Chevron props Sri Lanka’s economic growth through exports to Pakistan
Chevron Lubricants Lanka PLC celebrates another key achievement of exporting the first consignment of Havoline PRO DS ECO 5 OW-20 Synthetic Dexos-1 licensed premium engine oil, designed especially for hybrid vehicles, to Pakistan.
This occasion was ceremonially initiated by Petroleum Resources Development Minister Arjuna Ranatunga.
The first consignment was shipped on August 25, 2017, from Chevron’s state-of-theart lubricant blending facility in Sapugaskanda, which was commissioned in December 2014. This is a good testimony to the technology capabilities of the high-tech blending and modern warehouse facility to be able to generate foreign revenue through non-traditional exports.
“This new opportunity will further expand our offshore business that ensures greater economies of scale to be more competitive in the two export markets: Bangladesh and Maldives, coming under the full purview of Chevron Sri Lanka operation. We have grown our export sales volume by double digit on a year-on-year basis over the past several years.
We will continually thrive to create value through exports thus creating real value for the country riding on the strategic partnerships with local business entities such as Hayley’s Logiwiz, Phoenix Plastics Ltd and Aitken Spence on logistics and warehousing, packaging and freight handling, respectively, in addition to a long list of other inputs sourced locally to optimize local value addition. The business model we have in place facilitates maximum productivity, efficiency and flexibility to be able to achieve this,” said Managing Director/ CEO Kishu Gomes.
The Chevron Lubricants manufacturing plant boasts of BS EN ISO 9001; 2008 certification from the British Standard Institute with 45 million-litre production capacity on a single shift with 1.4 million-litre warehouse capacity. The laboratory is equipped with the latest global technology to ensure quality production meeting global standards to offer in-house oil monitoring facilities to industrial customers such as the Ceylon Electricity Board, Sri Lanka Railway, Sri Lanka Transport Board and most private sector manufacturing entities.
As the clear market leader in the local lubricant industry, Chevron Lubricants Lanka PLC, as a listed entity with 49 percent public shareholding, delivers maximum shareholder value with an average payout ratio of 90 percent that is considered to be one of the best in terms of returns.
As a socially responsible organisation, Chevron focuses on road safety, vocational education, health and epidemic control to create a better future for all Sri Lankans.
Bernard Botejue Industries (Pvt.) Ltd, Sri Lanka’s oldest apparel manufacturer and pioneer in the garment sector, is commemorating the 25th anniversary of its Bernard Botejue Kolonna plant today.
The plant, which was established in a remote village in 1992, has made a tremendous impact on the Kolonna locality, uplifting the rural economy by offering successful career opportunities to the youth.
Religious programmes presided by a Pirith sermon will be held at the premises to invoke blessings on the management and employees of the Bernard Botejue Kolonna factory and community.
Upholding the vision of becoming the most renowned branded clothing manufacturer in Sri Lanka, the Bernard Botejue Kolonna plant produces some of the world’s top designer brands such as Victoria’s Secret – Pink, NEXT and Marks & Spencer.
Furnished with state-of-the-art technology, the plant was founded by Bernard Botejue Industries under the ‘200 factories’ programme, an initiative by the then government, to provide employment opportunities to youth in rural areas. Rising from its humble beginnings, Bernard Botejue Kolonna has steadily grown in multifarious aspects and currently has a workforce of 660 employees operating with 300 machines.
Bernard Botejue Kolonna is in the forefront of implementing socially responsible and environmentally-conscious corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives every year. As a result, the company spearheaded Sri Lanka’s firstever largest single-day reforestation project in Kolonnain collaboration with Reforest Sri Lanka, a non-profit society committed to protecting and extending the country’s forest cover. This joint initiative saw to the planting of 4000 saplings in seven acres of land with the participation of a large number of volunteers and residents of the area, employees of Bernard Botejue and members of Reforest Sri Lanka.
Being an energy-efficient factory, Bernard Botejue Kolonna has installed LED lighting and eco-friendly air cooling systems in line with its green policies. The plant also maintains stringent regulations to ensure the premises remain plastic and polythene free. Maintaining the highest standards to manufacture world-class apparels, Bernard Botejue Kolonna has earned several globally recognized accreditations including Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP), SEDEX and the Joint Apparel Association Federation’s ‘Garments Without Guilt’.
Commenting on the 25th milestone of the Kolonna plant, Bernard Botejue Industries (Pvt.) Ltd Managing Director Janaka Botejue said, “Bernard Botejue Kolonna will not be where it’s today without the immense support and strong working relationship created by our dedicated employees and all stakeholders of the company. We feel quite honoured to share our successful journey of 25 years with our employees and customers and we hope to continue this journey for another 25 years and more with the same passion and commitment.”
Elaborating his views further, Botejue noted, “Being an environmentally-conscious company, we constantly strive towards giving something back to the country. Therefore, we have imposed stringent eco-friendly policies at our Kolonna plant to maintain the company free from nondegradable material. We believe our ongoing initiative will inspire other companies to start their own green initiatives and give something back to the country.”
Sharing his thoughts, Bernard Botejue Kolonna Chief Executive Officer Ranjith Koralage said, “Bernard Botejue Industries has always strived to offer a holistic development for its employees, giving them in-house training and a secure career with ample opportunities for progressive growth.