SURAKARTA – Fulfilling its commitment to community service, the Research Group (RG) Metals from the Faculty of Engineering at Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) has once again demonstrated its dedication to empowering the local community. Led by Prof. Dr. Triyono, the team’s latest initiative supports Ihrish Creative Studio, a t-shirt screen-printing startup founded by a former street youth in Karanganyar.
This Community Service Program (PKM) focuses on improving operational efficiency through the application of appropriate technology and industrial principles. Ihrish Creative Studio, located in Jongkang, Tasikmadu, faced significant challenges in its production workflow due to a suboptimal workshop layout.
“We saw tremendous potential in this studio, but poor workspace efficiency was causing up to 14 minutes of wasted time just on material transfer,” Prof. Dr. Triyono.
To address this challenge, the RG Metals PKM team applied a scientific approach based on lean manufacturing and ergonomic principles to redesign the workshop layout. By reorganizing the design, screen-printing, paint, and cleaning stations, the production workflow was significantly streamlined. Furthermore, the team introduced supporting equipment such as modular tables, mobile racks, and a simple conveyor system to accelerate the production process without increasing physical workload.
Photo caption: A comparison of the production layout design before (a) and after (b) the intervention by the RG Metals team.
The program’s implementation yielded significant impacts. Material transfer time was reduced from 14 minutes to just 5-6 minutes, leading to a 40% increase in t-shirt screen-printing productivity. Additionally, the team provided technical training to the workers on efficient workflows and ergonomic work techniques.
“We hope this program, located just 6.4 km from the UNS campus, can become a role model for technology-based community empowerment, especially for marginalized youth seeking self-reliance,” added Prof. Triyono.
