14,400 Kandurata parasols turned out per day

by Surekha GALAGODA

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Kandurata Umbrella Ind. (Pvt) Ltd., a leader in the umbrella industry, manufactures 14,400 umbrellas per day and more than 60% of the umbrella is manufactured in Sri Lanka.

The company manufactures five main products which includes ladies umbrellas, Gents, kids, garden and promotional umbrellas, said Manager promotion and Corporate Sales Sujeewa Darmawickrama.

He said that the company received the Soorya Sinha logo recently from the Mawbima Lanka Foundation recognising Kandurata umbrellas as a local brand. The logo in the product inculcates the concept of patriotism in all promotional activities.

The company has factories in Gampola, Danturai, Kehelwala, Buwelikada, and Kadugannawa where more than 1,500 are employed directly while another 1,500 are employed indirectly. The company has over 1,000 machines.

Darmawickrama said that in addition to umbrellas the company also manufactures nets which are sold around the country. Custom made umbrellas are exported to the Maldives and European countries as well.

At present the fabric and the frame accessories are imported from Taiwan.

The ultra violet coated fabric used for umbrellas have a cooling effect but it is expensive compared to the normal fabric.

In the present climatic conditions where the ozone layer is damaged and the rays come direct to the earth it is fully worth to be protected rather than being prone to skin cancer. Therefore, always carry an umbrella, said Darmawikrama.

He said that plans are under way to start a frame manufacturing plant at Pallekele which will end the drain of foreign exchange from the country while providing employment to the people in the vicinity.

A two-acre plot of land with buildings has already been purchased but the buildings have to be modernised.

It will be set up as a joint venture with China where the raw materials and the machinery will be sourced from.

Darmawickrama said that they were to start operations at the plant earlier but due to problems in sourcing of finances they had to halt the project temporarily and now everything is in place and they are going ahead with the project.

The objectives of setting up the frame manufacturing plant in Sri Lanka are saving foreign exchange and producing a good quality umbrella in the country. "At present the company enjoys a 60% market share and the company is still expanding.

At present the parts are imported and assembled in Sri Lanka but once we start the frame manufacturing plant our imports will be minimised", he said.

The company is also planning to expand into other areas such as baby products as well as soaps. At present the company manufactures bar soap under the brand name Kandurata.

The company was founded in 1978 as a sole proprietorship by the late M. H. M. Thajudeen with 10 employees and four machines as a cottage industry. The present Chairman is M. H. M. Siddeek while the Managing director is M. H. M. Rauf Deen. The company has been awarded the ISO 9001:2000 International Quality system certificate.