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Swadeshi tantalises SL perfume market

With exotic 'Lady' perfume new look:

Swadeshi Industrial Works PLC introduced a fresh look to its range of exotic perfumes recently. Available in six alluring fragrances using scent of eastern flower essence oils, "Lady" is a naturally perfumed cologne spray which is popular among the young ladies in the country.

The 'Lady' branded perfume range is available in six variants - Jasmine, Lotus, Araliya, Orchid, Black Rose and the newly introduced Sepalika (Night Jasmine). The variants are richly perfumed with the scent of natural flower essence oil that keeps the skin refreshed and perfumed throughout the day.

A spokesperson for Swadeshi said, "Decades of experience in using nature's best ingredients in personal care products have gone into the development of these perfumes. This addition to the Swadeshi range of products will represent our capability to manufacture fragrances using best quality ingredients and fragrances derived from tropical flora. Swadeshi is renowned for its use of natural ingredients and we are confident that the 'Lady' range of perfumes with the new look will be more popular among all the females in urban and rural areas and enhance the popularity of Swadeshi's products beyond our existing customer base."

She further added, "The scent of natural flower essence oil is the main feature of these perfumes and will be the key differentiator from other local perfumes".

The fragrances used in the perfumes are internationally established and are used in the production of world renowned branded perfumes. Swadeshi is the first in Sri Lanka to launch "Sepalika" fragrance giving consumers an opportunity of experiencing a bouquet of exclusive perfume of night jasmine. Packed in a modern and attractive 33ml glass bottles with transparent lids and metallic spray units, is available at an affordable price targeting the young women on the go.

Swadeshi Industrial Works PLC complies with the ISO 9001:2008 International Standards for Quality Management Systems and produces a portfolio of brands in a range of categories that include Rani Sandalwood soap, Khomba herbal beauty soap, Khomba baby range, Khomba herbal shampoos, herbal liquid soaps, herbal facial wash, herbal creams, floral perfumes, laundry soaps, - liquid detergents and cleaners. In an effort to strengthen the local manufacturing and to cater to the local market needs.

Amongst the product portfolio Apsara Venivel, Perlwite, Lak Bar, Lady Perfume and Black Eagle Gents Cologne Spray and After Shave are strongly perceived amongst the masses. Swadeshi plays a pivotal role in developing the Sri Lankan economy through promoting "Be Sri Lankan, Buy Sri Lankan" concept. The company laboratory performs extensive research and development and Safe Plus is a result to a growing consumer need.

As a company, The Swadeshi Industrial Works PLC has made rapid progress by constantly upgrading its manufacturing process, investing in new technology and infrastructure. Today Swadeshi operates a large modern factory equipped with-the latest soap finishing equipment, resulting in very high quality finished soaps and personal care products.

Handwashing campaign to prevent sicknesses and save lives

In concurrence with the Global Handwashing Day which was celebrated globally, Lifebuoy, the premier germ fighter personal care brand of Unilever Sri Lanka has launched a series of long-term public awareness campaigns to enhance knowledge among citizens how handwashing can save lives and prevent common yet life threatening illnesses.

Children suffer disproportionately from diarrhoeal diseases - with 1.5 million children under five dying every year from diarrhoea and pneumonia-related illnesses. It is estimated that children miss 272 million days of school annually due to diarrhoea. The simple act of washing hands with soap at critical moments (such as after using the toilet and before handling food) is a key cost-effective and life-saving intervention. Research has shown that handwashing with soap can reduce the incidence of diarrhoea among children under five by almost 50%, and respiratory infections by nearly 25%. In many developing countries, it is not the lack of soap that is usually the barrier - with the vast majority of poor households having soap in the home - rather, the problem is that soap is rarely used for handwashing.

Unilever is part of the Public-Private Partnership initiative for handwashing (PPPHW) promotion which was initiated in Stockholm in 2008 and the global date was declared by the UN General Assembly in accordance with the International Year of Sanitation which was also celebrated in 2008.

Lifebuoy as part of its CSR programme endeavour to create lasting behaviour change among citizens, especially children to ensure that handwashing with soap becomes a standard health practice. Commenting on the day, Marketing Manager of Skin Cleansing Sharmila Bandara said, "The Global Handwashing Day has international significance as this day is endorsed by the United Nations. Initiatives are organized in over 100 countries that involve the participation of over 200 million people. Lifebuoy has been a partner of this initiative since its global inception." Bandara also said the objectives of the initiative are to reduce the incidence of diarrhoea and pneumonia in the community by promoting handwashing with soap.

HP sets up Exchange Point in Kandy

Hewlette Packard Lanka (Pvt) Ltd has planned to extend their after Sales service facilities out of Colombo to provide a better and closer service to their HP end users. As the first step they have established a HP Exchange Point in Kandy and The Office Shop (Pvt) Ltd, one of the leading IT companies in the Central Province has been appointed as the HGP Exchange Point.

This HP Exchange Point will facilitate the customers in and around the Central Province to claim their warranty for HP IPG products (printers, scanners and all in ones) during the warranty period.

Any manufacturing defective items will be replaced by The Office Shop (Pvt) Ltd.

It is a tremendous opportunity to the HP end users out of Colombo as now they do not have to bring their defective HP products to Colombo thus saving their time and money. The Office Shop(Pvt) Ltd is centrally located in Kandy City on D S Senanayake Veediya, Kandy.

As one of the market leaders in office automation products in Central Province The Office Shop deals with only genuine branded products and supplies.

GSK supports govt initiative to educate pharmacists

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Pharmaceuticals has lent its support to the government's drive to improve pharmacy practice in the country by sponsoring an education programme on good pharmacy practice organised by the office of the Provincial Director of Health Services in Matara.

Several high profile regional representatives from government organisations such as the Provincial Director of Health Services - Southern Province, Secretary of the Health Ministry - Southern Province, Regional Director of Health Services - Matara were present at the event.

A doctor from the Epidemiology Unit of the Health Ministry, Food and Drug Inspectors in Matara, the GSK Medical Advisor and around 200 representatives from pharmacies in the area including pharmacy owners and apprentice pharmacists also participated in the programme.

Presentations were made at this seminar by representatives of government health services of the Southern Province, administrators from agencies responsible for the pharmaceuticals sector and experts from GSK.

These lectures covered subjects such as basic microbiology and quality in pharmaceuticals, basic microbiology and personal hygiene, quality assurance in pharmaceuticals and good pharmacy practice.

"GSK has consistently supported healthcare-related initiatives of the government,", GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals Sri Lanka Managing Director Stuart Chapman said. "Our contribution to this awareness campaign represents an extension of that support to address an urgent need. It also strengthens our involvement in efforts to improve pharmacy practice, for which GSK has also conducted a series of its own awareness programmes in many parts of the country," he said.

GSK has conducted seminars for over 1000 representatives from pharmacies on good pharmacy practice this year. The latest seminars were conducted by the company in Ratnapura and Negombo.

Last year, GSK also provided a grant to support the production of a guide by the Pharmaceutical Society of Sri Lanka (PSSL) for students preparing for the External Pharmacists Examination conducted by the Ceylon Medical College Council. GSK and its predecessors have been doing business in Sri Lanka since the late 1930s. A world leading pharmaceuticals and vaccines company, GSK is the only pharmaceuticals company to tackle the three "priority" diseases identified by the World Health Organization (WHO): HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

Nestle Lanka crowned Best Corporate Citizen 2011

Receives Sri Lanka's highest corporate honour:

Nestle Lanka PLC was crowned 'Best Corporate Citizen for 2011' by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce at the recently held 'Best Corporate Citizen Awards for CSR and Sustainable Business'; where it bagged no less than four awards and a special mention.

The highly acclaimed award is widely considered the highest corporate honour to be won by any business in Sri Lanka. The Best Corporate Citizen Award is organized with the intention of promoting 'Strategic Corporate Sustainability and CSR' within the local business sector, and is the only corporate honour in the country that evaluates all aspects of a business - environment; employee relations; customer and supplier relations; community relations and CSR; and Governance and economic contribution - where winners are evaluated by a distinguished, independent panel of judges for their overall performance in these five categories.

In addition to winning the prestigious Best Corporate Citizen Award, Nestle walked away with the category awards for both employee relations and customer and supplier relations, and was also honoured with a Certificate of Merit for dairy development in the previously conflict ridden North and East regions.

Nestle Lanka, Managing Director Alois Hofbauer commented that the awards were a testament to the company's unwavering commitment to 'Create Shared Value' for Sri Lanka's communities.