Forum for Woodworking Professionals

The 'Forum for Woodworking Professionals in Sri Lanka', an initiative by global giant Häfele was inaugurated by a collective assembly of wood working professionals to review and revive the local woodwork industry with the assistance of international experts.

The program was held recently with over 30 leading Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) kitchen and furniture firms and nearly 80 guests.

The speakers at the inauguration were Colonel Ganegoda of the 6th Engineer Service Regiment, CEO of Major and Specialist Constructors, Brigadier Madura Wijewickrema, Deputy General Manager - Procurement and Control, Sanken Construction, Anura Wijethunga, Managing Director, Häfele South Asia, Jurgen Wolf, Chairman, Institute for Construction Training and Development (ICTAD), Anura Dahanayake, Managing Director, JAT Holdings, Aelian Gunawardana and Chairman, National Coalition for Academic Service-Learning (NCASL) S.P. Liyanarachchi.

The forum served as a platform for local wood and wood-based professionals to share their experiences and highlight common limitations faced regularly in the industry.

Some of the key issues discussed and agreed upon was that despite the current standard, knowledge, skills, infrastructure and financial means, the local woodworking industry still fell short due to the lack of coherence, proper technical advancements, and limited access to quality, timely and alternative resources, and exposure to mature markets and training.

Sri Lankan wood working and associated enterprises are unable to cater to high expectations in terms of quality, deliverables and technical expectations of clients who have had exposure in international markets.

Hafele with a global presence and 90 years of experience in the woodworking industry, aims at providing solutions to limitations faced by the local industry and improving the standards of the local woodworking industry by sharing their experiences and exposure to different international markets.