WHY BATAM? In 1970, Batam had a population of just 6,000. Today, nearly million people call this island home. Somehow, in the past 30 years, this small island has experienced a remarkable influx of people and investment.

Four Main Reasons: Low land and labour Costs: A basic wage of under US$100 per month. Office and factory space for a little as $3 per sq metre per month ($0.30 per sq ft/mo). Excellent location. Good logistics: Located on the Straits of Singapore. An hour from Singapore by ferry. Direct access to huge container terminals in Singapore and Tanjung Pelepas in Johore. Conducive government policies: Batam is organised under special legislation, under the administration of the very pro-business Batam Industrial Development Authority (BIDA). Workable Infrastructure: Batam's roads, ports, water, phones, internet and electricity have largely kept pace with demand.

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WHAT IS BATAM'S ECONOMY BASED ON? Batam's economy has five main sectors (listed below in order of size):

ELECTRONICS: Some four hundred companies, using mostly female labour employ over 200,000 workers.

OIL SERVICE: Following a downturn in 1999/2000, this sector is now expanding again. Larger fabricators/manufacturers in this sector include Nippon Steel, Mc Dermott, Keavrner, Vetco Gray, and Citra Tubindo.

SHIP REPAIR: Location and cheap labour will ensure that this business continues to expand.

TOURISM: Over a million visitors a year. (This statistic is a little misleading, as many come from Singapore for the day.) Batam's main town of Nagoya has dozens of hotels and nightspots.

CONSTRUCTION SUPPORT: Many of the world's larger contractors have equipment logistics bases here including: Bechtel, Hyundai, Ballast Needham, McConnel Dowell, Global Industries, etc.

Information : Your best Batam Island Info guide
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