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| Sunday, 5 September 2004 |
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Bhathiya Trading Company celebrates 12th anniversary The Bhathiya Trading Company (BTC) recently celebrated its 12th anniversary The company, which initially began its operations as a dealer in pre-owned printing equipment imported from England, is now one of Sri Lanka's foremost printing suppliers. The basis was entering this industry selling pre-owned machinery was the exploitation of an existing niche where clients were able to buy a good pre-owned machine at three times less than the cost of brand new machines. This was always backed up by a strong after sales commitment and a guarantee including free transport, installation and testing of machines. The differentiating factor when compared to others in the trade - was its ability to sell pre-owned printing machines while also offering a complete machine overhauled and re-conditioned by qualified and experienced technicians at a competitive price. As such clients had the advantage of trouble-free equipment, which was a service that no other company was providing before BTC pioneered this exercise, and which few companies provide still to this day. Starting operations in 1992 - with only one employee in the backyard of a residence - the Bhathiya Trading Company now has over 50 well-trained direct employees with at least another 40 indirect employees. Today, its facilities encompass two fully equipped and totally owned factories occupying almost 20,000 square feet of building space. Led by its managing Director, Bhathiya Udumalagala - who started the company at the age of 22 after graduating from the City College of London. He also believes the company's reputation has been due in large part to their attitude of always trying to make the best and most genuine effort to deliver the best to their clients backed by a superior after sales service. BTC specialises in German made Heidelberg machines while also selling other reputed brands of printing machinery. The company also primarily sells brandnew pre press and post press machinery while also catering to those whose demands are more for pre-owned products. The company is also an agent for the PROTECK brand - one of the best pre-press equipment manufacturers in India which also exports to the European market. Another agency that BTC has acquired is for SUJATA of India, which is a very popular household name in the Indian Printing Industry. The company is also the agent for many International brands of pressroom requisites from all over the world. The company's next foray into vertical integration was when it started supplying printing consumables and pressroom materials such as plates, chemicals, inks and other such products. Soon this manoeuvre resulted in the company becoming one of the leading suppliers for these products. A separate department has been opened to supply spare parts for the printing machines, which has been successful due to its ever-burgeoning clientele. In 1998, this included venturing into supplying new and reconditioned industrial and workshop machinery, such as plastic injection moulding machines, lathes and milling machines, steel fabricating machines and other similar tools. This vertical integration tactic has worked well, with this department having a wide range of clients ranging from multinational companies to small workshops in rural areas. The result has been the company's wide recognition as the biggest suppliers of industrial and workshop machinery in the country. In 2002 - the company opened its first international office in Dubai. The company now also exports re-conditioned machines to UK, Singapore and India. The company last year (2003) introduced Electro Matalising technology, which is used to repair damaged or uneven printing cylinders. This function is now available, for the first time, in Sri Lanka with the collaboration of a UK based company, and with a significant investment by BTC. This technology is used to provide a better service to the industry, as the problem of damaged cylinders had been an issue for printers for a long time with no local recourse available to them. BTC now supplies more than 200 pressrooms requisites with its long-term goal being, to have a one-stop shop providing everything needed for a printing factory to function. |
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