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Sri Lanka<br />
Update Kumar Jayasuriya<br />
“Enriched by the past,<br />
transforming the<br />
future”: that’s the<br />
winning catchphrase<br />
one of our divisions<br />
came up with to capture<br />
the essence of Finlay’s<br />
Colombo operations.<br />
With the Company having been involved<br />
with commerce and industry in Sri Lanka<br />
since 1893, the first part of the phrase is<br />
self evident. Today, defining the years, if<br />
not decades to come is exactly what’s<br />
happening.<br />
In July of this year we invested in the<br />
installation of three brand new IMA C27<br />
machines for a total amount of USD 2.1<br />
million at our facility in Welisara on the<br />
outskirts of Colombo, the first company in<br />
Asia to invest in this cutting-edge<br />
technology. Catering to an increasingly<br />
environmentally aware and concerned<br />
consumer, the machines will produce<br />
“stapleless” teabags. These will be fully<br />
natural, with the string being attached to<br />
the bag by a knot. The three machines<br />
will significantly increase the overall<br />
production capacity.<br />
<strong>News</strong><br />
Cathay’s Rebranding Incentive Julian Lyden<br />
Cathay Pacific’s innovative campaign, Paint<br />
the Town Green, has changed the thinking<br />
behind conventional branding practices in<br />
the air travel industry of Sri Lanka says<br />
Julian Lyden, Country Manager for Cathay<br />
Pacific, Sri Lanka and The Maldives.<br />
The campaign took the form of a<br />
competition, in which local travel agents<br />
were requested to decorate their premises<br />
using green, Cathay’s corporate colour, along<br />
with other branding material. The<br />
promotion was partly aimed at building<br />
goodwill between the Company and its<br />
stakeholders; Cathay Pacific believes that<br />
much of their success depends on their<br />
value chain partners.<br />
The challenge was well received and a<br />
number of agencies - duly provided with cut<br />
out models, posters, model aircraft and<br />
other display material - enthusiastically took<br />
Sports Carnival<br />
Recreational activities include staff of all segments.<br />
Our existing markets have served us well,<br />
but we are now actively seeking to create<br />
new avenues and buyers for our value added<br />
products. A few prospective customers in<br />
Europe and America have evinced interest<br />
in this respect. I personally believe that<br />
there is great potential for expanding in<br />
India as well.<br />
The temperature controlled warehousing<br />
and logistics division, which is now in its<br />
second year of operation, has recorded<br />
encouraging performance on the back of<br />
healthy occupancy levels, whilst catering to<br />
some of Sri Lanka’s (and internationally)<br />
best known brands for frozen and chilled<br />
products. To meet increasing demand and to<br />
meet the evident need for international<br />
standards of cold chain compliance, the<br />
Company is nearing completion of an<br />
extension to the existing facility that will<br />
double present capacity (see page 28). The<br />
additional space will deliver economies of<br />
scale through greater operational<br />
efficiencies incorporated in the design and<br />
lower incidence of fixed costs. We also hope<br />
to capitalize on our first mover advantage by<br />
branching off into logistics and distribution<br />
services to selected clients, so as to provide<br />
the full cycle of cold chain compliance.<br />
part in decorating their offices, always<br />
following the Cathay logo guidelines.<br />
They reported having enjoyed the novel<br />
opportunity of getting a break from busy<br />
schedules and spending some creative time<br />
with their colleagues.<br />
Rewarding our travel partners for their time<br />
and innovative thinking, Cathay Pacific gave<br />
away seven return air tickets to Singapore or<br />
Bangkok as the first prize, whilst the second<br />
and third runners-up received exclusive<br />
Cathay branded gift items for the whole<br />
office team.<br />
In tandem with the travel agents’ unique<br />
branding exercise, a major facelift has added<br />
colour and exuberance to the Cathay Pacific<br />
City Office in Colombo. Our premises have<br />
been given a corporate identity in keeping<br />
with our superior product - a global<br />
network, a staff and a service straight from<br />
More than 700 employees of the James<br />
Finlay Group and their families took part<br />
in a Sports Carnival held on 17 September<br />
at the Bloomfield Sports Ground in<br />
Colombo.<br />
Participants, representing James Finlay & Co.<br />
(Colombo) and its subsidiary and associate<br />
companies, were divided into four teams or<br />
houses, each named after a different local<br />
herb believed to generate strength.<br />
The morning got off to a good start with<br />
such athletic events as the marathon, 100<br />
metres races for women and men and a 400<br />
metres men’s race. The post-lunch session<br />
Human resources have been the other area<br />
of focus during the last few months, where a<br />
range of initiatives from improving working<br />
conditions to fostering greater employee<br />
participation in decision making, promoting<br />
team spirit and, most importantly, building<br />
up the capability of our people through<br />
training and development have been<br />
launched. As far as is practically possible,<br />
company recreational activities now include<br />
staff of all segments.<br />
Our social responsibility programs are now<br />
drilled down to the divisions with each<br />
making efforts to participate actively in the<br />
programs selected. Needless to say that<br />
health and safety teams are formalized<br />
and are active at each worksite.<br />
Our financial results at the end of the third<br />
quarter have been generally satisfactory<br />
with Group overall profit comfortably<br />
exceeding the budgeted profit even<br />
excluding a one-off profit earned on sale<br />
of investments during the year.<br />
Despite the problems and issues, in Sri<br />
Lanka the opportunities for business abound<br />
and continue to flourish with each of our<br />
resilient businesses creating environments<br />
in which to flourish and grow.<br />
the heart which have won us the title of<br />
Airline of the Year, for the third time.<br />
The new branding provides our walk-in<br />
customers with a warmer and more friendly<br />
ambience, appropriate both to promoting<br />
confidence in flying with Cathay Pacific<br />
Airways and as a backdrop to the highly<br />
professional service provided by our<br />
dedicated front line staff at the counters.<br />
Cathay’s Colombo office facelift sets the pace<br />
was dedicated to fun and games including a<br />
tug-of-war, bucket relay and three-legged<br />
race. Special events were also held for the<br />
managers and guests while, for the children,<br />
there was a drawing competition.<br />
Prizes were also awarded for the best<br />
cheering squad and for the best decorated<br />
“house”.<br />
Winners of the individual and group events<br />
were awarded handsome prizes. The overall<br />
winner was Harthavariya House, made up of<br />
employees of the Tea Estates sector.<br />
27
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