Creating new concepts in woodwork

By Anuradha KODAGODA

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown your inner voice, and most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition". The late Steve Jobs' opinion about human courage seem to be a guideline that Channa Wijesekara the founder of Leema Group (Pvt) Ltd has when recalling the reasons for his successful career.

As many other success stories, the path that Channa Wijesekara walked through was not rosy at all. The experience he gained came from being in the wood working industry.

In 2000 Wijesekara decided to start a business on his own. With limited facilities he started his business in wood working in 2000 and by 2006 he was able to buy two acres of land in Nittambuwa and build a modern factory. Later he bought some machinery as well.

"I was lucky to get into the field of wood working when only a few people were there with the technical knowhow of wood working. I had the opportunity to learn the technical side of the business when I was in Germany. I think that's the most important aspect that enabled me to sustain in the industry within a short period of time," Wijesekara said.

Bedroom furniture A counter made entirely of wood

"Today we are Sri Lanka's leading and major provider of total interior solution and furniture to commercial institutes and up market households, offering a 'Single-source solution' for convenience, comfort and style. Leema Interiors offer custom levels of service and a breadth of products to personalise the design experience for our clients. Based in Colombo with the manufacturing plant in Gampaha, Leema executes projects from concept to completion and all areas in between. Blending aesthetics and personal taste with function, Leema can provide any client with a space that fulfils their needs which appeals to sense of style.

Our professional designers are eager to serve clients seeking a successful and interactive approach to interior design," he said.

"Earlier, people used to hire carpenters who did not have the know-how to mend their furniture and other household woodworking matters. Eventhough these carpenters have the skills unfortunately they didn't have the technical knowledge or the awareness about wood technology. Therefore, people used to have certain common issues with their wooden furnitures such as distortion and tortuous. To avoid these types of issues there are certain technical methods that have to be used during the process. These technicalities only come with the proper learning and knowledge of wood working. However, unlike those days now people tend to pay their attention on reputed furniture manufacturing companies for their household furniture needs because there's an assurance and guarantee," he further added.

Wijesekara stressed that the skilled team in Leema Group of companies are experienced in both creating new concepts and working from corporate standards to produce a complete range of solutions of over 200 products from the main categories such as office furniture, counters, work stations, partitions, flooring, wall cladding, blinds, shop interiors, restaurant, hotel and hospital interiors and home interiors.

"We are proud to call ourselves as 'the most creative interior specialist' for offering the largest range of furniture, interior and related products for roll-out corporate identity of our clients on both fast track and long term basis. Since our modest and humble roots which began in 2000 we have grown to become a leading Sri Lankan manufacturer, proficient at executing multifaceted programs whether they are regional, national and international.

Twelve years in the industry as a company and with over 35 years of hands on experience has fortified our team with invaluable experience and knowledge.

As Wijesekara said the biggest difficulty that he has undergone in the wood working industry is the higher capital involvement at the initial stage. Mainly the cost of machinery and relevant equipment prices are quite high and therefore it is not easy for a independent entrepreneur to get into the industry so easily. Other than financial difficulties Wijesekara stressed the difficulty of finding skilled labour is another challenge in the industry.

Channa Wijesekara was incorporated in civil engineering at the University of Moratuwa. He has written two books on 'Basic Wood Technology' in Sinhala and English, published by SMED for the Federation of Chamber of Commerce and Industries.

He is a curriculum writer and technical consultant in wood work for World University Services, Canada and for the Institute of Education, Sri Lanka.