Semarang – an area known as Jatirejo, Gunungpati Sub-district, Semarang City, Central Java has been known for its kolang-kaling production in Semarang. Kolang-kaling itself is a soft-textured food made of palm seeds. Currently, the survey conducted by students at Universitas Dian Nuswantoro (Udinus) shows that there have been problems during the production process of kolang-kaling.v

In response to this, a program, initiated under the name of the Student Organization Capacity Building Program (PPKO), was conducted by a team comprised of members of Dinus Open Source Community (Doscom). The program was conducted to solve the problems surrounding kolang-kaling production, which was still done manually.

“Since the process is still conducted manually, it takes a longer time to produce kolang-kaling. This problem can be a challenging one for kolang-kaling business owners to expand their market, as they cannot fulfill the demands,” uttered the team leader, Rifqis Sakha Hilmi Aziz.

Melalui permasalahan tersebut, Tim PPKO bekerja sama dengan masyarakat setempat yang mengembangkan alat berbasis Internet of Things (IoT). Alat itu diberi nama ‘Smart Grind Precision’, yang dirancang untuk memipihkan dan memeriksa kualitas produk olahan lebih cepat, dan efisien.

“Penerapan teknologi ini diharapkan proses produksi bisa dijalankan lebih baik dan bisa meningkat. Sehingga para pelaku usaha tidak perlu khawatir lagi dalam memenuhi permintaan pasar,” imbuh Rifqis.

The team consists of 14 students from the Computer Science Faculty and a student from the Economic and Business Faculty. In addition to developing the device, the team also hosted a digital marketing training program to boost the sales of kolang-kaling products.

Fahri Firdausillah S.Kom., M.Cs., the Supervising Instructor of Doscom, explained that this program aimed to improve the economic condition of locals within the Jatirejo area. They also gave the locals the basics of entrepreneurship to the locals so the Jatirejo area could be a self-sustaining business center.

“The PPKO program also aims to hone students’ soft skills and hard skills by doing community service. Hopefully, the outputs of this program, namely, the Student Organization Reflection Book and the IoT Device, Smart Grind Precision, can serve as a tangible contribution to local empowerment,” he explained.

Several partners were also involved in this program, including numerous souvenir centers in Semarang, as well as the Small Business Enterprise Training Center (Balatkop). (Humas Udinus/Haris. Foto: Humas Udinus)