An enterprise 'enveloped' in a glow of success

Women Business by Irangika Range

NOVEL VENTURE: Starting a career as a small time entrepreneur, she has been able to forge ahead in business today, on the basis of talent, hard work, and commitment. Sandra Samaranayake, a Managing Director of W.U. Seneviratne and Company, Pannipitiya, was conferred the Women Entrepreneur of the Year 2006 award under the large investment category, as a prime achievement.

The Women's Chamber of Industries and Commerce conferred on her a merit certificate on account of her successes.

Having come up with an idea to start her own business, she involved herself in manufacturing envelopes in a small way in 1992 at her home. At the beginning she sold envelopes in the local market, capturing orders by talking personally to people. Gaining work experience gradually, by recognising buyer requirements, her products are in big demand.

She said that she gained vast knowledge by following the Business Management Course at the National Apprentice and Industrial Trading Authority. It has contributed largely to her business success. She underwent a two-year training course at the Business Consultancy Service of the ILO Organisation.

It has improved her professional skills. Her husband Wijitha Seneviratne, a food item exporter has helped her to develop the business providing her financial backup at the beginning. The company was registered in 1994.

Step by step she expanded her business, purchasing, first, machinery by obtaining a loan from the Hatton National Bank.

She said it created a new dimension in her life. "HNB has recognised my talents and the bank gave me an order to supplying envelopes according its requirements, "she said. Today HNB is a major customer of her's and she expressed her gratitude to the bank.

"Since that time our services have been grown from envelope to envelope and order to order. Today, the company is large enough to serve multinational accounts, but small enough to give personal attention to each customer", she said. Initially the company focused on producing standard envelope designs.

She worked at strengthening her ties with supply and distribution networks. A special design unit was set up to develop speciality envelope products to achieve large production and delivery volumes. The company is able to simultaneously produce 13 different lines of envelopes at the speed of 3000 units per minute.

Today the company provides envelopes to 13 leading banks operating over 50 customer network including popular brands. She is considering providing high quality, cost effective solutions. She said today the company has become a full-line manufacturer, producing an extensive range of standard and speciality envelope products. It also provides expert services such as "security printing" to various State and Government organisations in high-security environments. From design to distribution, the company offers an end-to-end service to each customer.

The company produces a series of standard size envelopes that are in frequent use. "Apart from these, we are suppliers of a range of specialised products such as expandable envelopes, padded envelopes, CD covers, special window types, courier envelopes, airmail, biodegradable products and self-seal envelopes,"she said.

"Security printing" is a highly specialised area in envelope manufacture and the company is fully equipped to undertake such complex orders. W.U. Seneviratne and Company is fitted with a high security unit that can produce specially authorised stamped envelopes for philatelic bureaus around the world.

The product portfolio revolves around the customer. If the document of the customer is not of standard size, we can create the exact envelope that fits it in to the exact design of customer chooses. In this manner, the company is able to prevent the customer from incurring unnecessary costs.

The company has best-trained, most experienced production staff in the business. Their commitment to quality goes into each envelope manufactured.

"Even though there were two employees at the beginning, the company has been able to provide employment to 120 in the area. Our fully automated facility, production controls and dedicated workforce enable us to execute complex jobs while meeting pressure deadlines" she said. She monitors the details and elements of each order to assure a proper production flow. Throughout the entire process of fulfilling the order, she takes the extra steps to do it right.

The company offers unsurpassed quality when it comes to envelope construction and configuration. Many of the products of W. U. Seneviratne and Company are manufactured using recycled raw material and bio-degradable cellophane.

She said that she follows high technology standards and new trends to manufacture envelopes. "I always keep on eye to recognise the latest going on in fashions, new colour designs and creating new styles for certain customers in the market. She always considers beauty, neatness, cleanliness and time-saving in manufacturing envelopes to fit the needs of customers.

She said that an envelope creates the first impression - even before the customer gets to the document inside. She encourages customers to design the product with her and it would create the most appealing and cost-effective product. This must also function as an image enhancement tool for the company.

If the need of the moment is "brand development" the company designs speciality products that create a powerful brand impression. If the requirement is "cost reduction", then we reduce material costs and production costs in keeping with budgets, she said.

Having gained 12 years' working experience by understanding consumer behaviour in the market, she began exporting airmail envelopes to the Dubai market in 2005. Each year the company invests nearly Rs. 10 million for development by purchasing machinery and increasing the workforce. Sandra is a past pupil of the Musaeus College and Sirimavo Bandaranaike Balika Vidyalaya. She has two sons.

"My husband and children have understood me very well and they are giving me all the strength to become successful in life". She said it is not easy to keep the balance when working as a businesswoman, wife and mother but even while working 18 hours per day, it is not a challenge to reach success.