonesia is still there for producing drum hardware-parts in co-operation with Yamaha Indonesia Motor Mfg afaik.
 
First of all, the Stage Custom and all the others (Live Custom, Absolute Hybrid, Recording Custom as well as the piano and percussion-production) did NOT get outsourced to an "OEM manufacturer in China"...

...storage of woods (In Indonesia, they had to use some kind of microwave-oven in order to dry the wood due to high humidity. This is not necessary in China, which again lowers costs) and wood-supply (easily obtainable Birch from China; they do not use Indonesian Mahogany anymore afaik).

The factory in Indonesia is still there for producing drum hardware-parts in co-operation with Yamaha Indonesia Motor Mfg afaik.

I never said the others were OEM - I know they are not. I was merely stating that the stage custom birch are OEM because Yamaha have admitted that they are. On a related note, does anyone know if the new Rydeens are also OEM in China or produced in the Yamaha factory that makes the Absolute Hybrids etc?

Interesting point re: humidity levels in Indonesia.

Does anyone know when drum production there stopped?
 
I was merely stating that the stage custom birch are OEM because Yamaha have admitted that they are.
Source? Yamahas Website says something contrary:

All PHX series drums are made at a Yamaha factory in Japan, and the Absolute Hybrid Maple, Live Custom, Stage Custom Birch and Gigmaker are all made in China – with the Absolute Hybrid Maple and Stage Custom Birch being made in the brand new Yamaha Factory.
That same factory (Xiaoshan Yamaha Musical Instrument Co. Ltd, which is 100% Yamaha owned), where currently 618 people work on pianos, drums, percussion and orff production. I have never read anywhere that the Stage Customs are OEM. I guess you confuse the Stage Custom with the Gigmaker.

Drum production in China started in 2012 and stopped in Indonesia the same year afaik.
 
The Yamaha North America rep posted on drumforum.org last year about it. His quote is below:

"The Stage Custom Birch is in fact am OEM kit made in a factory that's not owned by Yamaha. They did build an addition to the factory so that SCB has it's own production line, and Yamaha staff does the QC. The birch is sourced in China. We didn't move production to China to make our high end drums cheaper, we moved to make them better by building them in our own factory, with complete control. Right now, we make Recording Custom(North American birch), Absolute Hybrid maple, and Live Custom in our own factory in China. PHX is made in our shop in Japan at our world headquarters."

If you'd like to verify it the link is: http://www.drumforum.org/index.php?/topic/125849-birch-used-in-2014-stage-custom/page-2#entry1390962

His username is Drumnhands
 
They used to say they made drum hardware at the same facility that made motorcycles.

So maybe that's what the Indonesian factory is doing these days.
 
Yeah possibly.

The thing that gets me is that they must have produced and sold tens of thousands of stage customs over the years and surely that necessitates a fairly substantial investment in terms of infrastructure there. Bit of a shame if that part of the factory has all been closed down.
 
This is indeed interesting, because Yamaha has never officially stated this. So... the "claim" could be true. I'd like to hear that from Yamaha headquarters and/or an official Yamaha spokesperson. I don't trust your source right now to be honest.

Is Drumnhands Jim Haler? I'd need a proof. ANd if: Was he allowed to make such a statement at all - and is he right? I have read so much crap about drum companies and production lately and I know that there are so many communication-disasters in large companies, where people involuntarily spread wrong information because of communication-problems that I am very cautious whenever I hear such "news". If you want to be 100% sure if it's OEM or not, ask Yamaha headquarters directly.

Oh, and do not overestimate the number of drumsales. Drums do not sell as much as e.g. guitars.
 
This is indeed interesting, because Yamaha has never officially stated this. So... the "claim" could be true. I'd like to hear that from Yamaha headquarters and/or an official Yamaha spokesperson. I don't trust your source right now to be honest.

Is Drumnhands Jim Haler? I'd need a proof. ANd if: Was he allowed to make such a statement at all - and is he right? I have read so much crap about drum companies and production lately and I know that there are so many communication-disasters in large companies, where people involuntarily spread wrong information because of communication-problems that I am very cautious whenever I hear such "news". If you want to be 100% sure if it's OEM or not, ask Yamaha headquarters directly.

Oh, and do not overestimate the number of drumsales. Drums do not sell as much as e.g. guitars.

Drumnhands is indeed Yamaha Drums's long time Product Manager Jim Haler.

He is VERY right, allowed to make such statements and VERY trustworthy.

The only that could happen is that things have changed in the moment between that statement and the current way of working (and with the ever evolving changes the market that is always possible).
 
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Thanks for the info. "Drumnhands" could have been the nickname for ...well ... anyone. ;-)

If his statement is right, Yamaha should maybe "update" their websites...
 
I did a bit of research. This is from a FAQ on their website Posted in 2014

"All PHX series drums are made at a Yamaha factory in Japan, and the Absolute Hybrid Maple, Live Custom, Stage Custom Birch and Gigmaker are all made in China – with the Absolute Hybrid Maple and Stage Custom Birch being made in the brand new Yamaha Factory."

http://faq.yamaha.com/us/en/article/musical-instruments/drums/ac-drumsets/806/8154/
 
Thanks for the info. "Drumnhands" could have been the nickname for ...well ... anyone. ;-)

If his statement is right, Yamaha should maybe "update" their websites...

Actually Jim Haler maintains the website (drums). YAMAHA drums USA is not a giant production, its a few guys doing a great job keeping it all together.
 
Furthermore, the Yamaha/Sakae split did not lead to the opening of the factory. That's two different things. Yamaha still has a factory in Osaka, Japan - just like Tama in Seto - where they built the PHX and "could have built" all the other pro-grade drums.

Come on WD, for someone that professes to be a Yamaha expert you should know that Sakae was based out of Osaka not Yamaha and the PHX series is manufactured in Hamamatsu Japan.
 
Yamaha has quit a few Indonesia plants

PT. Yamaha Indonesia

Location / Foundation : East Jakarta, Indonesia
Business : Manufacturing of pianos
PT. Yamaha Music Manufacturing Indonesia

Location / Foundation : East Jakarta, Indonesia
Business : Manufacturing of guitars
PT. Yamaha Music Manufacturing Asia

Location / Foundation : Bekasi, Indonesia
Business : Manufacturing of electronic musical instruments
PT. Yamaha Musical Products Asia

Location / Foundation : Bekasi, Indonesia
Business : Manufacturing of digital musical instruments, piano parts, etc.
PT. Yamaha Musical Products Indonesia

Location / Foundation : Pasuruan, Indonesia
Business : Manufacturing and assembly of wind instruments, and manufacturing of accessories and cases for musical instruments, Pianica™ and recorders
 
Yamaha has quit a few Indonesia plants

PT. Yamaha Indonesia

Location / Foundation : East Jakarta, Indonesia
Business : Manufacturing of pianos
PT. Yamaha Music Manufacturing Indonesia

Location / Foundation : East Jakarta, Indonesia
Business : Manufacturing of guitars
PT. Yamaha Music Manufacturing Asia

Location / Foundation : Bekasi, Indonesia
Business : Manufacturing of electronic musical instruments
PT. Yamaha Musical Products Asia

Location / Foundation : Bekasi, Indonesia
Business : Manufacturing of digital musical instruments, piano parts, etc.
PT. Yamaha Musical Products Indonesia

Location / Foundation : Pasuruan, Indonesia
Business : Manufacturing and assembly of wind instruments, and manufacturing of accessories and cases for musical instruments, Pianica™ and recorders

That's very enlightening - thanks very much! Clearly then there's a lot still going on in that part of the world, just not the budget drums division.
 
...you should know that Sakae was based out of Osaka not Yamaha and the PHX series is manufactured in Hamamatsu Japan.
My memory is failing. I am getting old. :-( (Memo to myself: I should have looked that up again before writing the post)

And no, I am not an expert - hands down. Just summing up (or better: trying to sum up) what I read/heard about it the past few years in mags, news channels and casual discussions with a few Yamaha-representatives.
 
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