Advertorial

Holcim solution for BoI zones solid haste disposal

Minister of Ente-rprise Development and Investment Promotion Dr. Sarath Amunugama outlined a new plan to make the BOI export processing zones more environmentally friendly.

He announced that under a new agreement reached with Holcim Ltd, much of the Zone’s solid waste problem would be taken care of. Until now the Biyagama Zone relied on two sites for waste disposal.

The method of disposal at the zone consisted of using the services of about 200 registered people to collect the waste.

This method did not effectively deal with the mountains of waste material that was the result of the production taking place at the factories with BOI facility.

The new agreement is interesting, as the waste will be used in co-processing in Holcim’s cement kilns in Puttalam. Holcim will be using solid waste at the BOI’s export processing zones at Katunayake and at Biyagama, the two largest zones.

The use of this solid waste will have many benefits such as bringing down the cost of production for Holcim and also maintaining an eco- friendly environment for Holcim, CEO of Holcim (Lanka) Peter Spirig said.

He said that his company could use almost all the waste found at the zone. In fact in many parts of the world, solid waste is used in industries such as the production of cement.

He said that Holcim had been in waste management for more than 3 years. Waste co-processing was possible because of the very high heat generated in the kilns of their cement plant. Holcim can burn organic waste in the kilns, but not inorganic waste. This is a much better solution in environmental term than incineration or landfill.

Holcim will check the waste to see if it is suitable for burning in the kilns. This is done at the laboratories at the Holcim plant in Puttalam. The waste is checked for quality and suitability before being approved.

The company said that the process will be done in a controlled environment and that they were not new to this field, having handled for a number of years the waste produced at the Colombo Dockyards.

Dr Amunugama, who visited the Biyagama Zone said that many of the problems faced by the BOI and investors, had now been resolved.

The water shortage matter raised by some investors is now solved as the Water Board had accepted to provide more than the required quantity. Now the problem of solid waste had been addressed.

What was now needed was similar action on the part of municipal authorities that had not arrived at solutions to their own garbage problem.

While garbage was inevitably linked to urbanization and economic growth the failure to address it would affect public health and also deter investors, who place a high premium on the quality of their living environment.

Becoming a market leader:

‘EPSI iStore’ opens in Sri Lanka

EPSI Computers (Pvt) Ltd, in partnership with APPLE Inc, opened its “EPSI iStore in Sri Lanka. EPSI the authorized re-seller for APPLE products in Sri Lanka introduced this state-of-the-art iStore to provide a variety of services to Digital enthusiasts in Sri Lanka.

A wide range of APPLE products will be on display and as a value added service EPSI provides hands on experience to the user, thus enabling a user to experience the products first hand, prior to making a decision to purchase.

The products on display will range from iPod MP3 players to MAC Books, iMacs, Apple TV and a wide variety of iPods and Apple related accessories, demonstrating state-of-the-art cutting edge technologies.

This store will not only showcase a wide range of APPLE products, but also provide a number of service facilities to customers purchasing Apple products from this store.

CEO of EPSI Computers, Niranjan Canagey, stated that the flagship EPSI iStore is located at Galle Road, Colombo 4 with other outlets located at Majestic City and all Singer Mega stores island wide. He also stated that there would be more outlets opened in the coming months.

EPSI Computers (Pvt.) Ltd, founded in 1992, has rapidly grown in the Sri Lankan IT industry bringing the latest array of highly advanced Information Technology equipment to the market.

Possessing over a decade of experience in the industry and with a turnover exceeding over Rs.1.5 billion, EPSI is firmly placed in becoming the market leader in the industry.

HNB official banker for ‘Construct 2007’

For the third consecutive year HNB was appointed the official Banker for Construct 2007. The HNB Shanthi Home Loans is one of the first branded housing finance product to be launched by a Commercial Bank 12 years ago.

One of the high growth areas over the past few years of Hatton National Bank (HNB) has been the housing loan segment.

The bank has also imbued a number of value additions into the existing scheme of which include the Second Home Loan and Home Loan Wipe Off. At the recently concluded Construction Exhibition 2007 held by The National Constructors Association held at the BMICH, HNB partnered as the official banker for the third consecutive year, organizing two eye-catching stalls which provided customers with all they needed to know regarding housing and obtaining proper financial assistance with regards to housing loans.

HNB has organized a special campaign for Shanthi Home Loans under the theme ‘Build for Them’ where the bank focuses on building homes for the children’s future.

HNB was also the pioneering bank to introduce the first ever long term housing loan scheme. The bank at present has the largest portfolio of clients with regards to housing loans, attainable from any of the bank’s 160 customer centres located islandwide.

The bank offered customers a special concessionary rate for those who obtained a loan at the Construction Exhibition, whereby the bank will bare the premium for the fire insurance of customers who have registered with the bank during the exhibition for the first year of the loan period.

Moving from home to home drags your kids away from their familiar surroundings and threatens their sense of belonging. HNB Shanthi Home Loan provides permanence in the lives of the future of your children, enabling them to build ahead for their future.

“Under the Shanthi Loans the bank provides long term housing loans to suit any purpose of housing with a repayment scheme up to a maximum of 25 years, where the loan is customized to suit the customer’s age. Customers may also choose from a fixed or floating interest rate.

The fixed interest rate will remain fixed for the entire duration of the loan with a fixed instalment rate and the floating interest rate will differ according to the market rate and instalment may be paid according to a quarterly or annual basis”, says Senior Manager, Consumer Banking and Housing Finance of HNB N. Premarajah.

ComBank pays over Rs. 1.4 million to year 5 scholarship winners

The Commercial Bank of Ceylon has rewarded 170 students across the island who hold ‘Arunalu’ Minors’ Accounts with cash awards for achieving the 1st, 2nd and 3rd highest results in each school at the Year 5 scholarship examination.

The aggregate value of these cash awards made in respect of the 2006 Year 5 scholarship examination was Rs. 1.4 million.

The Bank paid Rs. 10,000 to first place winners, Rs. 7,500 to second place recipients and Rs. 5,000 to students who secured third place. “Commercial Bank prides itself as an organisation that places great emphasis on the importance of education,” Commercial Bank’s Head of Marketing Richard Rodrigo said.

“The Arunalu Minors’ Accounts scheme is designed to help children realise their full academic potential and has become extremely popular with parents from varied backgrounds who have the common interest of saving for their children. With Arunalu, everyone has a chance of winning with no lotteries or draws involved,” he said.

The ‘Arunalu’ children’s savings scheme was launched in 1998 by the Bank with the objective of promoting academic excellence from a young age while encouraging the savings habit.

‘Arunalu’ accounts can be opened at any of Commercial Bank’s 151 branches or supermarket counters with a minimum deposit of Rs. 100. A minimum account balance of Rs. 5,000 should be maintained at the time of the examination to be eligible for a prize.

Established in 1969, Commercial Bank is Sri Lanka’s benchmark private sector bank, which plays a dominant role in the areas of consumer banking, treasury and securities markets.

Commercial Bank has the single largest network of over 270 ATMs in the country and also operates five fully-fledged branches and two booths in Bangladesh. Commercial Bank has been rated the ‘Best Bank in Sri Lanka’ for nine consecutive years by the US ‘Global Finance’ magazine and has been named the ‘Bank of the Year’ in Sri Lanka for five consecutive years by the UK based ‘The Banker’ magazine.

No claim bonus protection cover from Amana Takaful

The No Claim Bonus Protection Cover (NCBPC) is a unique add-on offered by Amana Takaful Insurance for their total drive motor insurance policyholders.

This special cover was first introduced by the company in 2006, and many customers have adapted the same.

Explaining the concept of NCBPC, Amana Takaful Insurances (ATI) Senior Brand Executive Safwan Hilme said the “No Claim Bonus Protection Cover is offered in addition to the conventional no claim bonus.

Normally a no claim bonus entitles a customer to obtain a discount percentage from the renewal premium in the event of no claims during the insurance period, whereas a NCBPC ensures that even in the event of a claim during the insurance period, the customer is still entitled to the no claim bonus!” ATI is offering this special cover to safeguard the participants valuable no claim bonus.

To obtain a No Claim Bonus Protection Cover the customer has to opt for it when requesting for a motor policy from ATI, and the owner is assured of his no claim bonus during the respective policy year.

“This way the participant can drive with peace of mind knowing that his no claim bonus is safe and sound”.

Total Drive, is the most preferred motor insurance policy due to its acclaimed benefits.

“We currently offer 25% no claim bonus at the end of the first year, which is the highest, offered in Sri Lanka”.

In addition ATI has recently established a 24 hour hotline to assist the commencement of Road Side Assistance, which is currently operating within Colombo and Greater Colombo Limits, with the company making provision for future expansion.

ATI has been also able to break new ground in the cashless repair segment for motor vehicles since 2000. Hilme stressed that “This is a hassle free convenient process for which many customers have highly praised us”.

In an event of an accident, the customer only has to give a call to ATI’s 24Hr hotline and inform the place and time of the accident and continue with his or her journey.

The customer at his convenience can later choose from a range of affiliated garages and send the vehicle for repairs, and ATI will directly pay the claim to the garage. In the event where the vehicle is unmovable ATI will arrange for a tow truck to remove the vehicle.