Lanwa’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities for steel and roofing sheets
Ceylon Steel Corporation Ltd (Lanwa), recently laid the foundation for two state- of- the- art production facilities for steel and roofing sheets at the Lanwa Sanstha Industrial Precinct in the Mirijjawila Export Processing Zone. The aim of this project is to revitalise the local construction sector in the post-pandemic context by making essential raw materials readily available, the company said in a media release.
The foundation stone for the new steel facility was laid by P r e s i d e n t G o t a b h ay a Rajapaksa with Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and other ministerial delegates in attendance.
“The steel factory embodies Sri Lankan ingenuity by using iron ore as the primary raw material for manufacture of billet, bars and rods departing from the norm of using imported, costly steel billets. This backward integration is expected to save the local economy millions of dollars, which is the need of the hour,” it said.
The facility is optimally sustainable as it adheres to local and global procedures and protocols pertaining to environmental safety. The total output of the facility, once commissioned, will be 600,000 MT of steel billet, rebars and wire rods per annum. This volume is expected to make Sri Lanka self-sufficient in the foreseeable future. The excess supply will be exported via the Hambantota International Port.
Most of the raw materials are to be sourced locally to empower local suppliers as well as to provide an affordable product to the market. Lanwa’s state-of-the-art infrastructure i. e., the 2.4km conveyor belt from Hambantota port to the EPZ will be used to transport raw materials to and manufactured goods from the factory ensuring optimum sustainability and minimum wastage.
“The facility will generate over 1,500 jobs directly and about 3,000 jobs indirectly. This will take Sri Lankan ingenuity to the world as well as support the domestic industry by managing and mitigating shortages and unprecedented fluctuations that typically occur due to overdependence on imports. This venture is a win-win for everyone,” said Chairman of Ceylon Steel Corporation Ltd, Nandana Lokuwithana.
The group recently declared open a state-of-the-art cement manufacturing plant, Lanwa Sanstha Cement (Pvt) Ltd, with an investment of over Rs.25 billion. The total capacity of the facility is 2.8 million MT of cement per annum.