Technology

Any type of sunglasses would do - CEO

by Surekha Galagoda

[email protected]

J. M. Wickramarachchi & Co set up in 1976 as Wickramarachchi Opticians with a vision to provide high quality, yet affordable life care products to the public in the field of opthomology and audiology will expand its operations to Bangladesh and Pakistan in the near future.

CEO J. M. Wickramarachchi and Co Mihira Wickramarachchi said that though we enjoy sunlight throughout the year the market for sunglasses is very small and this is a very strange phenomenon. This may be due to cultural barriers. He said that it is very important to protect a person's eyes with UV glasses. Wickramarachchi said that using any type of sunglasses is better than using nothing.

The company has branded sunglasses such as DKNY, Dolce Gabbana and Vogue imported from Italy with merchandising rights for branding. They were the first company in Sri Lanka to import such products with a wider range.

Speaking of his interest, he said that he studied about the industry for a long time and it is a booming market especially in a market where there are baby boomers (children born during a baby boom who are now old).

He said that people are living in a bionic world and we introduced the bionic ear developed in Australia by Greem Clark 25 years ago. It is a hearing solution for a baby born deaf. By this method 99% of the deafness can be corrected.

According to statistics 5% of the world's population is deaf while 1-2% are profoundly deaf in any country and the sad part is that the percentage in our country is more due to the ignorance of the rural people. Meningitis is also a cause for deafness.

Wickramaarachchi said that the Cochlear implant in most instances is the only solution for those whose hearing is impaired and in the long run it is economical though it involves a high cost for the operation rather than spending for the rest of one's life.

He said that the Cochlear implant alone is not sufficient to make the children speak. Proper therapy too is needed and this is where parents and relatives play a major role to work together to support the child.

The auditory verbal therapy centre, Wickramarachchi Institute of Speech and Hearing (WISH) along with the Warren Estabrooks Centre was opened on January 30 to help those whose hearing is impaired to speak and hear better as well as conduct programs in research and audiological assessment in speech and training. The centre is affiliated to the Alexander Graham Bell Association for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (AG Bell ).

He said that they got the idea from Estabrooks himself who was in Sri Lanka for the opening. He promised to visit Sri Lanka every three months. Wickramarachchi said that this is the only centre in the whole of South East Asia to teach speech therapists to develop their skills.

Today hearing aides are developed digitally using nano technology. In addition accurate hearing aides produced using the laser technology are also available in Sri Lanka.

Wickramarachchi said that the company also supports a lot of visual correction with clinical contact lenses produced in Germany. It is very rare in this part of the world.

Caratocomus can be corrected in Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka we have laser technology to correct high myopia and this is the best way to correct it rather than using contact lenses.

His wish is to ensure that all hearing impaired children in Sri Lanka will have an opportunity to develop themselves to be well rounded individuals and enable them to have access to facilities that will help them to do so.

Beira Group partners with IFS South Asia

IFS, the Global Enterprise Applications Company partnered to integrate all functionalities of the Beira Group with IFS Applications.

Commenting on the new tie up Manager Sales and Marketing IFS South Asia Shiraz Lye said, "When it comes to selecting prospects, IFS scrutinises the industry of our client so that it comes within our area of expertise, the user readiness, if the required solution caters to solving the issues faced, whilst enhancing business development and most importantly the collaboration within the infrastructure available to support our solution.

We were able to clearly identify these positives with The Beira Group which made us become the business solutions partner to them. Moreover, the enthusiasm and professionalism displayed by The Beira Group management in joining hands with IFS South Asia to implement a business solution based ERP was very much the key to our tie up.

IFS in South Asia has proven its clientele in the manufacturing sector winning customers such as DSI, D. Samson and Sons and Elastomeric Engineering and Millat Tractors in Pakistan.

However, due to lack of knowledge and product awarenesss in the Sri Lankan manufacturing industry not many organisations opt for ERP solutions. But we have witnessed substantial growth in the past four years in implementing ERP solutions in many organisations in Sri Lanka and within the region.

Thus we are happy to acknowledge that The Beira Group has been among the few who have understood the essentiality of having an ERP solution running their business. We are happy with this tie up and look forward to working through the rest of the phases to make another IFS project a success in the region".

The Beira Group is part of Moosajees Ltd. It is a leading supplier of semi processed and processed products to the sanitary maintenance industry worldwide. The Beira Group is committed to simplifying the management of global supply chains for the sanitary maintenance industry.

In pursuit of this objective, it intends to continuously widen the breadth and depth of its product offerings. Today, Moosajees limited is active in property management, animal feed, manufacturing and tourism.

V. Selvaraj - Director Beira Group said, 'We had a detailed selection process and criteria for selecting an ERP Solution that could complement us in our growth, IFS stood out tall, given their expertise in manufacturing and module based ERP solution along with keen and committed personnel.

The fact that IFS is based out of Sri Lanka and most of the Software Engineers sit in Colombo, gave us the re-assurance that there is no other ERP provider that could match the level of commitment and skill offered by IFS'.

South Asia Sales Manager Yasas Gunaratne said, "The Beira Group" is a leading, supplier of wood and plastic based brushes for the global industry.

Being a fully export oriented company Beira needs to have the capability to promise, deliver on time with the precise quality and enable customisations requested by each customer, being in such a dynamic industry with continuous pressure from countries such as China, The Beira Group has to plan from raw material to final handing over of the brushes considering endless constraints.

Digital lifestyle home with 3.5G technology

The SLT and Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel stall at the Deyata Kirula Exhibition portrayed a digital lifestyle home with the use of the 3.5G technology.

The digital lifestyle home gave visitors a glimpse of how technology can help people to live a comfortable life in a modern home. The stall featured the M3 home concept which helps to save energy and reduce the impact on the environment.

Manager, Merchandising and Outdoor Events, Buddhika Kuruppuarachchi said the integrated control systems ensured that a house used the requisite energy and it will help save money and protect the environment.

The stall featured automated operations of home appliances, IPTV, music chatting, facebook, recording and online games. The roller door controlled through M3 technology, the WiFi enabled vehicle and the lighting system enabled through M3 are some of the features of the digital lifestyle home that fascinated visitors.

EPSI Computers powers Chillies 2008

EPSI Computers (Pvt) Ltd., a leading Information Technology company will power Chillies 2008, the most popular advertising award held annually in Sri Lanka.

CEO of EPSI Computers, Niranjan Canagey said that the main reason for sponsoring this award ceremony was to actively promote the advertising industry to new heights and as a result help companies in different sectors to bring out their brands and products.

He said that in today's globalised world even the best of products cannot be successful without creatively communicating the message to the public and therefore the advertising industry plays the role of intermediate partner between companies wishing to sell their products and the end customer.

It is therefore the collective duty of companies to support and encourage the advertising industry. We at EPSI Computers are happy to be a part of this event, said Canagey.

Canagey said that in the early days of Information Technology in Sri Lanka, most IT based companies had a conservative approach towards advertising, however this approach has changed drastically over the years and today we EPSI Computers being an information technology company has taken a step forward by powering Chillies 2008, the most popular advertising award ceremony held in Sri Lanka.

Oracle in Leaders Quadrant for Transportation Management Systems

Oracle said that Oracle Transportation Management has been positioned in the Leaders Quadrant in Gartner's 2007 Transportation Management Systems (TMS) Magic Quadrant. Oracle Transportation Management is a comprehensive planning and execution platform for shippers and third-party logistics providers that helps lower costs, enables improved customer service and asset utilisation and provides flexible, global fulfilment options.

Oracle Transportation Management is available as a stand-alone product or as an integrated component with the Oracle E-Business Suite and Oracle's JD Edwards EnterpriseOne.

"In my opinion, Oracle's position in the Leaders' Quadrant shows that we are delivering on our commitment to be the provider of choice for transportation management solutions," said Oracle Vice President Supply Chain Strategy Jon Chorley.

"We had a head start with the acquisition of G-Log and we have built on that by having the right people on the team, defining and executing a comprehensive plan and by continuing to deliver rapid innovation to further strengthen the product. We are pleased that we can uniquely bring this level of solution to our expanding set of customers."

According to the Gartner report, "Leaders demonstrate vision and the ability to execute. TMS market leaders have deep and robust functionality that addresses a broad range of user requirements.

These vendors have proven products, track records of customer success and demonstrated momentum in growing their market presence. Leading vendors support sophisticated and complex transportation strategies for large customers with substantial freight spending."