Sri Lanka’s Macktiles aims to make the country self-sufficient in tiles.
The Morning: Macktiles Lanka (Pvt.) Ltd. stated that it recently commenced operations of its third manufacturing facility at its state-of-the-art plant in Bandaragama, a major step for the company in fulfilling the country’s tile requirement while achieving self-sufficiency within the industry.
With the induction of the newest production line, it will be able to produce 44,000 sq m of tiles per day, as the upgrade adds 30,000 sq m on top of the existing 14,000 sq m capacity per day. This allows Macktiles Lanka to produce a colossal 15 million sq m of tiles, annually. To ensure that the new manufacturing line will be contemporary, and equipped with all the state-of-the-art technology and machinery, the company invested a total of Rs. 12 billion.
This investment and substantial increase in capacity and capability is expected to allow Macktiles Lanka to ensure that ample stocks are always available, eliminating any waiting time on pre-orders, and making it possible for customers to order any design with any finish, for the highest quality tile at affordable pricing. Furthermore, the company stated, this strategic decision made by Macktiles Lanka, along with the capacities of other local tile manufacturers, will allow Sri Lanka to be self-sufficient for the country’s tile requirement and which in turn will save millions in foreign currency to the country which was draining out for many years.
The plant machinery was purchased from SACMI Group, the international leader in the supply of advanced technologies and industrial plant engineering for ceramics production, printing and the automated packing from Systems Italy, who are the international leaders of this sector. Macktiles stated that the state-of-the-art plant boasts the rare and impressive capability of being able to manufacture full-body homogenous tiles porcelain tiles, full-body high-quality tiles, ceramic tiles, mirror-polished tiles, and large format tiles. The plant also has inbuilt SACMI energy recovery technology, enabling the company to be sustainable in tile production, saving up to 25% of energy usage.
“We look forward to working with our condominium and project developers to cater to their varied requests, as Macktiles is now capable of manufacturing all types of tiles. It is up to every Sri Lankan to contribute towards the local economy by collectively embarking on local production, in order to save valuable foreign exchange as well to be pillars of the country’s development, by manufacturing world-class Sri Lankan products.
“We also source 80% of our essential raw materials locally, and believe that our efforts to expand and bring in more premium-grade products to the local market will help boost the local economy by saving valuable foreign exchange that would be otherwise spent on importing tiles. We are proud to have generated thousands of direct and indirect employment opportunities to Sri Lankans, and are honoured to rise to the occasion and contribute to the recovery of our motherland’s economy,” said Macksons Holdings Chairman Milfer Makeen.
“In keeping with the highest quality standards of any global manufacturer and beyond, very soon we will be entering the export market with our highest quality porcelain and homogeneous polished tiles range,” added Makeen. The Macktiles product range is consistent with the Macktiles philosophy, which is to provide high quality tiles to fit the budgets of customers from all walks of life, the company stated, adding that since there is currently a scarcity of tiles in the local market, it has been successfully directing efforts to increase production capacity.
As such, Macktiles is now capable of marketing the quality parameters of imported tiles and is currently in discussions with tile importers to supply OEM tiles matching their standard requirements, while also motivating them to focus on saving foreign exchange. “As there are no shortcuts to any country’s development, we must all take on the responsibility of achieving self-sustenance as opposed to obtaining aid and loans from the international community,” added Makeen. Macksons Holdings, the building material conglomerate holding company of Macktiles, has a legacy of over five decades.
OSL take:
The expansion programmes undertaken by Sri Lanka’s private sector businesses is indicative of the strength and growth of the country’s overall economy. It is in such a backdrop that Sri Lanka’s Macktiles has turned to upgrade its production process in a bid to make the country self sufficient in tiles. Sri Lanka is also working towards becoming an emerging business destination in the South Asian region. Sri Lanka’s geographical positioning in the Indian Ocean and the many trade agreements as well as trade concessions enjoyed by the country have also helped boost the country’s economic activities. Given the business conducive environment in Sri Lanka, foreign businesses/investors could explore the expanding opportunities in the country while also looking at forming partnerships or joint ventures with local businesses.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/23092022/X_1 |