ADVERTORIAL

Sanken celebrates sixth anniversary

The sixth anniversary celebrations of Sanken Overseas (Pvt) Ltd, was recently held at the Waters Edge, Battaramulla.

The special invitees for this occasion was the External Affairs Deputy Minister Geethanjana Gunawardena and Construction Engineering Services, Housing and Common Amenities Ministry Secretary Nissanka Wijerathne. Officials from various Government authorities, the company’s foreign clients, suppliers and the staff of Sanken Overseas, also attended the occasion.

External Affairs Deputy Minister Geethanjana Gunawardena pointed out the importance of Sri Lankan companies exploring the global opportunities and bringing in foreign exchange to the country, and providing overseas employment opportunities for Sri Lankans. He commanded Sanken Overseas for taking the initiative to build up a valuable reputation in the global market for the provision of professional services in the fields of engineering and management. “This certainly enhances the image of Sri Lanka as country committed to bring in professionalism in the road to globalization”, the Deputy Minister said.

In 1977, Mitsui Construction Japan came to Sri Lanka to construct the new Parliament building. In 1984, Mitsui Construction incorporated its own branch office in Sri Lanka. In 1988 the company name was changed to Sanken Lanka. With the growth of the company and its scope, Sanken began operating overseas in 1996. As a result of the increase in the number of overseas construction sites and its volumes, in 2004, Sanken Overseas was incorporated exclusively to serve this purpose.

Sanken Overseas has provided overseas employment for over 2500 Sri Lankans in their overseas worksites during the last few years, and has brought in a large amount of foreign exchange into Sri Lanka, thus playing a huge role in the country’s economy.

The company has completed a very successful construction project, of one of the largest resort hotels in the Indian Ocean - The Ephelia Resort Hotel, in Seychelles recently.

As at this moment Sanken Overseas has its operations in the Maldives, Seychelles, India, Australia, the Solomon Islands and in Micronesia. In the very near future they will start operating in Qatar, Tonga and in Kenya, and will soon have its own offices in Seychelles and Qatar.

‘Construct 2010’:

UTE to unleash big CATs

Getting close to a big cat in the wild can be dangerous, but visitors to the upcoming ‘Construct’ exhibition in Colombo have been invited to get up-close and personal with another type of Big CAT, the macho, signature-yellow monsters that prowl construction sites, with absolutely no risk to life and limb.

Sri Lanka’s longstanding Caterpillar representative UTE (United Tractors) is making an extra effort this year to bring these exciting machines closer to curious visitors, and to give them a chance to win branded gifts and merchandise from the global construction machinery giant.

For those who would like to own one, used Caterpillar machines will also be on display for the first time for bidders visiting the exhibition, which takes place at the Sirimavo Bandaranaike exhibition centre at the BMICH complex from August 13 to 15, the company said.

This is the third year that UTE is participating in the Construct exhibition and its second successive year as the main sponsor of the Construction Machinery and Equipment (CME) show.

The 4,000 square foot UTE stall at the CME show will this year present hydraulic excavators, four types of road rollers, a skid steer loader and a backhoe loader in the New Equipment section and at least five used construction machines in its Used (pre owned) Equipment section.

Two other UTE stalls, a 900 square-foot outdoor section adjacent to the main stall and another inside the exhibition centre, will showcase Power Generators and Product Support and Welding Equipment respectively, representing the extensive construction-related product portfolio of the company.

“There will be extra focus on paving equipment like road rollers this year, given the emphasis on road construction and the opening up of the land route to Jaffna,” said UTE Machine Sales and Rental General Manager Janak Edirisinghe.

KIK Lanka products capture global markets

KIK Lanka Limited is continuously getting orders to manufacture and supply electrical panel boards that are needed for large scale industrial institutions, business establishments and building complexes in Asian, African and Middle Eastern countries, and the company is able to earn a large amount of foreign exchange for Sri Lanka, said KIK Group of Companies, Chairman, Chartered Engineer Lalith Kahatapitiya. Kahatapitiya said, ‘KIK Lanka Limited was inaugurated in 1997 as a Board of Investment approved industrial institution in the Free Trade Zone, Katunayake.

The purpose of this industry was to manufacture electrical panel boards that are needed for large scale industrial institutions, business establishments and building complexes in Asian, African and Middle Eastern countries as well as Sri Lanka.

At present, KIK Lanka Limited is manufacturing and supplying electrical panel boards that are needed for large scale industrial institutions, business establishments and building complexes in Sri Lanka, and we are exporting our products to Asian, African and Middle Eastern countries. There is a great demand for our products in India”, he said.

Tariff bonanza for Dialog prepaid subscribers

Dialog’s Pre-paid customers will enjoy a range of tariff benefits with up to 50 percent reduction in calling rates with its Prepaid Bonanza program. Customers can enjoy rate reductions on voice and SMS based on reload (top-up) values with discounts valid up to 28 days.

Dialog Axiata Group Chief Executive, Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya said: “The recently announced interconnect regime and floor price formulation has provided the mobile sector with structural and long-term stability - a critical factor for the growth and development of a capital intensive sector such as telecommunications.

Long-term investors can now concentrate on growth of markets and coverage - making their services more affordable and available to the entire population. We are confident that our Pre-paid Bonanza will set the pace for increased market momentum and increased levels adoption and usage across multiple segments of the market.”

To enhance facilities for students:

SLIIT joins Lanka Bell

The Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT) signed an agreement with Lanka Bell to provide customized state-of-the-art telecom services as a means of expanding the SLIIT's high-end IT infrastructure and facilities.

Through this agreement, SLIIT will benefit from the expansion of internet bandwidth and communication infrastructure which link the institution's campuses and regional centres and provide seamless connectivity to all branches. 'This agreement will enhance connectivity to CourseWeb which is running Moodle Learning Management System, which hosts not only static course content but also video content that students can speedily access both on and off campus. Our aim is to improve the reliability of the infrastructure and diversify our multiple service providers' said SLIIT Chairman Professor S. Karunaratne. SLIIT President and CEO Professor Lalith Gamage said, 'SLIIT's agreement with Lanka Bell will provide faster and more efficient communications solutions for both students and faculty.

Mortein initiates dengue program

Mortein has initiated a national dengue education and awareness program, Mortein Stop Diseases for the fourth consecutive year. With the escalating impact and increase of the dengue battle, the company has devised a comprehensive campaign in creating a dengue free environment in the country.

Reckitt Benckiser Managing Director Reazul Chowdhury said "Mortein has undertaken different initiatives to educate the consumer on how best they can prevent all mosquito-borne diseases. The product provides various options for eradicating mosquitoes. However, people can greatly reduce the risk of mosquito borne diseases by taking basic preventive measures and this is what Mortein is trying to educate and empower".

Reckitt Benckiser Marketing Director Zakaria Ahmed said the campaign is planned to cover over 200 key locations across Sri Lanka.