On Tuesday, 3 November 2026, Hotel Swiss-Belinn Modern Cikande in Kabupaten Serang was packed with exhibitor booths. Inside were 69 companies used to shipping products overseas. For a regency, that is not a small number: many small business owners there have moved past simply selling at the local market.
Ceramics are the most interesting to note. At the same event, Regent of Kabupaten Serang Ratu Rachmatuzakiyah mentioned ceramic glasses already exported to Taiwan and Abu Dhabi. More interesting still, the work uses traditional methods, especially at the polishing and coloring stages, so those products are the result of careful handwork rather than fully machine-made.
The direction is already clear enough. According to the Regent, SMEs cannot enter wider markets by increasing production alone. Four things must be maintained: product quality and consistency, packaging, completeness of licensing, and supply certainty. These are the anchors for anyone who wants to survive in the Cikande ceramic industry.
If you run a small ceramic workshop in Cikande or around Rangkasbitung, this is worth noting. Not because the export market has opened right away, but because there is a real example showing that handmade ceramics made with traditional techniques still have buyers, as long as quality, packaging, and legality are maintained. This article covers three practical steps for selling traditional ceramics in Cikande: how to calculate capital, maintain legality, and choose the sales channel that makes most sense.
Tip 1: Keep Traditional Ceramic Quality So It Still Has Selling Value
Before talking about the market, take care of the product itself. Cikande ceramics that reached overseas buyers are still polished and colored by hand. This is the working method that sets local products apart from factory-made goods.
Create a product standard that can be repeated in every batch
Ceramic workshops generally have a signature product: glasses, bowls, plates, vases, or souvenirs. Often the standard lives only in the craftsman's head, so a slightly different color or an off size makes the product considered different.
The cheapest way to avoid that is to write down simple specifications, for example:
- Base diameter and height of the product in centimeters
- Base color and the glaze color used
- Rim thickness and whether the finish is glossy or matte
- Small tolerance limits that are still considered acceptable
Written specifications make the next run repeatable with similar results, so buyers need not inspect every item on each order.
Calculate cost per batch, not per kilogram of raw material
Ceramics are not only about clay. One glass passes through many stages: molding, drying, firing, polishing, coloring, then packaging. Calculating cost only per kilogram of raw material yields a figure far below the real cost.
| Cost component | What to include |
|---|---|
| Raw materials | Clay, clay body, glaze, and colorants |
| Energy | Gas or electricity for firing, plus the drying oven |
| Labor | Molding, polishing, and coloring time per unit |
| Packaging | Cartons, protective foam, labels, and reinforcing material for shipping |
| Shrinkage and breakage | Products that crack or break during firing and shipping |
| Other costs | Workshop rent, electricity, and transport |
Add everything up, then divide by the number of sellable products from one batch. That number, not the material cost, becomes the basis for your selling price. A more detailed method is in the article on how to calculate business profit.
Use a memorable brand name and packaging
Products carrying their own brand are easier to resell to the same buyers. For the export market, packaging also has a technical function, not just an appearance. Cartons need to be sturdy enough, each unit needs wrapping so pieces do not knock together, and labels must state the producer's identity and product information.
Neat, consistent labels make products look reliable at a glance, and this is often why buyers choose one supplier for the long term.
Tip 2: Handle Legalities and Permits Before Moving to Bigger Markets
Many ceramic SMEs stop at the local market and the traditional market, not because their products are not good enough but because business documents and permits are not ready. Complete documents make buyers confident enough to order in large quantities.
First decide whether your product falls under the mandatory SNI category
There is a big difference between decorative ceramics and ceramics used for eating and drinking. For glazed tableware, the Indonesian National Standard is mandatory under Ministerial of Industry Regulation No. 14 of 2025, with SNI 7275:2022 as the reference. Products in this category must include an SNI certificate, a permit to use the SNI mark, and an electronic mark.
Decorative ceramics such as vases, arsir, or statues do not fall under that mandatory category. So the first step for ceramic SMEs in Cikande is confirming which category their products belong to, because the handling differs.
| Product type | Standard status | What to prepare |
|---|---|---|
| Glazed ceramics for eating and drinking | SNI 7275:2022 mandatory through Permenperin 14 of 2025 | SNI certificate, SPPT SNI, and an electronic mark on the product |
| Decorative ceramics such as vases and arsir | Not in the mandatory SNI category above | NIB, a business license matching the business form, and internal quality standards |
| Products packaged and sold directly to consumers | Status follows the main product type | Complete label stating the producer and material composition |
Full details on the mandatory SNI rules for ceramics can be read in Ministerial of Industry Regulation No. 14 of 2025.
Complete your NIB and basic permits before production scales up
Many transactions between SMEs in Cikande still run without complete documents, including when selling to resellers. Yet the NIB issued through OSS is the legal foundation that buyers from other regions ask about most often.
The practical step is simple: register your NIB according to your business form, then check whether additional permits apply to your production site, such as an environmental permit for firing. After that, tidy transaction records so every sale has evidence. A guide to recording income and expenses neatly is in the article on how to record business income and expenses.
Tip 3: Choose the Sales Channel That Matches Your Business Stage
In Cikande itself, ceramic products have many routes to buyers. Which channel you choose depends on your production capacity and the legalities you already have in place.
Start with the local market, the traditional market, and bazaars
Ceramic workshops in Cikande and Rangkasbitung usually already have their own customers: decoration stores, food stalls, and street vendors. They have one advantage: they come directly, with no shipping cost and no middleman taking a cut.
This channel needs only one thing: a tidy product display with clear prices. A neat display makes buyers less likely to be disappointed, and a visible price becomes the basis for healthy negotiation.
Also add customer notes to every transaction. Customers who bought Cikande ceramic glasses before will usually buy again, as long as you remember when they ordered and what they liked. How to store customer data so they return is in the article on why customer data matters for SMEs.
Open an online store and marketplaces once the product is ready
Online selling reaches buyers outside Banten without a physical store. For ceramics, the advantage is presentation: bright photos, clearly visible size, and accurate color information. All of that makes buyers more confident before ordering.
Before choosing a channel, check one thing: whether your product can be shipped safely. Ceramics crack easily, so use bubble wrap, the right carton, and test one package before shipping in bulk.
| Sales channel | Who the buyers are | What to prepare |
|---|---|---|
| Local market and bazaars | General consumers, street vendors | Tidy display, clear prices, and stock ready |
| Decoration stores and food stalls | Store owners looking for distinctive products | Product catalog, wholesale pricing, and samples |
| Marketplaces and online stores | Consumers from other regions | Product photos, descriptions, and sturdy packaging |
| Exporters or overseas buyers | Companies with export experience | NIB, product permits, packaging, and written specifications |
Once your products have clear quality, the next step is setting up wholesale prices for buyers who take large quantities. How to apply them is in the article on tips for using the wholesale price feature.
FAQ: Questions About Ceramic SMEs in Cikande
Can Cikande ceramics already be exported?
Yes. At the Kabupaten Serang Export Product Fair in Cikande on 3 November 2026, 69 exporting companies were recorded. Among them were ceramic glasses already shipped to Taiwan and Abu Dhabi, with the polishing and coloring stages still done traditionally.
Do all ceramics have to have an SNI?
Not all of them. Under Permenperin 14/2025, SNI 7275:2022 is mandatory for glazed ceramics used as tableware, while decorative products are not in the mandatory category. Full details are in Permenperin 14 of 2025.
How much capital is needed to start ceramic production?
There is no single number, because capital depends on scale and product type. What you need to calculate from the start is cost per production batch, not only raw material cost per kilogram. Calculating profit from sales data is covered in the article on how to calculate business profit, while finding more capital is covered in the article on the capital funding feature in Qasir.
How do you get buyers from overseas?
Usually through exporters or distributors who already have buyers overseas, so the business owner only needs products that meet the standards, tidy packaging, and complete legality. Opportunities also come through regional export showcases and bazaars, like the one held in Cikande on 3 November 2026.
Can handmade ceramics still compete with machine-made products?
Yes, because buyers look for not only volume but also the distinctive character of handwork and local design. The condition is quality consistent from batch to batch and tidy packaging. One of the best-selling products can be traced through sales data.
Business and Financial Tips for Ceramic Businesses in Cikande
The ceramic industry has a special trait: one production batch consumes raw materials, electricity, gas, and labor all at once, but money only comes in after the products are sold. If the previous batch's money is already used for the next batch, the workshop stops halfway.
Separate business cash from household cash from day one
Many ceramic workshops mix business money with personal needs. As a result, at the end of the month money appears to be there even though business costs go unrecorded. Separate them from the start, record every income and expense, then set aside a portion for the next batch's raw materials.
The Cash Recap feature in the digital cashier app separates money in from sales and money out for buying clay, gas, or packaging, without manual counting. The complete guide is in the article on how to record business income and expenses.
Calculate the break-even point before adding production
Many ceramic workshops add production batches because orders are plentiful. But plentiful orders do not necessarily mean profit, especially if the selling price is pushed too low to cover raw material, gas, and labor costs.
First calculate how many units must be sold to cover fixed costs in one period, such as workshop rent, electricity, and fixed labor. Only then do you know how much extra production is genuinely safe. If you need more capital, see the financing options in the articles on KUR UMKM 2026 and the capital funding feature in Qasir.
Keep an emergency fund and review debts regularly
The ceramic industry has an uneven cycle. Payments from resellers often arrive after goods are shipped, while raw materials must be paid upfront. So set aside an emergency fund large enough to cover one production cycle, then review your debt list every month so it does not pile up unnoticed.
Conclusion
The Kabupaten Serang Export Product Fair on 3 November 2026 in Cikande shows two things at once. First, 69 companies in Kabupaten Serang are used to shipping products overseas. Second, the ceramic glasses sent to Taiwan and Abu Dhabi are still made with traditional polishing and coloring. Handwork does not have to lose out in overseas markets, as long as quality, packaging, licensing, and supply certainty are maintained.
To summarize, there are six things ceramic business owners in Cikande need to do:
- Maintain consistent quality across batches, not only good results in the first batch
- Calculate cost per batch, not per kilogram of raw material
- Use a memorable brand name and packaging
- Make sure your product falls into the correct SNI category, then complete your NIB and basic permits
- Choose a sales channel that fits your business stage, starting with the local market and bazaars
- Separate business cash from household cash, calculate the break-even point, and keep an emergency fund
All of those steps need one thing in common: neat records. Starting today, record every sale, raw material purchase, and business expense. Those records let you calculate profit, set wholesale prices, and pitch to bigger buyers yourself.
Manage Cikande Ceramic Sales More Easily with Qasir Features
Running a ceramic business means tracking many things: unsold stock, used raw materials, wholesale prices, and customer records. All of it can be handled from one digital cashier app, without separate notebooks.
Digital cashier for transactions at the workshop and bazaars
When selling at a bazaar or taking orders on site, transactions are often written in a notebook or kept in your head. A digital cashier app records every sale automatically, with a receipt for the customer.
Inventory management for raw materials and finished products
Ceramics have two kinds of stock: raw materials bought before production, and finished products waiting for a buyer. The inventory management feature reduces the risk of running out of raw materials unnoticed, and flags finished products that have sat on the shelf too long.
Wholesale pricing for buyers who take large quantities
Resellers and decoration stores usually buy in large quantities at a lower price per unit. In Qasir, wholesale pricing is set directly on the product, so the selling team need not recalculate prices for every large order.
Product variations for ceramics in many sizes and colors
The same glass can come in several sizes and color options. The product variations feature keeps them neatly in one item, so the cashier does not pick the wrong variant when serving a customer.
Sales and profit reports to see which products are profitable
What is most often missed is seeing which products actually generate profit. Sales and profit reports show which ceramic products sell best and how much margin each carries.
Customer data to keep buyers who have already shopped
Buyers who have already liked your ceramic products tend to come back, and many of them prefer to be told when new products are available.
The customer feature in Qasir stores purchase history, so you know which products are bought often and when to offer new ones. How to make the most of it is discussed in the article on why customer data matters for SMEs.
Download Qasir for free on the Play Store or App Store, and start tidying up your ceramic sales records today.