[Business Feature]

The switchboard to success

Ramani Kangaraarachchi

The leading exporter of low voltage electrical panel boards in Sri Lanka and once Entrepreneur of the Year, KIK Engineering Company won the prestigious President’s Award 2005 for exports recently.

The company is the No. 1 low voltage panel building factory in South Asia for highest international standards for electrical switchboard, so they have captured the Indian market in a big way and are operating from its office in Chennai making Sri Lanka proud.

Switchboards for Delhi Metro Rail Corporation was one of their largest projects in India. The company has also expanded its exports to Bangladesh, Maldives, Rwanda, Myanmar, Vietnam and Singapore.

Modern switchboards that are popular in India.

The A switchboard

KIK manufactures motor control centres, synchronising panel boards, programmable logic control panels and automatic power factor correction capacitor banks apart from low voltage electrical power distribution panels. Type tested systems, fixed or plug in version and forms 1, 2, 3 or 4 to IEC 60439-1 are also offered according to requirements of the customers.

Asked his views about the latest achievements, Chairman KIK Lalith Kahatapitiya said: “Receiving an award is an encouragement although we did not work targeting awards. I appreciate the Government’s effort to encourage exporters. We are a young company which started very small.

I see it as a result of working towards a vision. It was a an attempt to start a business at the beginning, later I was very keen to make the company grow whilst making foreign exchange. It is a ride to being able to become a breadwinner for the nation,” he said.

“There was a very difficult time before we started exports when we did not get enough orders to run the company but we didn’t have to go very far looking for a market. India is a huge market had the demand for our products in India is increasing daily, Chairman Kahatapitiya said recollecting his simple beginning.

“Careful procurement of raw materials, quality controlled production and optimum use of human resources have resulted in zero defect products reaching customers on time at competitive prices.

By focusing on cost effective solutions both in technology and service, KIK provides the first choice to the customers in LV electrical panel building. Continued investment in technology, dedication to highest quality management in all disciplines from research and development to marketing, manufacturing and after sales services have created the competitive advantage for the company.

The entire operations are managed by a team of dynamic young engineering professionals. The highly skilled workforce consists of carefully selected technicians, well qualified and with a wealth of experience and training.

The continuous training process for the staff ensures application of latest technologies in electrical engineering.

“I am glad to say that all our employees are well paid and well looked after. They don’t leave the company because they know they have a future. I strongly believe that we must make use of our young and bright brains within the country. The Government must create an environment for that. He was highly critical about exporting valuable manpower.

“The latest Central Bank report has shown that the country does not make any profit by exporting people. We must retain people to manufacture commodities and earn foreign exchange by exporting goods,” he said.

KIK has won a number of awards earlier as well such as the National Gold Trophy Sri Lanka Entrepreneur of the Year 2000, SLCSI Award for most promising enterprise for 21st Century, IESL Award for the best local product displayed at Techno 2000, 2003, 2005 CNCI Achiever, Bronze Award in the medium industries category 2002.