|
|
 |
| Sunday, 19 May 2002 |
 |
|
 |
Business |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
Lankan pioneer celebrates 25 years in business Mr N. Sivakumaran, a mechanical engineer by profession, gave up a promising career in London and came back to Sri Lanka to serve the country. There has been no turning back since then for the engineer turned entrepreneur whose company will be celebrating the silver jubilee this year. The company, Promoters Engineering Company, now exports food processing machinery to India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Philippines, Turkey and Ukraine. The company's main customers are reputed multinationals such as Nestle Sri Lanka and India, Unilever Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey and Heinz India. Recalling the past, the Managing Director Mr Sivakumaran said: "I came back and started Promoters Engineering Company Ltd. in Nallur, Jaffna way back in 1977. The company rebuilt automobile engines and farm equipment during the dark days of the closed economy." He said that the company had the know-how to salvage and reclaim worn-out and damaged engineering components. Reclaiming broken crankshafts of the then famous Austin A40 cars and providing them with a one-year guarantee was a speciality of the company, he added. When the economy was opened up in 1978, imported reconditioned engines started flooding the market. "I took this opportunity to diversify into designing and manufacturing machinery to add value to the locally available raw materials," said Sivakumaran. "We focused the business in such a way as to initially be a success in the local market and thereafter capture the international market. But since the situation in Jaffna became volatile after 1984, we found it difficult to have a full scale operation in Jaffna. Therefore, the first branch of the company was opened in Colombo in 1984. This was also a reason for the company's rapid growth. It won an award at the "Made in Lanka" Exhibition in 1986 for the most innovative product." He said the award encouraged the company to establish a research and development department to meet the requirements of the processing industry. While developing the Colombo branch, the company also continued its operations in Jaffna working on the Jaffna Hospital and other government departments. He did not forget to mention the regional director Mr Poornachandran who kept the company going during difficult times. He still works for the company. In the early 1980s, the company implemented four key projects and even today they remain the key projects in the region. The most challenging job was fabricating the machinery required to set up the Lanka Cement plant in Kankasanthurai under the supervision of the German supplier. The company pioneered and developed the required machinery to establish the continuous palmyra distillery to handle 30,000 litres of toddy per day which probably is the only one of its kind in Sri Lanka. Speaking of future plans, he said that he wants to establish a modern and up-to-date industrial park in the North that will benefit Jaffna directly. He said the park will attract Indian companies with readily established markets to come and set up manufacturing units to make products for their markets at a cheaper rate by importing the required raw materials from any global supplier. The export of goods to India can be done duty free under the Indo Lanka Free Trade Agreement. Mr Sivakumaran hopes to meet the relevant authorities to discuss issues pertaining to land allocation and port facilities. |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security Produced by Lake House |
