Flexiprint Triumphs as the Best Exporter of Printed Matter at the 25th Presidential Export Awards
The 25th Presidential Exports Awards Ceremony, held at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) on November 23, honoured Sri Lankan exporters who led their sectors’ contributions to the island’s economic growth. Among those honoured at the prestigious award ceremony was Flexiprint (Pvt) Ltd, Sri Lanka’s foremost manufacturer of packaging necessities for tea bags, tea tags, tea envelopes, pyramid tags attached mesh, and labels/stickers. The company received the coveted Best Exporter award for the stationery & paper products sector for 2021/2022 and 2022/2023.
A BOI company, Flexiprint (Pvt) Ltd is Sri Lanka’s largest supplier of tea bag necessities and also caters to an international clientele based in Dubai and the African region including Tanzania and Kanya. In addition, they have a marked presence in the Indian subcontinent, Eastern Europe and Russia. The company has attracted reputed local and international clients and brands.
Speaking of the prestigious awards, Mr Sathis Abeywickrama, Founder and Managing Director, Flexiprint (Pvt) Ltd, said “It’s a big recognition that we are keeping and bettering the standards every year”. In addition, he went on to state that one of the reasons behind their success at the awards ceremony is that the company has proven its commitment to drawing a significant amount of dollars to Sri Lanka through its line of manufacturing.
He also credited the contribution of the employees and management at Flexiprint for the remarkable achievements of the company throughout the years. “Our strength is the united efforts of the employees and management,” he said, “It has helped enormously for the company to go a long way”.
The company has one of the most sophisticated plants in Asia at Kadawatte, where
they practice hygienic and sustainable processes designed to protect the environment. Speaking of a few of these practices, Mr Abyewickrama revealed that the plant implicitly adheres to WHO standards to the point that Flexiprint regularly receives compliments on their hygienic practices from the clients. To conserve the environment, the plant also ensures that every millimetre of water dispersed at the plant is treated so that animals and plants can safely consume it.
The plant plays a significant role in the company’s success, manufacturing over 90 million tea bag tags alone. The tea bags are
an additional value-earning product that Mr Abeywickrama views as a significant catalyst for the Sri Lankan tea industry.
“My dream is to make sure that Sri Lankan is a prime hub for tea bag tags,” he revealed, speaking about Sri Lanka’s position as one of the best producers of tea in the world.
Due to their vigorous health and safety protocols and judicious management, Flexiprint has successfully steered its employees through recent turbulences, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr Abeywickrama revealed that the company offered continuous employment to its staff
during the pandemic thanks to diligently following the health and safety regulations.
Mr Abeywickrama shared his thoughts about the considerable role the printing sector plays within the export sector. “Without the printing industry, it is difficult for other industries to survive,” he said. He spoke about the importance of government recognition for the role of printers and their contribution, stating that lack of recognition can affect the industry’s motivation and desire for improvements.
In terms of the future, Flexiprint plans to expand its printing capacity by next
year. Despite the challenges present within the industry, Mr Abeywickrama is confident of the future, revealing that there are advantageous employment opportunities within the industry. Flexiprint itself offers competitive opportunities for university graduates with relevant scientific degrees. In addition, he stated that a considerable amount of Flexiprint’s employees were students who had just completed their secondary or tertiary education. Flexiprint offers these students the opportunity to learn while working, which has become a strong asset for the company as well as the employees.