ADVERTORIAL

DSI high quality products bag five awards

D Samson Industries (Pvt) Ltd received recognition at two awards ceremonies held recently when it collected five awards. Three of the awards were won at the Ceylon National Chamber of Industries (CNCI) Achiever Awards and the other two at the 19th NCE Export Awards Ceremony. At the CNCI Achiever Awards 2011, the company was awarded the Silver Award under the Extra Large Service Category, and two Merits in Extra Large Manufacturing sector - both in national and provincial level Industrial Excellence.

At the NCE Export Awards, Samson Industries won the Silver Award (Agriculture Value added-Medium sector) and the Bronze Award (Extra Large Industry Category). D. Samson Industries (Pvt) Ltd. is one of the leading manufacturers and exporters of footwear in Sri Lanka with an established market presence through its strong brand name coupled with state- of-the-art technology and highly experienced workforce.

DSI spans its wings beyond the horizon of Sri Lankan shores, catering to various market segments in Asia, Australasia, Europe, America and Africa and rapidly expanding and exploring new markets with their continuous research and development.

A company spokesman said that winning awards further reiterates the company's market dominance and continued commitment to deliver products to meet the diverse needs of its customer base. "The superior customer service and committed sales team have been at the forefront of its service excellence. They have been effectively supported by brand, marketing and distribution teams, creating a winning force despite the highly competitive market scenario," he added.

Swastic Group launches DEX Computers

Swastic Group (Pvt) Ltd, a leading IT provider in Sri Lanka, recently launched DEX computers. DEX is offered exclusively by Swastic Group, and is manufactured in Malaysia, but is designed to meet the needs of Sri Lankan consumers.

DEX provides consumers with the same quality and performance as other leading IT brands, but is priced significantly lower. Each computer comes equipped with a second generation Intel processor and system memory starts at 4GB. Harddisk space starts at 320 GB, and can be upgraded in order to suit the needs of the customer. Intel HD graphics and premium quality internal speakers are also included.

Every DEX model also comes standard with a three year warranty which covers both parts and labour. The warranty can be redeemed at Swastic Group's corporate headquarters located in Kollupitya.

The DEX 347 is a desktop model which includes with it an 18.5" LCD monitor, as well as a business keyboard and mouse. DEX 347 is equipped with an Intel Core i3 processor, 4 GB RAM, and a 320 GB Harddisk.

The second model is a laptop model named DEX 14. DEX 14 is a laptop with a 14" HD WLED display, an Intel Core i3 Processor, 4 GB of memory, and a 500 GB Harddisk.

Pizza Hut marks 18th birthday

From humble beginnings at its inception, Pizza Hut crossed the threshold yesterday as a veteran in the restaurant industry. Their pioneering efforts have indeed revolutionized the industry in Sri Lanka and 18 years later, here they stand, as a name that is synonymous with good, hot food, even delivered right on time.

Pizza Hut opened its flagship store at Union Place in 1993, initially as dine in only, but soon branched out into delivery as well. Its quick success led to the opening of many more outlets in different parts of the island and under the guidance of the international YUM restaurants chain. The total number of express, takeway and dine-in outlets will be brought up, inclusive of one at Majestic City which opened last month at Nawala, Kottawa and Yakkala which will make the total number 24 on their 18th year. An additional six more outlets outside the perimeters of Colombo are in the works as well.

The journey that has taken Pizza Hut Sri Lanka to such astounding heights though sometimes peppered with hardship, has been one primarily made up of a lot of dedication and a team that works together flawlessly and one that is truly passionate about what they do. From starting out as a pizza delivery brand, Pizza Hut Sri Lanka has now added even more variety to their ever growing and ever changing menu. Apart from the wide array of pizza toppings and crusts, they have now branched out into starters, pastas, beverages and desserts.

"In the beginning, we were mostly known for pizza, but within the last few years we have expanded to include many more exciting additions in our menu" said Marketing Director Ramzeena Lye. "It's all about choice now at Pizza Hut and you can order a complete meal, including drinks and desserts. By having such an extensive menu, we are now able to cater to all kinds of tastes, making the family dining experience that much more convenient. Also, taking into account changing food trends, we introduced a range of pastas at competitive prices as well, which further cemented the idea that there is so much more than pizza at Pizza Hut," Lye said.

Perhaps another crucial factor that affects their popularity is that Pizza Hut has a solid understanding of the Sri Lankan palate. The people truly love the satisfying pan pizza crust and two of their best sellers are the Devilled Chicken topping, which is indigenous to the island as well as Hot and Spicy Chicken. "Our loyal customers do love their spice! So we try to incorporate that in whatever way we can and since we know their tastes so well, it is always a success," said Ramzeena. "Even the new range of pasta has a Spaghetti with chicken and sausages which has a little bit of a kick to it!," she said.

The future seems even more promising for Pizza Hut, with the opening of new outlets both this month and in the next few years. It is estimated that their growth will be exponential and their customer base will remain as always on the upward trend.

NTB takes 365 day banking to Nuwara Eliya

Nations Trust Bank (NTB) opened its 47th branch in Nuwara Eliya, their second Branch in the highlands of Sri Lanka with the first being in Bandarawela. The new branch is based on their proprietary design concept offering the ultimate in banking standards. Located on, Kandy Road, the branch will offer the people of Nuwara Eliya the opportunity to experience 365 day banking, extended banking hours, etc. and hence greater convenience in all matters relating to banking.

Nations Trust Bank has been in operation for over a decade. It has been offering a diversity of products and services focused on convenience.

The suite of product offerings include Private Banking and Inner Circle Membership, Platinum and Gold Membership for SME customers, Personal Banking Centres at selected Keells Supermarkets, a 24 hour Customer Contact Centre and the American Express Card Franchise. These products and services have helped to win over and maintain a strong and loyal customer base in a short period of time.

Director and CEO, Saliya Rajakaruna said, "Being a key player in the financial industry, this is the 47th branch Nations Trust Bank has opened. It reiterates our commitment towards branch expansion and growth by moving to locations outside the Western Province to geographies across the country. The opening of this branch along with several others, transforms into reality our vision of offering personal and customized financial services to a larger population of this country."

With continuous growth in its branch network Nations Trust Bank offers a wide range of personal banking products from traditional to innovative products such as the Personal and Kidz Investment Planner, Pawning Facilities, Leasing, Factoring and the Bank-at-your-doorstep service.

DGM Retail and SME Banking, Keshini Jayawardena said, "With our entry to this market we will continue to put our customers at the forefront of our business, constantly improving our product and service propositions, delivery channels and processes to cater to their changing needs. We look forward to giving the people of Nuwara Eliya a distinct banking."

DVB launches Vardhana eBanking

DFCC Vardhana Bank (DVB), the everyday banking unit of DFCC Bank last week launched Vardhana eBanking.

Offering a comprehensive range of banking services online, Vardhana eBanking is a step towards enhancing a smoother rollout of the bank's operations.

Designed keeping in mind customer insights and needs, Vardhana eBanking is customized for use by an individual and a corporate. Some of the bank's services that can be obtained online include: bill payments, international fund transfers, loan repayments, domestic transfers and a number of scheduled transactions.

Addressing the gathering at the launch of Vardhana eBanking, the CEO and MD of the bank, Lakshman Silva spoke of how technology was an indispensable part of the banking industry. "With the launch of Vardhana eBanking, DFCC Vardhana Bank enters into a new chapter. This new service offers unique features to customers, and has been a key focus for us for some time now. With global trend predictions indicating as much as a 20% growth in online banking in the next two years, the addition of this new service comes at an apt time. With Vardhana eBanking, we hope to enhance our understanding of our customers, tailoring our product and service offerings to suit their needs and thus cultivate customer loyalty," he said.

Vardhana eBanking is designed and built on an easy-to-configure architecture, allowing for DVB to deliver to its customers a consistent experience across all channels.

Transcend partners with eSys Technologies

One of Sri Lanka's leading computer hardware distributors eSys Technologies, a part of EZY Holdings, have been appointed sole distributor for all Transcend's products in Sri Lanka. Transcend Inc's Director Marketing, Austin Hung was in Sri Lanka to announce the partnership.

"As a company, Transcend can best be described as a world-class leader in the field of memory and consumer electronics, which brings you tomorrow's world, today.

"A global company with offices around the world, we are able to serve all the major markets and provide a superior quality of service to our customers. Our overseas offices were opened in California, USA (1990), Germany (1992), The Netherlands (1996), Japan (1997), Hong Kong (2000), China (2000), UK (2005), Maryland USA (2005), Osaka Japan (2007) and Seoul Korea (2008). Transcend is a strategically integrated hi-tech company, not only do we design, develop, and manufacture our branded products, but we also market and sell our own devices", said Hung, speaking at the media briefing held in Colombo. Transcend Information. Inc., was founded in 1988 by Peter Shu and has its headquarters in Taipei, Taiwan.

The company's extensive product portfolio has grown to include over 2,000 memory modules of every type, flash memory cards, USB flash drives, MP3 players, digital photo frames, portable hard drives, as well as multimedia products and accessories, with Transcend products being available for proprietary equipment, as well as for mass marketed PCs.

Since its inception in 2003, eSys Technologies has grown to become Sri Lanka's leading computer hardware distributor for many global brands including Intel, Gigabyte Laptops, AOC LCD Monitors, Samsung hard disk drives, optical disk drives, LCD monitors, Foxconn Motherboards and many more components that make up the day to day computer.

eSys Technologies who are now in their eighth year, commenced operations with a single person office. Since then the company has grown to become a Rs. 2.5 billion organization with over 300 employees.

"We along with our vendors whom we represent, believe that we are the only true technology distributor in the Sri Lankan market. This is primarily due to the fact that we strongly believe in distribution ethics and do not impede into the territory of our valued customers, our channel partners . We have channeled most of our efforts into developing the channel for our partners to do their business better. This is what has differentiated us as a value added distributor as opposed to the ordinary product traders" said eSys Technologies, CEO Shafraz Hamzadeen.

With over 10 distribution offices touching close to 1000 computer partners ranging from small to big, eSys Technologies presently covers the whole of Sri Lanka. With an aggressive sales force and proactive solutions to their customers, eSys has changed the business dynamics of the computer trade in Sri Lanka. "We have what is known as a 123 Express Service to provide our partners an efficient solution. This focuses on 1 hour warranty, 2 hour technical training and 3 hour delivery of goods", said Hamzadeen.

Speaking on that all important factor, after sales service, Hung said that Transcend has always been a customer driven company. "We focus our efforts on providing the highest quality products with attentive after sales service and support, thus ensuring total customer satisfaction. The corporate culture that exists within Transcend is one of professionalism and teamwork. As a declaration of our commitment to quality we implemented the Total Quality Control concept throughout the company, and became the first memory module manufacturer in Taiwan and the second in the world to receive ISO 9001 Certification".

As their local distributor, eSys Technologies will market a few key Transcend products which will include Rams, Flash Drives, MP3 Players, External Hard Disk Drives, SD Cards and Photo Frames.