ADVERTORIAL

EDEX to make Lankan youth 'industry ready'

Sri Lanka's premier higher education and careers expo Edex Expo 2012, once again organised by the Royal College Union for the ninth consecutive year will be held from January 20 to 22 in Colombo and on January 27 and 28 in Kandy.

The event will be the largest showcase of higher education, vocational training and skills development options to date, with the greatest participation of foreign and local education providers.

EDEX Chairman Kamal Abeysinghe said that Sri Lanka is following a speedy development path and the demand for a skilled and better-educated workforce is on the rise. "Therefore, the aspirations amongst the youth for higher paying careers are also on the increase. In such a context, making our youth 'industry ready' by providing access to the right education and market-relevant skills, leading to gainful employment in a timely manner is vital," he said.

"This is one reason why we embraced and nurtured the vision of making Sri Lankan youth globally competitive through world-class education, numerous career choices and opportunities showcased in a single platform at the EDEX Expo for the past eight years," he added.

"The green initiative that we have undertaken has been one of our proudest endeavours. The world is realising the importance of sustainable living and we have engaged some of the most vocal and immersed stakeholders for our Expo," Abeysinghe added.

Continuing in the foundation that EDEX laid at Expo 2009, the Expo this year will continue its environmentally conscious arm. With the efforts of the Expo's environmentally active exhibitors 'The Green Zone' will be showcasing sustainable living and sustainable business initiatives in a separate enclosure.

The Colombo event will have no less than five exhibition halls, with the exhibitors representing over 250 institutions and universities from over 20 different countries. A number of participants are professional institutes of the highest calibre that offer world-class education. Several of the participants represent international universities from Western Nations, the Middle East, the South Asian region and many more; looking to add prospective Sri Lankan students to their ranks.

With the rise of private educational institutions in Sri Lanka, many of the institutions exhibiting will be locally based but with foreign affiliations, bringing international curricula to our nation at competitive prices. A large selection of the exhibitors will also be vocational, technical training and skills development institutes from both the government and private sector, offering courses for those looking to advance their knowledge and enhance skills in a specific field. Career guidance counsellors will also be available at the event.

An art competition too would held to coincide with EDEX Expo.

More details on the EDEX exhibition could be obtained from their website www.edex.lk or e-mail [email protected]

Premium International Technologies partners Mitsubishi Electric Asia

Sanjeevi JAYASURIYA

Premium International Technologies (Pvt) Lt which is the main partner of Mitsubishi Electric Asia Pte Ltd has captured the local market with its range of products which is well accepted by the customers.

Its main principal Mitshubishi started off an aggressive marketing campaign in keeping with the success in reaching out to customers in the recent past.

The sales of projections witness growth due to affordability, high quality and after sales service. The low break down rate also augurs well for the company's growth. The aggressive advertising campaign supports the wider customer base.

A team of Mitsubishi Electric Asia Pte Ltd comprising Mitsubishi Electric Visual Imaging Division Sales Executive Lee San Chan, Sales Manager Leong Thian Fong, Sales Manager Michael Qiu and Senior General Manager Naohiro Sata was in Sri Lanka recently to explore avenues for further market penetration. Premium International Technologies has introduced many path breaking products to the market. Among its products, the digital wall which enables large screen display is used for public display purposes at the airport and shopping malls. It is a unique product with digital light processing technology. The other professional main products which include projectors of four sizes are in high demand.

Mitsubishi Electric which is in manufacturing for the past 15 years has a market focus on countries such as South Africa and Europe where it seen a rapid growth.

"Our company has the reach in many regional countries including India, Myanmar, Vietnam and Indonesia. As we see Sri Lanka's economy recording strong growth, there is a huge potential for our products," Mitsubishi Electric Sales Executive Lee San Chan told Daily News Business.

"Premium International Technologies is our strategic partner and we have allocated more resources to develop the Sri Lankan market. We are conducting discussions at present to ascertain ways to further enhance the growth prospects," he said. "The multi media home theatre category has a good market in the country. We made entry level efforts to develop mid and high installation projects for large rooms and hotels. This segment market share has a healthy growth.

"We believe that right action will lead us to be the top player in the Sri Lankan market. The opportunities are limitless and we strive to grow and sustain our businesses in the country as we have the right local partner," he said."The company will employ more resources in terms of human capital and has conducted dinner seminar for the dealers to showcase the road map and plans. With the right implementation the projectors market could further boost where the system has an advanced technology," he said.

D Samson and Sons bags national award

D Samson and Sons (Pvt) Ltd. is one of the largest footwear retailers in Sri Lanka and controls a market share of 45%. DSI retail outlets are found in every nook and corner of the country and the brand has managed to stamp its name as a strong household brand. The company was recently named as the winner under the Apparel, Textile and Leather Category at the National Business Excellence Awards held at the Hilton.

The National Business Excellence Awards is an annual award competition conducted by the National Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka (NCCSL) with a view to recognizing business enterprises, which have demonstrated excellence in business, while contributing to the economic progress of the country. This 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.

Celia rapidly gaining market acceptance

Celia, a new brand of infant and maternal dairy products, launched in October 2011 by PC Pharma, the pharmaceutical arm of PCH Holdings, has been well received by many doctors and customers.

According to the company, increasing sales across the island has been indicative of the popularity of the milk product as a nutritional supplement for growing children.

The product which is manufactured by global dairy giant Lactalis International and has earned a majority stake in many European markets offers superior nutrition and quality at competitive pricing and is reflecting well on its sole distributor PC Pharma. Commenting on Celia’s increasing popularity in the local market, PC Pharma Marketing Manager - Nutritional Products Samitha Danwatte said, “It is amazing to see this kind of acceptance in the local market, especially with customers and doctors. The international reputation of the Lactalis group and the Celia brand and the diversity and flexibility of Celia products, to treat various conditions in infants are the reasons for the acceptance the brand, locally.”

Celia’s growing popularity and flexibility has led to more than 1,700 outlets stocking the product islandwide, including outlets in the North and the Eastern provinces. Further, Celia Mama, a nutritional product specifically designed to give the necessary nutrients for pregnant and lactating mothers, together with Celia’s brand of milk based infant cereals has seen resounding success and is now being recommended by more and more doctors throughout the island.

“The growth we have seen in the Celia brand is a testament to a shift in purchasing patterns in the Sri Lankan consumer,” said PC Pharma General Manager Dilshard Ikram.

“The brand’s rapid growth was far above and beyond what we expected, and the growth of the brand has had a halo effect on all PC Pharma products and we have seen an increase in sales in many of our products as a result. This indicates that consumers are becoming more aware of international brands and are making the most of the competitive open market environment that exists in Sri Lanka,” he said.

The Celia brand was originally launched in France in 1980. It offers twelve products to the Sri Lankan market, each catering to the diverse needs of a growing child, formulated under the latest European standards (2006/141/CE) and ESPGHAN 2005, all Celia products are manufactured and packed in France under ISO 9001:2001 certification.