Sri Lanka Business News | Online edition of Daily News

Keells Super, the leading and most dynamic supermarket chain in the country launched two promotions following a very successful Avurudu campaign to reward its loyal customers.

Winners of the “Buy and Fly” Promotion at Keells Super with John Keells Holdings Vice President Charitha Subasinghe and JayKay Marketing CEO, Executive Vice President John Keells Holdings and Retail Head Sector Roshanie Jayasundera Moraes, Head of Modern Trade Dinesh De Mel, Unilever Sri Lanka Senior Customer Manager, Modern Trade, Priyanga Nanayakkara, Customer Marketing Manager, Modern Trade, Unilever Sri Lanka Azam Hamdoon and Keells Super Brand Manager Shevanthi Rajanathan

The consumer centric promotions will be in keeping with its superior quality offered in terms of products, range, service and overall value to ensure that the customers continue to receive utmost value by shopping at its 47 super markets, Keells Super Brand Manager Shevanthi Rajanathan said.

The promotion “Buy and Fly” is in partnership with Unilever Sri Lanka. The campaign offers 30 return air tickets to Singapore, Malaysia and Bangkok.

Five winners are selected every week and are given the option to select their preferred destination.

The customers are required to purchase Unilever products namely Lux, Ceylonta, Knorr, Signal, Surf Excel or Sunsilk worth Rs 500 to participate in the promotion. Multiple purchases of the minimum value will entitle customers more chances of winning.

Those who participate in the promotion also receive a scratch card where more than 60 percent of customers stand a chance to win a free product from Unilever.

The “Shop and Vroom” promotion will be partnering with HSBC. It is a simple and rewarding promotional campaign where customers have to pay using their HSBC credit cards and obtain free fuel. Every Rs 1,000 or more spent entitles the cardholders to half litre of free petrol.

The special feature in this promotion is that the day’s highest spender is guaranteed to win 40 litres of free fuel. This promotion will be continued up to 30th June.

The winners of initial rounds of both promotions were awarded at a ceremony held on Tuesday.

Asian Alliance Insurance launches Lloyds Global Medical Plans

Asian Alliance Insurance PLC (AAI) together with Global Assurance Group launched ‘Lloyds Global Medical plans’ in Sri Lanka on May 24.

GM (Non Life) Udeni Kiridena, GM (Operations - Non Life) Asaf Khan, Director and CEO AAI Ramal Jasinghe, Vice President/Marketing and Business Development Mendy Boaz and President and CEO of Global Assurance Group Chaim Druin.

Lloyds Global Medical Plans was officially launched at a breakfast meeting held at Galadari Hotel, Colombo. Top corporate officials and insurance brokers were among the invitees whilst the top management of AAI, President CEO Chaim Druin and Vice President (Marketing and Business Development) from the Global Assurance Group Mendy Boaz were present to witness this historical milestone.

Increasing demands for comprehensive global medical insurance solutions at competitive rates have been a challenge to most clients and brokers in the local market.

AAI is of the opinion that Lloyds Global Medical plans will address this challenge by offering unique and generous benefits at affordable premium rates to local corporate groups, multinational corporations, individuals and expatriates.

Lloyds Medical plans would provide the customers with the opportunity to reimburse medical expenses up to USD 1 Mn both locally and internationally under three plans which include individuals as well as families.

AAI’s contribution to this partnership is a result of their superior market knowledge and expertise to ascertain highest level of customer service together with an island wide distribution network in Sri Lanka.

Asian Alliance Insurance is one of the leading composite insurers in the industry providing innovative insurance solutions. RAM Rating Ltd. has assigned a BBB-Rating to AAI underlining the claims paying ability (CPA), based on the soundness of the Company’s operations and financial strength.

AAI is committed to serve its potential and existing policyholders by assisting them to ‘protect the things they love’ while honouring the fundamentals of insurance.

The brand name of Lloyds of London is well recognized as a worldwide leader in insurance with a long standing history of over 300 years together with its asset strength and credit ratings.

Combining the reputation of Global Assurance Group as a Lloyds of London cover holder and years of expertise in global medical insurance has conceived an insurance plan of excellence, first class benefits and committed customer service.

“This unique product launch will no doubt strengthen our market position and add value to our customer offerings; we are confident on the success of this initiative considering the recent demands from the market for upgraded health insurance plans. Asian Alliance is privileged to be associated with Global Assurance Group” Asian Alliance Insurance Director and CEO Ramal Jasinghe, said.

Global Assurance Group President and CEO Chaim Druin shared his delight of this alliance; “This alliances represent a step in the maturing in the international health insurance market with a regional trend of expansion from expatriates and multinational to mainstream middle and upper class local nationals. What used to be a niche business is very much becoming core practice.

We are delighted with our partnership with Asian Alliance, their level of expertise and keen understanding of the Sri Lanka market and this project”.

UTE turns to used equipment to support construction boom

The growing demand for construction equipment fuelled by the resurgence of the sector, has prompted United Tractor & Equipment (UTE), the sole authorised dealer for Caterpillar in Sri Lanka, to commence imports of pre-owned (used) earthmoving machines and power generators.

The company has announced that pre-owned earthmoving machines and power generators will now be sourced through the global Caterpillar network. Prior to importation, the equipment would have been maintained by Caterpillar dealers in their countries, enabling United Tractors to provide an assurance of quality, the company said.

A comprehensive condition report will also be provided together with each item enabling customers to obtain a thorough understanding of all aspects of the item they purchase.

The well-established product support system utilised by the company to provide parts and services to its customers for new products will be also leveraged to provide support to buyers of pre-owned earthmoving machines and power generators, Sales Manager Dimuthu Udugamasooriya said.

“Even the purchase of pre-owned earthmoving equipment or a power generator entails a sizable investment,” he said. “Therefore it is important that such equipment is obtained from a reliable supplier, who is capable of providing spare parts and professional after sales support,” he said.

Udugamasooriya noted that many entry-level contractors at present purchase used earthmoving equipment and power generators due to the lower initial investment.

However, UTE’s entry into this market segment will add more value at the time of purchase. These include higher resale price, lower operating cost, availability of parts and regular free inspection services.

“The current market situation is a lottery, where customers find it very difficult to know whether their purchase was worthwhile or not,” Udugamasooriya said. “Therefore we want to provide our customers with confidence and peace of mind that their investment is good and can be protected.”

He said many buyers are also unaware that some domestic models specific to the source country cannot be easily supported by dealers in other countries and are left in the lurch when these models break down or need maintenance.

Prior to commencing importation of pre-owned earthmoving machines and power generators several steps were taken by UTE to strengthen its presence in the market for pre-owned construction equipment.

In addition to the appointment of a sales manager specifically in charge of the sector, efforts were made to improve ties with Caterpillar Dealers in countries such as India and Philippines whose markets are similar to Sri Lanka, the company said.

United Tractor & Equipment (Private) Ltd (UTE) has been the sole authorised dealer for Caterpillar earthmoving equipment, power generators and Forklift trucks in Sri Lanka since 1947.

Softlogic introduces Enterprise Solutions in Sri Lanka

Softlogic Information Technologies one of the premier IT companies in Sri Lanka and a pioneering subsidiary of Softlogic Holdings said the company has entered into a partnership with many renowned IT companies in the world to introduce latest IT solutions for large corporations.

Through the strategic partnerships with top foreign principals Sri Lankan corporates will be able to experience many solutions and presently Softlogic enterprise team offers, server and storage consolidation, application and server virtualization, Core network switching and routing solutions, Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity solutions, Security solutions with Gateway level and internal security, packet shaping and bandwidth management products, data backup, archival and recovery solutions, Infrastructure cabling solutions (Data/voice/power), network monitoring and management solutions, data center solutions that includes, physical and IP surveillance, environment control solutions.

Softlogic Information Technologies Director and CEO Roshan Rasool, commenting on the introduction, said, “Softlogic is focussed on delivering maximum performance with standard based solutions, while ensuring the right mix of cost effective solutions with value at every level.

From an Enterprise division perspective what we aspire to achieve within the next couple of years is, to have Softlogic Enterprise Division be first choice for any enterprise. Today, we have many partnerships with leading IT principals in the world to introduce new technology and implement some of the best practices to our customers”.

One of the top challenges facing IT departments today is how to lower total cost of ownership (TCO). Tackling this challenge requires a laser-like focus on optimising resources, reducing complexity, increasing performance, and improving manageability.

Softlogic Information Technologies Sales and Marketing Director Sidantha Peeris, said “Softlogic Information Technologies perceives a gradual pickup in the post-war period with certain entities making large investments and foreign investors setting up offices.

When stepping in, they need Enterprise class infrastructure and apart from that we also see organizations who have already invested in Enterprise Solutions being interested in lowering certain cost. There will be ample opportunities in time to come and each systems integrator can specialize in few areas of their expertise and can provide solutions to the market.

I also feel the market is now looking at organizations which can provide them with quality consultancy, provide IT blueprints and propose and implement enterprise class solutions to their organizations”.

Nawaloka introduces Tesla MRI scanner

Nawaloka Hospitals keeping to its policy of constantly upgrading its services introduces the latest technology, the world’s latest Magnetom Skyra 3.0 Tesla MRI System with Tim+Dot technology.

The Magnetom Skyra 3.0 Tesla MRI Scanner with Tim+Dot technology by Siemens Healthcare provides a new level of seamless image quality with unprecedented acquisition speed and ease of use. It is the country’s 1st 48 channel system. The 48 channel system hardware allows the full usage of the system as 204 elements can be individually addressed. This ensures excellent image quality and quick patient positioning leading to shorter scan times for the patients.

The Direct RF technology in the head, neck and body coils provide, unparallel image quality as it eliminates all the “data loss” issues which has with the conventional MRI scanners.

Also the high channel, light weighted dedicated coils such as 20 ch head, 36 ch peripheral, 32 ch spine, 18 ch body, 15 ch Tx/Rx Knee, 16 ch Shoulder, 16 ch foot/Ankle, gives the ability to scan at very high resolution with high speed. These features are only available in this Magneton Skyra system.

The Tim (Total Imaging Matrix) technology provides the ability to have multiple coil connectivity, allowing the system to scan a patient’s whole body (205 cm) with the dedicated coils mentioned above with a shortest possible time.

This will reduce the number of repeat scans in the examination room as the system had scanned the whole body in one scan.

The DOT (Day Optimizing Throughput) technology will help the hospital immensely to have a higher patient throughput as most of the procedures are automated with the DOT technology.

The technician takes a minimum of time for a completion of one patient allowing the hospital to have 30 percent more patient throughput thanks to DOT technology.

The 70cm wide bore and the Tim+DOT will give a lot of confidence to the patients to go under MRI scans. 70 cm aperture compared to the standard 60cm will have much more space inside the tunnel (magnet) allowing the patient to be very relaxed.

Specially for patients with claustrophobia, the Skyra system is the answer. Less time with more space in the gantry is exactly what a patient needs inside the magnet.

Customers at the opening of the ODEL store at Kandy City Centre.

ODEL opens in Kandy

Glamour, excitement and anticipation took centre stage when the Kandy City Centre throbbed with life at the opening of ODEL’s first store in the hill country capital on Friday, May 20, 2011.

Hundreds of enthusiastic Kandy folk were treated to a gala fashion show at the ‘roof top’ terrace of the mall in a prelude to the eagerly-awaited opening, as ODEL overhauled yet another milestone in characteristic style.

Located on Level 3 of the popular mall, the store of 4,200 square feet was filled to capacity in seconds after ODEL founder and CEO Otara Gunewardene and Thusitha Wijayasena, the owner of Kandy City Centre, cut the ceremonial ribbon to formally open the store.

UWIC, most accepted British MBA

UWIC MBA Programme at ICBT Campus is the best option for anyone considering reading for a foreign MBA in Sri Lanka.

This MBA Programme is the identical programme taught in UK and students will be allowed to transfer 100 percent credits any time during the programme to UK and also to other partners of UWIC in Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Egypt, Bulgaria, etc.

UWIC is a highly respected university in UK with many prestigious credentials to its name. It is ranked amongst the top three Universities in Wales and in the top ten new universities in the UK by the Independent’s Complete University Guide 2010.

In addition, UWIC is currently ranked the top new university in Wales by the Guardian University Guide, at Times Good University Guide and the Sunday Times University Guide.

This year, the university is one of the only universities in Wales to improve its UK rankings in all four major university guides and is now ranked in the top 60 universities in the whole of the UK by the Guardian University Guide and the Independent University Guide.

UWIC MBA Degree taken at ICBT Campus will be awarded in accordance with strict UK Quality Assurance Agency policies and the students have the option of transferring to Wales and even attending the graduation ceremony in the UK students will also have access to the University’s on-line-portal where they can find important course related material and information.

Elephant House sponsors Burhani Fair

Assistant Brand Activation Manager Keells Food Products Saliya Nanayakkara, Brand Activation Manager Elephant House Ice Cream Maithri Vithanage, Frozen Confectionery Head Neil Samarasinghe, Shabbir Asgerally, Janab Amil Saheb Noordeen Bhai Saheb, Shiraz Hussain Mustansir Jeewanjee and Aliasger Saifudeen Committee Members

As a brand, Elephant House Ice Cream always recognizes and respects the beliefs of consumers across different communities and cultures that it operates in.

In yet another initiative, Elephant House Ice Cream was the sponsor for Burhani Expo site 2011. An exhibition organized by the Borah community, held for the first time in Sri Lanka at the SLECC.

Staying close to our consumers has enabled us to win the hearts of Sri Lankans over generations. We have a close relationship with the Borah community and we are glad to partner this event which will be mutually beneficial to the organization as well as the community Frozen Confectionery Head Neil Samarasinghe said.

Serendib Flour Mills marks three years

Serendib Flour Mills (Pvt) Ltd celebrates its third anniversary of operations in Sri Lanka today and thus, three successful years of "nourishing the nation' with an 'uninterrupted supply of quality flours to Sri Lankan consumers and the industry".

A member of the Al Ghurair Group of Companies, Dubai, UAE, Serendib Flour Mills Pvt Ltd launched operations of its US$ 56 million, state-of-the-art, 1000 tons per day single-line capacity wheat flour mill in the Port of Colombo on 26 May 2008. With it came the promise of an uninterrupted supply of quality wheat flour and benefits of a healthy competition to Sri Lankan consumers and the industry.

CEO/Director of Serendib Flour Mills (Pvt) Ltd Mr. Sathak Abdul Kadar said, "I'm happy to say that we have kept to that promise over these past three years. Our product portfolio now includes Baker's Flour, Household Flour, Rotti Flour, Noodle Flour and Semolina. Several thousand tons of highest quality flour have reached all corners of Sri Lanka and thus a greater populace. Over these past three years we have been providing different 'solutions' to the requirements posed by key players in this industry - bakery owners, other industries and the public".

"Since our inception, we have also worked very closely with the All Ceylon Bakery Owners' Association of Sri Lanka in identifying the needs of the industry in a bid to serve them better. We have also conducted Technical Workshops for bakers island wide, sharing with them the latest baking techniques and demonstrating the making of bakery products using Seven Star Wheat Flour.

We deeply appreciate their support and will continue to work with them very closely", SFML's Chief Financial Officer Mohamed Riyal said.

ExpoLanka Group MD Hanif Yousuf presenting the cheque to Bradby Express 2011 Project Chairman Ayesh Rajapakse. 2007 Batch President Akbo Rupasinghe looks on.

ExpoRail sponsors Bradby Express 2011

ExpoRail the Imminent luxury passenger train service provider is pleased to be the sponsor of the Bradby Express 2011 for the 67th Bradby shield encounter in Kandy on May 28.Undoubtedly it is the most awaited event of school rugby in Sri Lanka and probably the most awaited rugby event in Sri Lanka.

Bradby Express which is a specially dedicated train for the Royalists to travel to Kandy to watch the Bradby is a brainchild of the dynamic 2007 batch.

Expo Rail an Expolanka company has worked its way to introduce a luxury passenger rail service - a service that would be available at scheduled timings as well as for special groups and tours. With the collaboration of Sri Lanka Railways, Expo Rails would ensure their clients a Luxury Service that would be one of a kind experience. The service will be launched soon and it would be a launch well worth the wait.

Scan recognizes outstanding salesmen

In recognition of excellence and standards, Scan Products, the import, manufacturing and distribution arm of the C.W. Mackie Group conducted their annual sales conference for the year 2011/2012 recently. The event was primarily to recognize, reward and re-emphasize to their sales teams and staff the kind of standards and excellence that has made Scan a household name in the local market.

The two-day event, held at the Club Palm Bay Hotel in Marawila, set the stage as a launch pad to propel the sales teams of the organization to new and greater heights of performance. In keeping with their policy of developing effective people with excellent skills to produce quality products the event was structured to incorporate training and motivational activities for its participants. The event began with a motivational training session conducted by Dr. Naomal Balasooriya, one of the most diversely qualified and experienced corporate trainers in Sri Lanka.

The recipients of the awards on the 'Scan Star' night over the past year were: Second Runner Up Thayanandan from the northern province. First Runner Up Indika Wasantha from the North Central province and the winner for Best Performance in Sales was Chamila Priyadarshana from the Northwestern province.

Keells launches ‘Buy and Fly’ promotion with Unilever