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| Sunday, 27 June 2004 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Always be yourself Always be yourself as it will take you places, is the advice given by the Chairman and Managing Director of Ruchi Clothing pvt Ltd Shervin Arsakularatne.
He sat for his Advanced level Examination in Commerce subjects in 1978 and just before his results came his mother passed away." I was selected to the University of Sri Jayawardenapura to do a degree in Management. "After my mothers death we lost everything. My sister married and migrated to the UK. I decided to teach English at a Tutory in Nugegoda for a monthly salary of Rs 220. "During this time I got to know Ajith Gunewardena who works for the Ceylinco Group and I wanted him to find me a job as I thought it was time to say good-bye to my studies." "He took me to the Chairman of Ceylinco Group Lalith Kotelawala who told me not to give up studies but to work on a part-time basis to collect fixed deposits. It was a god- send and I am indeed grateful to both of them Arsakularatne, said. "Once" I completed my degree I got job offers but something kept me back from accepting. During this time a Japanese company wanted a permanent employee to work in Japan. I applied. There were 500 applicants. The Chairman of Garbo Corporation Japan, Mr Ikisawa interviewed 20 and short listed-two, I was one and invited us for dinner to a hotel. "There were several top businessman and the regional heads of the Garbo Corporation. I spoke to all the people present and always was my self. When drinks were offered I took a beer while the other person opted for an orange juice. I even had some whisky. The next morning I regretted having beer and thought that it was the end of my job. During the afternoon I got a call saying that I was selected. "I left for Japan and my initial job was taking photographs of samples, packing the goods and carrying it to the ground floor from the fifth floor to be exported to the Soviet Union, " he said. But after a few months he got tired of the job and told the chairman that he could make a better contribution to the company since he was armed with a management degree. Answering his question, the Chairman said that he wanted Arsakularatne to start at the bottom because he wanted him to get an all-round knowledge and also to make him humble and understand the subordinates better. The chairman also said that he got the job because there was no pretence in him. At the end of the first year he was promoted and got the opportunity to travel. After two and a half years he was sent to the company's Biyagama factory Gartex. " I was like a dignified labourer doing everything while the other management staff were worried about having their own desk and chair. I did whatever I had to do and within a short time I was promoted as a Director and subsequently as an Executive Director of Gartex which had a staff of 1400." When the Soviet Union collapsed the company wanted to sell the shares and he seized the opportunity to go on his own and start Ruchi Clothing. "I started the company with 26 machines and 36 staffers. Today the company has 250 machines and employs 500 people. We make sleepwear which we export to Europe and the US. "I owe a lot to my sister who is a mother to me, and my brother-in-law as well as my friends Errol Weerasinghe and Aruna Rajamanthri, a grateful Arsakularatne, said. He said "I have never depended on quotas. The future of the garment industry will depend on us since the big companies will not be able to sustain them due to the heavy overheads while the small companies will not be able to survive as they will have to comply with strict international standards. But on the marketing side we will need the help of the big companies as the buyers of today unlike the past want to pass on as much as they can to us. For example they don't give us the designs as they want us to do them which is a huge investment. Therefore to bridge the gap, strategic partnerships are important, The Ruchi Chairman said. (SG) |
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| Editorial | Security Produced by Lake House |
He was born to a family of three children and his parents were engaged
in business. Arsakularatne had his education at St Joseph's College where
he excelled in studies, sports and drama as well." I was naughty but
my teachers liked me especially Joe Perera who saved me whenever I got
into trouble."
