Midaya's touch for ornamental ceramicware

Ramani Kangaraarachchi

ORNAMENTS: Ceramicware made in Sri Lanka has brought fame as well as much needed foreign currency to our country for several decades.

Despite poor technology and machinery at the inception, the industry was able to sustain in the global market because of the high standard, craftsmanship and creative designs.

Among the few involved in the industry Midaya Ceramics, Pannipitiya is unique because it is the one and only company for ceramics ornamentalware in the country.

One will not feel like moving out of the sample room full of beautiful and admirable ornamental items.

It was the brainchild of Chairman Midaya Group Dayasiri Warnakulasuriya, a son of a businessman in the retail trade from Matara.

Having gained experience as a child in his father's business, Dayasiri at the age of 16 felt the necessity of starting some form of industry as he did not see a bright future for his father's retail business with the cooperative shops coming up.

Finally it was the ceramic items sold at their shop that attracted Dayasiri to get into the ceramics industry. His father was thrilled by his idea and gave all the support for him to go abroad and learn the industry. A pen friend of Dayasiri from Japan supported him to go to Japan and he learnt everything for seven years.

"Dayasiri returned to the country in 1968 and formed the company with four employees in a very small way and was able to start exporting by 1976 to countries like UK,USA and Japan.

The number of employees went up to 900 that time. The company exported USD 400,000 worth of ornamental goods monthly at one time being the pioneer in the industry.

"Our products went under popular brand names such as Hallmark and Walt Disney with over 1000 new designs every year.

'All these things I achieved through sheer dedication and hard work. Unlike now those days everything was a problem. Even, getting electricity, telephone, raw material, were very difficult', he said.

The company's asset base is worth around Rs. 230 million now.

As the business went on well, everyone was happy but unfortunately the country did not have a vision at that time to identify future threats and the industry started declining, he regretted. Today China has entered the global market in a big way and we are unable to compete due to the high production cost.

The Chinese Government goes out of the way to support their industrialists which we cannot expect in our country but the present Government is concentrating on the local industry that is a very good sign, he said.

'We need to reduce the cost by minimum of 30 per cent and we are trying to do it by amalgamating two factories and other methods. If we planned to fire our products at once instead of three times, those days we would have been able to compete', he said.

But he was very positive about the future of the industry. "We have lot of potential in niche areas where China cannot get in and we are in the process of developing our strategies. My three sons are in the business and they are supporting to improve this. I got a lot of support from my wife who is a Japanese national, he said.

Dayasiri was thankful to the USAID for helping to establish the Ceramics Council and initiate a programme to have a centre of excellence. Since 1982, he has received nearly 20 export and local awards from different organisations and he is the President of SL Ceramics Council. His advice to the younger generation is "Please be positive and not negative" When I wanted cardboard boxes for packing our products I was never able to get them on time.

"Every time the supplier gave negative answers then I started my own manufacturing company and now without any problem I am selling 70 per cent outside after fulfilling the requirement for Midaya."

"There is a huge gap between us and the Japanese and we must learn their system of management, he said.

Dayasiri was worried about huge brain drain taking place in the country due to lack of opportunities.

"A Sri Lankan friend of mine living abroad, a professor in ceramics is experimenting on advanced aspects like manufacturing body parts such as bones and tooth out of ceramics while I am struggling to do ornaments. We should be able to retain our talented people in the country", he said.