Sri Lanka's Former War Zone Gets $ 5mn Apparel Plants by Timex and Fergasam Group

06th January 2012, www.lankabusinessonline.com

Apparel exporters Timex and Fergasam Group will build two factories at a cost of five million US dollars in Sri Lanka's north-western Mannar, part of the former war zone, the ministry of industry and commerce said.

The first Mannar factory is to start production by mid-October 2012, its statement quoted officials of Timex and Fergasam as saying.

The project will be in two phases with the first factory giving employment for 1,200 people and the second for 800.

The new factories will be the 17th and 18th manufacturing facilities to be set up by the apparel group.

Timex and Fergasam currently employs more than 8,000 across its 16 manufacturing facilities with offices in UK and Hong Kong.

Among clients of Timex and Fergasam are top labels like Marks & Spencer, Victoria’s Secret, House of Frazer, Diesel, H&M and SUZI Chin, the statement said.

Sri Lanka's MAS Holdings Invests $3.15mn on MAS Active Asialine Factory at Hambantota

27th January 2011, www.dailynews.lk, By Charumini de Silva

MAS Active - Asialine, the newest facility of MAS Holdings will open today in Middeniya, Hambantota with a total investment of US $ 3.15 million. MAS Active - Asialine General Manager Venura Attanayake said MAS Holdings took over this company in 2006 with an initial investment of US $ 2.2 million.

The company then invested in machinery and in August last year the company decided to increase the capacity. At present, the company has provided over 1,500 employments for the area from which it was around 750 employees.

Attanayake said the company invested around US$ 950,000 as the second phase investment.

MAS Active - Asialine has been graded as an ‘A’ grade plant.

The company intends to enhance the productivity of the company further, which currently runs at an average productivity range of 50 to 65 percent.

MAS Active - Asialine is an integrated facility to handle woven and knit products with a capacity to produce over 600,000 pieces per day, while catering to the USA, UK and European markets. The company is actively involved in Asian market too.

The company practices the MAS Operating System (MOS) education to create industry leadership in lean manufacturing and innovation, which will help to raise the quality and craftsmanship of products.

“Our team is focused on being environmental friendly while taking ecological systems into consideration.

This factory is also committed to reduce the carbon footprint in the process and conserve water,” Attanayake said.

Tea Tourism at Heritance Tea Factory, the Highest Located Tea Factory now One of the Five Best Factory Hotels in the World

27th November 2010, www.island.lk

The Tea pickers originate the long journey of "two leaves and a bud" into the cuppa, and a large number of tourists are joining them to learn Sri Lanka’s tea culture at a very special location. Picking tea is not a cushy and comfortable job as one may think. Despite their ready smiles and efficient fingers working like a swarm of bees on tea leaves, the Tea pickers brave the sun, rain and winds to earn a livelihood.

Tourists in an effort to gain an insight into the tea plucking culture often pick their own tea leaves when staying at the Heritance Tea Factory. The fresh Tea leaves that the tourists pick go through the Organic Mini Tea Factory and then presented to guests before they check out of the hotel.

Hethersett Tea Factory which is now the Heritance Tea Factory Hotel was the highest located tea factory in Sri Lanka and Kandapola railway station was the highest located railway station in Sri Lanka served by the Ceylon Government Railway when it was first commissioned in 1903.

The Heritance Tea Factory is the fist hotel in Sri Lanka to introduce bio mass renewable energy to the hospitality industry in 2007. The bio mass plant helps the hotel to reduce the carbon foot print as it saves a substantial amount of carbon emissions. Heritance Tea Factory has been recognised by Britain’s leading newspapers ‘Sunday Times’ as one of the 100 best places to stay in the world and ‘The Independent’ selected The Tea Factory as one of the 5 best factory hotels in the world.

The Heritance Tea Factory mission is to enable guests to experience a unique interaction with nature and the tea culture, while leaving a minimum impact on the environment.

A New Factory by World's Largest Sail Maker North Sails Opens in Sri Lanka

31st October 2010, www.sundayobserver.lk

North Cloth Lanka (Pvt) Ltd. was the latest entity to come under the North Sails Sri Lanka Group, when the factory was opened by Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen last week.

In a special message, Minister of Economic Development Basil Rajapaksa said that the opening of the new facility of North Cloth is extremely significant at a time that the country is moving towards economic prosperity with the end of the 30-year-

conflict. Internationally, many look at Sri Lanka in a favourable manner.

International organisations that left the country during conflict, have now returned and begun businesses.

An internationally recognised organisation identified Sri Lanka as an ideal destination for investment and tourism. Regarded as one of the greatest success stories of North Sails, the operational facilities of the Group in Sri Lanka have significantly contributed towards its growth and success, with North Manufacturing Lanka being its largest sail making plant.

In a major milestone in the Group's 15-year-long journey in Sri Lanka, North Cloth joins North Manufacturing, North Sails 3DL Lanka and Southern Spars International, subsidiaries of North Sails Group LLC, USA, the world's largest producer of sails and sail technology leader.

North Cloth will produce sail cloth for export.

The first production was initiated at the Biyagama Free Trade Zone by Minister Bathiudeen.

Deputy Chief of Mission of the US Embassy Valerie Fowler, Chief of Economic and Commercial Affairs of the US Embassy Edward Heartney, Gampaha District MP Dulip Wijesekera, Director, Board of Investment of Sri Lanka M.K.D. Lawrence, President of North Cloth Tom Davis, Managing Director of North Sails Sri Lanka Larry McDonald, COO, North Sails, Sri Lanka Tof Nicolle Griffith, Senior General Manager of North Manufacturing Thalib Sanoon and other company heads and staff of North Sails were present.