This paper examines the development of manufacturing in East Java in comparison with other major industrial provinces in Indonesia, with a focus on employment, output and investment in the pre-and-post crisis periods. East Java’s ‘winner’ and ‘loser’ industries and the geographical distribution of manufacturing in the province are described. The paper attempts to account for manufacturing patterns in East Java in terms of infrastructure constraints, the investment climate, access to finance and the relationship between central, provincial and local governments, following the advent of regional autonomy. The paper finds that East Java manufacturing has been less export oriented and responsive to global demand, thus failing to match the performance of the other major manufacturing centres in Indonesia.