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| Sunday, 12 January 2003 |
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Business |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Personality Plus - Raja Hewabowala : The colour of success
Thinking out of the box and willing to shoulder responsibility coupled with hard work, humbleness and dedication, paved the way for Raja Hewabowala, Managing Director Nippolac Group to realise his dream of being an entrepreneur par excellence. Education Hewabowala was born in Matara as the eldest in a family of seven children including six girls. His father was a co-operative inspector while his mother was a teacher. He was educated at Rahula College, Matara from where he entered the University of Moratuwa to study Polymer Chemistry. "After completing my degree, I found a job at a private paint manufacturing company," he said. Career He was working at this company when the government changed in 1977. The new government adopted open economic policies which permitted the import of raw material and machinery to the country. "The open economy quickened me to venture out on my own. I began to manufacture paints in the backyard of my house with the initial capital of Rs 8,000 given by my mother." The grinding of raw materials was done manually with the assistance of three others while packing the products was handled by his parents and sisters which helped save money. Hewabowala started with Chinese lacquer and distemper of which production capacity was 10 gallons per day. "Selling the product was a problem at the Therefore, I personally took them to hardware shops in Matara and after a while I was able to persuade them to buy my products as there was a demand from consumers." Expansion He expanded sales outlets from Matara to the surrounding areas of Hambantota and Kataragama. "As all the raw materials had to be purchased from Colombo, I used to come to Colombo early in the morning by bus, do my purchasing during the day and start off for home the same day. This was the routine once a week. It was tiring, but I never gave up as I knew that hard work will eventually pay." "The quality of my products was the secret of my success," he reiterated. During this time, Hewabowala obtained a loan from the Bank of Ceylon to fabricate a machine to make paint and buy a delivery van. As operations were expanding, he leased an abandoned rice mill at Walgama, Matara and commenced operations there. He renewed the leases and after some time bought the premises. During this time, the raw material factory at Ekala went bankrupt. He did not hesitate, but purchased it amidst difficulties in 1990. Lady Luck favoured him and since then, there has been no turning back. He obtained another loan and purchased machinery and recruited people. When the volumes started to increase, quality control systems were improved which helped enhance quality and productivity. Recruiting a sales team, expanding distribution to far off areas such as Kandy, Kurunegala and Anuradhapura and opening a store and office in Colombo took place during this period. Hurdles
"Peace is critical for the development of the economy, therefore the moves taken by the Government to usher in peace are welcoming," Hewabowala said. However, as infrastructure facilities such as roads, telecommunication and power have not developed properly, entrepreneurs do not like to move to rural areas thus creating problems for people in the villages. Foremost among these problems is unemployment. In the city, there are problems of housing, sanitation and schooling, created by large numbers of people moving into urban areas in search of employment. As a solution to all these problems, he suggests developing infrastructure which will result in rural areas being developed to the standards of the urban areas. He also welcomes the new labour laws which will "encourage investors to look positively at Sri Lanka". Hewabowala said that peace, infrastructure development and investor-friendly labour laws will pave the way for speedy economic development. He said that native entrepreneurs should be given all encouragement to grow as they are the live wire of an economy. Giving a helping hand to them is all about helping the country. Power He said that during the power crisis, the company had to spend an additional two million rupees per month to obtain power from generators which increased costs tremendously. "Therefore, the Government must step in to find a permanent solution to this problem as another crisis will be a disaster for the industrial community." Awards Hewabowala has won many awards including the Entrepreneur of the year award from the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka and the GoldStar award for services rendered to Sri Lanka from the India Friendship Society. Nippolac is also the first paint manufacturer in Sri Lanka to receive the SLS certification. Future plans The Nippolac Group has ventured into manufacturing construction chemicals for the first time in Sri Lanka which will result in foreign currency remaining within the country. "I also want to develop new products such as high-tech industrial raw materials," he said. Secret of success However, success has not come easily to this persevering businessman. There have been obstacles, but determination and hard work have kept him going. "I never wasted a cent even when money was coming my way. I worked hard to give a good quality product to my customers. This is the secret of my success." (SG) Fact File |
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