Kuncoro Wibowo’s father Wong Jin was the founder of the Kawan Lama Sejahtera Group. That business started from a tiny 3 meter by 3 meter hardware store. Wibowo spent much of his childhood and teen years in the store, being trained in the business, and traveling throughout Indonesia and abroad, meeting suppliers and visiting tool and hardware exhibitions.

In 1981 when his father died, and with the help of his five siblings, he took on the running of the business, expanding it successfully and comprehensively over the subsequent decades. PT. Ace Hardware Indonesia, Tbk, one of its subsidiaries is the only licensee of US furniture and utensil company, and boasts the largest ACE hardware store in the world.