Competition from cheap imports intensified last year, Royal Ceramics chairman Dhammika Perera told shareholders in the company’s annual report.
But he said escalating trade tensions between the US and China will provide opportunities for Sri Lankan manufacturers.
“We are gearing ourselves to become positioned as a viable alternative manufacturing destination.”
The Royal Ceramics group invested four billion rupees in expanding production last year, mostly in tiles.
“A large portion of this investment was in Lanka Tiles which now has a state-of-the-art plant with the capability to manufacture the larger sizes required in line with global design trends,” Perera said.
The group’s tiles manufacturing capacity increased to 41,000 square metres a day from 35,000 square metres a day, Royal Ceramics Managing Director Aravinda Perera said.
“Lanka Tiles also expanded the number of contract manufacture operations locations in India from eight to thirteen factories during the year to compete effectively with the imported tiles on price while widening our portfolio,” he said.
Lanka Tiles had ventured into India a few years ago with a partnership deal with Ambani Vitrified (Pvt) Ltd. to make digital glazed vitrified tiles at its plant in Morbi, Gujarat, ceramic
cluster.
(COLOMBO, 14 June, 2019)