Local insulation product makers need support

Sub-standard products flooding market:

Harshini PERERA

The construction industry in Sri Lanka has reached a boom as there are many constructions taking place in the country, especially in the North, East and the Southern regions. It is not just residential construction but also commercial construction, Macbertan (Pvt) Limited General Manager Cheminda Amarasinghe said. We feature him for this week's column.

Here are the excerpts of the interview with Amarasinghe

Q: What can you say about the construction industry for the past five years?

A: During the last five years there has been gradual growth in the construction industry and it has seen a boom from last year. There are constructions in all parts of the country along with the recent infrastructure facilities created in those areas. Many people are investing in medium scale residential development. Foreign investments has seen a growth for building construction.

Q: How will you cater to the demand of North and East areas where there is lot of construction taking place?

A: We have already identified the increasing demand in North and East areas. We are looking at this market with a broad prospective. We are not just looking at making sales and increasing our volumes. We are conducting awareness programs to enhance people's knowledge on insulation related products in those areas as these products are new to them.

These activities have already been well recognized by the people living in those areas and they have responded very well. We have also made arrangements to make the products available in those areas for people to buy them conveniently without incurring any extra cost as they had been doing for certain essential commodities.

We have also deployed our staff in those areas to give them free technical assistance. With regard to the supplies of products, we can meet any increasing demand for insulation products in the country as we have already invested on expanding our manufacturing capacities with a long term plan to cater to the future demands.

Q: What is the demand for insulation products in Sri Lanka?

A: We have already forecast that there will be a considerable growth in the construction industry. We expect a growth in the insulation market as well. We are well equipped to meet the increasing demand for insulation products in the future being the market leader. Macbertan, has already taken action to make the products available islandwide.

Macbertan is the pioneer manufacturer of polyethylene form sheets in Sri Lanka and the market leader in the domestic heat insulation category in the country. We have also developed the product to the highest quality standards.

Q: What are the quality measures you have taken in manufacturing your products?

A: We fulfil the quality standards required in manufacturing the product. Macbertan is the first plastic processing company in Sri Lanka to be awarded three ISO certifications from the Sri Lanka Standards Institute (SLSI). Our products have been tested for all the other industrial related technical properties in Sri Lanka and also in countries such as USA and Singapore.

McFoil has been the only heat insulation product in Sri Lanka which has been certified by NERD as an energy saving product.

Q: What are the challenges you face in this industry?

A: Fifteen years ago, when we came into the market this product was not known among our customers and therefore we had to spend millions of rupees to popularize this product. It was a real challenge at the beginning to convince customers of the benefits of the product.

We have also conducted awareness programs for contractors, carpenters, architects and engineers.

Leading professionals in the industry have recommended our product. Today McFoil is being used in large projects throughout the country.

Q: What are the new insulation products you will be introducing?

A: We have recently introduced the air-bubble insulation sheet for the first time to the construction industry in Sri Lanka. It has better insulation properties compared to other products available in the market and has a very high 'R' value and also the product is developed to the highest international quality standards.

Q: What support do you require from the Government?

A: At the moment we find various types of insulation products available in the market but have not fulfilled the required industrial standards. There are insulation products sold in Sri Lanka which can cause bad health effects. We have noticed that these products have been used in certain Government hospitals as well. The reason for this is the lack of knowledge about the products and the required industrial standards of those concerned.

We feel the Government should intervene and address these issues as the consequences of above issues will have to be faced by the people of this country. The Government should also take measures to restrict importing those products to the country and should encourage local manufacturers who manufacture products to the required quality standards.

Q: What are your export markets?

A: We are exporting to India and the Maldives. Our products are well accepted in those countries.

We are also exploring possibilities of exporting to countries such as Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal.

Q: What was the growth you had in the insulation industry?

A:We have had 100 percent growth from last year. We are also very confident and ready to go for a larger growth in the next two to three years as well.

I would also like to mention that currently we are into many avenues of insulation related applications and products. People may not be aware of the other insulation categories that we are into.

We have been able to introduce many insulation products for moisture, sound, and insulation against impact. Our vision is to be the insulation solutions provider to the nation. We are working towards achieving this goal as a team.

Q: What is your advice to young people eager to climb the corporate ladder?

A: They need to have an ambition and motive. One should know about his or her talents and capabilities and then select a career accordingly.

Once the person selects his or her path, one should get the highest knowledge about the field one is in. For this purpose one needs to learn more on the subject. This should be a process that never ends.

Q: What is your philosophy in life?

A: I have always focused on whatever I do which I think has taken me towards the success.