BUSINESS

NLB improves performance anticipating privatisation of management

By Asgar Hussein

In an effort to obtain good bids for its proposed privatisation of management next year, the National Lotteries Board (NLB) has taken steps to greatly boost its performance.

In fact, it is intended to achieve sales of Rs. 6.2 billion next year, and improve profits to Rs. 647 million after all operational expenses and contributions to the government.

The NLB has witnessed a steady growth in turnover and profits. Earlier, the anticipated profits for 2002 was Rs. 364 million, but it is now estimated that the figure will reach Rs. 419 million.

It was previously believed that the gross revenue for 2002 would be Rs. 3.5 billion, but now the figure has been revised to Rs. 4.2 billion. In 1999, sales amounted to only Rs. 2 billion. In 2000 it reached Rs. 2.4 billion and in 2001 was Rs. 3.2 billion.

Executive Director, NLB, Mohan Wijesinghe claimed they had increased sales by 30-40% this year. He attributed this improved performance to the dedicated efforts of the staff and the new board appointed in March this year.

The board comprises of Chairman Imthiaz Ismail, Executive Director Mohan Wijesinghe, Vijitha Fernando, Ishini Mudalige and Shan Perera.

Wijesinghe said it is hoped to select the successful investor for management control by March next year. By June, it is planned to have the new management take over NLB's operations.

The board will thereafter play a supervisory role, and also be responsible for monitoring the agreement between the government and the successful bidder.

It is proposed to appoint the board as the prudential supervisor of the lotteries sector in Sri Lanka. The board is also expected to advice the government on lottery management.

Wijesinghe believes that the transfer of technology and international lottery management expertise that would follow privatisation may greatly enhance their performance during the seven year period of the management contract.

The successful bidder will be required to make a payment of Rs. 3 billion to the government at the time of signing the management agreement. In addition, a percentage of annual gross revenue of NLB or the equivalent of US$ 15 million adjusted for GDP growth for the year (whichever is higher) should be paid to the government for the period of 7 years.

It has been decided that 26.5% be the minimum bid percentage for the competitive bidding purpose.

The bidding will take place using the facilities of the Colombo Stock Exchange early next year. The successful investor will be the one who bids the highest percentage of gross revenue to the government. One condition which the bidder will have to abide by is that a minimum allocation of 47% of the gross revenue should be earmarked for prize money.

At present, 47% of the gross revenue is earmarked for prize money, 15.08% paid as agents' commissions, and 17% goes to the government through the consolidated fund. With the balance, the NLB has to meet its operational expenses while the remainder is recorded as profits.

Wijesinghe said they have already contributed Rs. 1 billion to the consolidated fund this year. The Treasury allocates these monies to various ministries for developmental purposes.

He stated that they have placed their employees on the field to obtain feedback and listen to dealers' grievances. He also said they have discontinued the practice of offering tickets on a credit basis.

NLB presently has 55 active district dealers and 3500 agents (under whom there are a large number of sub-agents).

Wijesinghe said that when the new board took over, they found that audited accounts were available only upto 1999, but now the audits upto 2001 have been concluded.

He also claimed that they have operated within the budgetary allocations with regard to PR, advertising and marketing.

According to Wijesinghe, at present only about 10% of the population purchase lotteries on a regular basis, and that too at the lower end of the market. He said NLB is planning to target the middle and upper classes. He believes that with privatisation (which will result in the transfer of technology and expertise) they will be able to improve sales by targetting these sections as well. NLB currently claims a market share of around 70% in the lotteries sector in Sri Lanka.

Acting General Manager, NLB, G.M.K. Bandara said they have a draft 5-year corporate plan which focuses on boosting sales. He added that it will be implemented from next year. Another proposal is to establish a special unit to conduct research and development.

Deputy General Manager (Marketing), NLB, Amarakoon Arachchi said they sell 2.9 million tickets per day.

He also said the prize structure was changed so that more people would benefit. He stated that they intend doubling the number of tickets sold.

Amarakoon further noted that they have appointed about 30 new district dealers. According to him, the NLB traces its roots to a lottery launched in 1955 which aimed to provide funds for medical facilities through the proceeds.

He said the NLB was established by the Finance Act No. 11 of 1963.

Deputy General Manager (Finance), NLB, Rohan Jayasinghe said they have reorganised the dealer network and appointed good dealers. He claimed this strategy has proved successfully, and they have improved sales by more than 100%.

Agents make Rs. 1.50 per ticket sold, while district dealers keep 8 cents. There is also a program under which Samurdhi beneficiaries are offered jobs as agents. Around 300 people have been employed in this manner. Jayasinghe said their advertising is now more focused and directed at the target market.

How to raise employment?

By Dinesh Weerakkody

The question whether loss making and sick state industries should be allowed to continue or be forced to close down or sold off to the private sector has become a crucial question in connection with Sri Lanka's economic revival.

It is argued that a policy of free industrial exit is a must within a policy of free industrial entry. The country, in fact, should be moving in that direction if we are to tackle the unemployment problem in the medium and long term.

Resource utilisation

For this purpose, it is necessary first to draw a distinction between economic employment and social employment. For employment to be economic, the marginal productivity of labour must be equal to or greater than the wage.

The industries in which economic employment is provided, industries will be profitable, because there is an adequate return on the investment made in them.

Any employment for which this condition is not satisfied, where the marginal productivity of labour is below the wage, should be correctly defined as social employment.

This prevails in sick industries and loss making corporations. To cover the losses from which such industries must necessarily suffer, they must be provided with subsidies, whether they are explicit or are provided in some implicit form. These subsidies utilise resources that would otherwise be available for investment in new viable industries.

The employment effects of a subsidy and of investment are quite different. A subsidy sustains a given value of social employment that is temporary in nature. The subsidy has to be provided every year in order to sustain it.

On the other hand, investment in new viable industries generates a certain volume of economic employment that is permanent in nature.

Each year's investment creates employment that remains forever and adds to the volume of such employment created in previous years. Therefore, the employment generated by investment increases cumulatively over time.

If this subsidy to a sick industry is stopped the industry would have to close down and the employment in it would be lost. However, investment of the resources thus released can be made in new viable industries in which the employment will rise cumulatively over time.

Even if the employment generated in each year by investment of these resources is smaller than the employment lost in the sick industry that has been closed down, the fact that it rises cumulatively over time, will ultimately make it larger than the social employment that has been lost.

Subsidy

The cumulative ratio of the employment generated in new industries to the employment that is lost in the sick industries depends on the subsidy per worker in the sick industry and the investment per worker in the new viable industries.

This ratio of employment generated to employment lost rises steadily with the passage of time. The higher the subsidy per worker and the lower the investment per worker, this ratio will continue to rise reducing employment elsewhere.

Therefore, even after new economic employment gained has become equal to the relief employment lost, employment will continue to rise so that total employment will become larger than it would have been by maintaining the sick industry.

Further, employment generation in new industries will be increased by the employment in construction that will become possible as new investment takes place.

Also, the growth of employment will be accelerated by compounding effect of the new investment that can be made from the profits of the new industries. Sick industries do not make profits.

The argument applies equally to sick industries that can be made viable by restructuring, i.e. by dismissing some workers and investing additional resources in it. It will be necessary for this purpose to compare the subsidy per worker and the investment per worker in such an industry as if the industry was completely closed down and then restarted. The total investment in the restructuring industry and the smaller complement of workers in it would have to be taken into account.

In many cases, this shows that closing the industry down completely and investing in new viable industries would be preferable to restructuring.

Employment

A policy of free industrial exits may result in temporary fall in employment. Arrangements to provide retraining and interim relief to those who lose their jobs would, of course, be necessary.

The costs involved would be available from the value of the recoverable assets of the sick industries that are closed down. On the whole, these resources are likely to be adequate.

The greater the employment orientation of investment under a liberated system may, in any case, offset even the temporary fall in employment.

The conclusion is inescapable. Far from reducing employment, a policy of free industrial exits could actually increase employment.

In fact, employment generated by such a policy will be more than what was lost by closing down sick industries or loss making corporations.

Local architects attend BATIMAT Exhibition

The international building exhibition BATIMAT Asia was held in Singapore at the Suntec City International Convention and Exhibition Centre last month. Over 500 delegates from 40 countries participated at the specifiers forum addressed by world renowned architects, developers, international contractors and other building professionals.

Among the 26 speakers were French architect Paul Andrew, chief architect and vice president, Airports de Paris, architect for the new international airport of Shanghai-Pudong in China, the Maritime Museum of Osaka and the Beijing National Grand Theatre, international award winning world renowned Australian architect Michael Rayner, and Malaysian architect Dr. Kenneth Young who is a specialist in the design of high quality large buildings that are ecologically sustainable.

Site visits included esplanade theatres on the bay and Singapore's National Performing Arts Centre opened on October 12. This architectural marvel, with its distinctive twin shells with the unique 2000 seat capacity theatre, is an icon on the international scene.

There were nearly 200 exhibitors of latest building products, components, fixtures, fittings and materials with illustrations and demonstrations on their use. The exhibition was open to the public.  Twelve Sri Lankan architects accompanied by the President, SLIA, architect Dudley Waas attended the conference.

Pictured are (L to R), Managing Director, Hunter Douglas Singapore, Chua Yew Hor, Chairman, Architects Regional Council ASIA, Syed Zaigham Jaffery, General Secretary ARCASIA, Ejaz Ahed, President, SLIA, Dudley Waas and Past President, Singapore Institute of Architects, Tham Tuck Cheong. The picture was taken at the Singapore architects awards night sponsored by Hunter Douglas held at the Stamford Ballroom of the Raffles City.

The path to a marketing career

The Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing professional qualification of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), UK, offers aspiring marketers a path to a successful career in marketing meeting international standards.

CIM, the world's largest professional body for marketing is represented in Sri Lanka by the CIM Sri Lanka branch which coordinates activities of the institute. Education Liaison Officer, CIM, Sri Lanka Branch, Roshani Cooray provided an overview of the course, the entry requirements and some unique aspects of the qualification.

"The CIM qualifications are designed to support the personal and professional development of individuals working within the marketing function and related areas. The overall aim of the qualifications focuses on the core aspects of marketing theory and practice in an integrated and applied fashion" stated Cooray.

She went on to say that "the syllabus is designed to be relevant to the needs of today's marketing practitioners - marketing is a dynamic subject and the focus keeps pace with the requirements of an increasingly competitive environment."

"The syllabus as a whole aims to provide marketing professionals with a range of knowledge and understanding of key marketing concepts frameworks or techniques which they can then apply in the workplace. Individuals can benefit from a breadth and depth of marketing knowledge whatever their work role or industry sector as marketing is the essential business discipline."

She said that in Sri Lanka, students have two options when seeking a professional marketing qualification: the Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing and the Postgraduate Diploma in Apparel Marketing, both offered by CIM, UK.

Students over the age of 18 years who possess five passes at the GCE Ordinary Level examination including two credits (which includes one in English) and possess two passes at the GCE Advanced Level examination (local) or one pass at the GCE A/L (UK) examination are eligible to register as student members.

Students over 19 years of age who possess one year's full time work experience are also eligible to apply for student membership. Entry to the Postgraduate Diploma in Apparel Marketing requires students to have middle senior managerial experience with at least two years experience in the apparel industry with experience in merchandising/marketing and a good command of the English language. Selection for the apparel programme would be merit based, said Cooray.

The CIM Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing programme consists of three stages: the Certificate in Marketing, Advanced Certificate in Marketing and the Diploma in Marketing. The Postgraduate Diploma in Apparel Marketing programme consists of the Certificate in Apparel Marketing, the Advanced Certificate in Apparel Marketing and the Postgraduate Diploma in Apparel Marketing.

According to Cooray, each stage consists of four subjects which concentrate on the fundamental, operational and strategic aspects of marketing.

Providing a background on the programme, Cooray explained that the CIM was established over 80 years ago, and is the world's largest professional body for marketing practitioners. It is also an international membership body for marketing professionals that is dedicated to the continuous development of marketing skills.

The CIM programme also offers students the opportunity of continuing with their postgraduate education at recognised universities by gaining entry into MBA programmes. CIM also provides an opportunity for diplomates and members to keep abreast of the constant changes in the marketing arena through the completion of Continuous Professional Development (CPD).

This leads to eligible individuals being awarded the prestigious chartered marketer status by the CIM, which is an individual charter status in marketing. The chartered marketer status is held by only 119 Sri Lankans currently, the elite few who have met the requirements of CIM and are seen to be the leaders in their professions.

Students could follow CIM lectures at any of the five accredited tuition centres in Sri Lanka for the Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing programme. The accredited tuition centres are Academy of Business Studies, Aquinas College of Higher Education, Oxonia Institute, SLIM Business School and Synergy School of Marketing.

Accredited tuition centres for the Postgraduate Diploma in Apparel Marketing programme are SLIM Business School and Synergy School of Marketing.

Students stand to benefit by following lectures at accredited institutes since they meet CIM's guidelines on facilities provided and are also updated on course and examination developments and enhancements.

The CIM Sri Lanka branch supports the student and the tuition activities by facilitating the registration and examination entry process and providing administrative support.

The branch also houses a reference library, which has a wide range of marketing and management books, as well as course-specific material for the CIM programmes. CIM Sri Lanka has over 650 members and over 3500 students at present.

Holcim shifts to coal

Holcim Lanka has just completed the commissioning of a new, state-of-the-art coal grinding plant at their Puttalam Cement Works. The plant dries and grinds raw, wet coal to a quality which enables it to be then fired in both of the rotary cement kilns at the factory to produce clinker.

This fully replaces the use of expensive heavy fuel oil (HFO) and offers Holcim a strong opportunity to moderate thermal fuel costs involved in manufacturing cement clinker. The conversion to coal allows some relief in the face of recent oil price hikes, and the frequent rises in electricity supply fees. Although Holcim is the only company that imports and uses bulk coal, it has been subjected to the revised import duties in a highly competitive environment.

The coal (currently of Indonesian origin) is imported in 25,000 tons shipments via either the Colombo or Trincomalee ports and transported to Puttalam in a totally environmentally sensitive manner. The coal sourced is a low sulfur variety, and its ash is absorbed into the cement clinker substantially improving the quality of the clinker when compared with oil-fired clinker. The alumina from the coal ash enriches the quality of the clinker and in doing so, extends the natural reserves of good quality limestone available at the quarry.

Intensive training was conducted for local operations and maintenance staff, through local application and secondments to Holcim's facilities in Thailand and Vietnam, which have long since been firing coal. Holcim Lanka staff have the capabilities and skills to operate the plant and equipment safely and efficiently to top international standards.

Holcim Lanka views this successful project as a key example of the company's on-going activities in increasing the effectiveness of indigenous cement manufacturing and to the sustainable development of the industry in Sri Lanka contributing substantially to the nation's future.

Lankem Robbialac shows its true colours

Lankem Robbialac, which has coloured the lives of Sri Lankans for many years, was last month able to show off its true colours.

"Lankem is a very quality-conscious company. We are very concerned and thoughtful about what we give to the consumer," said General Manager (Paints), Lankem, Tony Ranasinghe.

And as if a Lankem dream come true, last month, Lankem paints were awarded the ISO 9000 certification for quality. "We are one of the first companies to receive it and it is a great achievement," said Ranasinghe.

Lankem Robbialac enamel, emulsion, weathercoat, ancillaries, primers, kemikote, floor coat, autocoat and woodcare range celebrated with a quality certification last month was in existence four decades ago. Today, the kemikote range has some breathtaking colours. In fact, they look too good to be used on the floor. But facts are stubborn and so are these Robbialac paints. Tough and weather resistant, they continue to decorate and colour our lives, come what may.

Red, ocean blue, green, brown, grey and terra cotta are some of the colours to be used on the floor.

Robbialac super gloss enamel is available in brilliant white, ordinary white and black. But there are other breathtaking yet subtle colours as minerva grey, sugar cane, pastel green, butter milk, surf green and salmon. Bahama brown, dark green, golden sand, antique brown and sylvan green are some of the more stronger shades.

Everywhere, every time, everything around us is beaten by weather. But not Robbialac's weathercoat. Available in lovely colours as coffee, sugar cane, new wave, grey, magnolia, country cream and lychee to name a few, these can truly change lives.

The satin lustre is the ultimate comfort in colouring with post office red, golden brown and trafalgar blue standing out as the darker shades.

Today, the Lankem range of paints offers over 50 colours. Their reasonable prices and quality products have made Robbialac the sought-after paint. "We market in emulsion alone about 50 colours. These are manufactured using conventional and specific pigments. Robbialac is a pioneer in the modern paint industry," pointed out Ranasinghe.

Lankan Robbialac claims to capture the colours of paradise and this seems true. For it is colour that makes all the difference. A dull atmosphere causes gloom and despondency, but add the bright and pastel shades to our surroundings and our outlook changes, our lives change and our living styles change too.

Lankem, which took over Robbialac in 1984, has remained strong in Sri Lanka's building and interior agenda.

"I was very happy when the SLS officers came for the certification and observed that we were maintaining standards which were far above ISO requirements. When they came for the trial audit and subsequently for the compliance audit they said that even the current ISO certified companies do not have these conditions. I give the credit to the employees," said Ranasinghe.

Robbialac paints are made in Sri Lanka for Sri Lankan conditions and climate. When asked whether Lankem has received complaints with regard to Robbialac, Ranasinghe said that there have been only a few negative complaints and that those too were not serious. "We have not come across any colour complaints, or any serious problems for that matter," he said.

Lankem Robbialac also has a good marketing team. One is able to walk into the offices at Sri Sangaraja Mawatha and meet this team for advice.

"People can walk in here and talk to anybody. When necessary our people will personally go and attend to the matter. Even if it is in the outstations we make sure that a sales representative visits that place," said Ranasinghe.

"We buy our material from reputed companies in the world," he stated.

Robbialac paints are vibrant, yet do not leave out those who prefer to be sombre. Their colour book spells out ideas. The creams and the greens, the pinks and the pastels are all in perfect harmony with our lives.

"People paint their houses to make it decorative, clean and to maintain prestige," said Tony Ranasinghe, drawing light and consciousness as to why people actually paint their houses.

Lankem Robbialac has become a household name today and there are many people who live with and within the Robbialac name and colour. Paint colours our lives and our surroundings and we have to live with it. This is why we have to be careful about what colour we pick  and what paint we choose for it is a decision we have to live with.

NSS-6 satellite covering Sri Lanka launched

New Skies Satellites N.V. - a global satellite operator based in Holland - last week launched a satellite that would cover Sri Lanka.

This satellite called NSS - 6 was launched on December 17 and will enhance the satellite services available in the Indian subcontinent.

This is a high-powered Ku-band satellite with small Ka-band payload. It is designed for broadband content delivery throughout Asia with connectivity to European and American - originated fibre networks.

NSS-6 has up to fifty 54 MHz and 36 MHz transponders individually switchable between beams, and up to 15 transponders per market.

The services of this satellite is ideal for DTH television (150 + channels) and broadband Internet. It must also be mentioned that it interconnects with all other beams for pan-Asian connectivity, and provides three Ka-band uplink spots for two way service potential with India.

The satellite coverage of Sri Lanka will be of high performance capacity (Ku-band uplink: 13.75-14.00 GHz, 14.00-14.25 GHz; Ku-band downlink: 10.95-11.20 GHz, 12.50-12.75 GHz).

The NSS-6 Ka-band beams will offer two-way broadband services including telemedicine, distance learning, national Internet services and corporate intranets.

Vice President, New Skies, Andrew R. D'Uva said their satellites cover the globe.

He said NSS-6, which is the company's sixth satellite, covers 65% of the world's population.

According to D'Uva, they operate in over 100 countries.

He stated that 8 of the 15 transponders of NSS-6 over the Indian subcontinent have already been sold.

Each transponder is of 36 MHz capacity and can hold up to 10 TV channels.

D'Uva, who was in Sri Lanka last week, met officials of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRC). He had advocated an open skies policy and permitting their competitors to access their services.

He also felt that national regulatory authorities like the TRC should not relicense satellite operators. "What we say is that any licensing or authorisation should be managed at local level. In this regard, we suggest they take a technologically neutral approach," he stated.

He believed that if it is possible for a local company (under the terms of its authorisation) to establish international circuits, the local operators should be able to select the technology that best meets their needs.

D'Uva had also suggested that licensing fees should be based on administrative costs only, and not as a revenue generator for the government. He advocated a cost-recovery based solution.

He pointed out that if the cost of acquiring a spectrum is low, then the cost of the service will be low.

Commenting on the approach taken by different countries in this regard, he said it ranges from being "completely free to quite expensive."

He noted that in the U.S., they can license a satellite station for Rs. 300,000 for a 10-year period, and Rs. 15,000 as annual costs. Because of such low fees, the U.S. has one of the highest penetration rates, particularly for V-sat services.

Fees are much higher in Sri Lanka, at Rs. 120,000 per year per station. In India too, the fee is lower than in Sri Lanka.

D'Uva said that considering pre-sales activity, the Indian subcontinent is the most important market for NSS-6.

New Skies satellites' services include video, Internet and telephony/data.

By 2003, they will have a complete, high-powered global Ku-band network for both intercontinental connectivity and direct content distribution.

CEAT achieves export milestone

Associated CEAT, the Sri Lanka-India joint venture tyre manufacturer, recorded a significant milestone recently with the flagging off of its 100th container of locally manufactured commercial vehicle tyres to India under the Indo-Lanka Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

Eight months since it began exports under the FTA, the company has exported tyres for trucks, buses, light trucks, tractors, tractor trailers and animal drawn vehicles to India to the value of Rs. 150 million. The 100th container was flagged off by the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Ravi Karunanayake at a ceremony organised by the company at its Kelaniya plant.

Speaking on the occasion, Managing Director, CEAT-Kelani Associated Holdings, Ramesh Ramanathan said that CEAT's exports under the FTA is a clear example of a local company that has successfully utilised concessions granted under the FTA for growth in its business.

Chairman, CEAT-Kelani Associated Holdings, Chanaka de Silva said, "We anticipate that CEAT's exports will top 3000 metric tons by the end of the current financial year and that this will have a very positive impact on capacity utilisation of resources of the company. The complete elimination of customs duty under the FTA expected in January 2003 will further enhance potential."

"The demand in India for tyres manufactured in Sri Lanka has been tremendous. We have succeeded in achieving this milestone through adherence to stringent quality standards in the entire production process," he added.

APD launches FRAs and IRSs

The Association of Primary Dealers (APD) launched a series of Forward Rate Agreements (FRAs) and Interest Rates Swaps (IRSs) at the recently held widely attended national conference on fixed income securities market. At this conference, four agreements were exchanged amongst Seylan Bank Asset Management Ltd., HNB Securities Ltd., First Capital Treasuries Ltd., Ceylinco Shriram Securities Ltd. and People's Bank. The total amount of the FRAs and swaps was Rs. 200 million.

The association arranged with Naomal Goonawardena, partner of Nithya Partners, the firm of lawyers, for drafting of the required documentation based on the master agreements of the International Swap Dealers Association (ISDA).

The chief guest at the conference held on December 10, where the instruments were launched was Governor, Central Bank of Sri Lanka, A. S. Jayawardena.

Seen in the photograph are Director/General Manager/Chief Executive, Seylan Bank, Rohini Nanayakkara, President, Association of Primary Dealers and Director/Chief Executive Officer, Seylan Bank Asset Management Ltd., Ajantha Madurap-peruma, Governor, Central Bank of Sri Lanka, A. S. Jayawardena and Head, HNB Securities Ltd., G. Ramanan after exchanging a FRA and an IRS for Rs. 50 million each.

CIMA information centre in Kandy

The CIMA Sri Lanka Division recently launched the CIMA information centre at D.S. Senanayake Veediya, Kandy, under the guidance of Coordinator (Kandy), CIMA, Mahasena Senanayake who is a fellow member of CIMA. President, CIMA (Sri Lanka Division), Sudarshan Senaratne said that the CIMA information centre in Kandy now offers a complete registration service in addition to all other services for CIMA students in Kandy. Senaratne thanked Mahasena Senanayake for the encouragement and support shown towards establishing this informaton centre.

Senanayake said that with the establishment of the information centre, students will have access to a wider services package inclusive of career guidance, job placement for approved accountancy training and computer based assessments. He added that seminars targeting both the students body and the business community will be held over the year. The centre will be kept open at appointed dates and times.

Cash and calling Bonanza
for Cellcard subscribers

An unexpected cash and calling bonanza awaits lucky Cellcard subscribers this festive season, through a simple yet exciting promotion from Celltel, the pioneer cellular operator.

Commencing December 6, the company will pick at random one subscriber a day till January 14, 2003, from its Cellcard user base, who make at least one outgoing call that day, and present him or her with Rs. 5000 in cash and Rs. 5000 in credit for calls.

The promotion is aptly titled 'Walk Away With 5000, Talk Away With 5000' and is intended to reward Cellcard users who represent a substantial segment of the company's analog and GSM subscribers.

"This promotion adds further value during the festive season, to the already popular Cellcard," Commercial Director, Celltel, Aniljit Singh said. "Cellcard has been the leader in offering value to cellular subscribers, with up to one minute incoming free, Rs. 2 unlimited incoming during off-peak, low night rates, unlimited validity and free CLI."

The new cash bonanza will be available to Cellcard users throughout Sri Lanka, and winners in the provinces will have the facility of collecting their prizes from Celltel dealers in those areas, he said. Winners will be called on their cellular phones, and therefore to be eligible, their phones should be answered when called.

Unique pile testing of
Premier Pacific Pinnacle

Premier Pacific International (Pvt) Ltd., has set a new standard in the construction industry in Sri Lanka by construction work currently being undertaken on a world-class building - Premier Pacific Pinnacle.

The project comprising two basements, ground and eleven upper floors is estimated to cost Rs. 850 million. The super luxury residential and shopping complex would be an architectural and engineering masterpiece, said Director in Charge of the Project, Nirosh Perera.

He said that the strength of a tall multi-story building firstly depends on the design and construction quality of the supper structure and secondly on the sub-structure and ultimately on the piling to the rock base.

He added  that at Premier Pacific, piles constructed are exposed to multiple testing to confirm their high quality, particularly their ability to carry heavy loads, capability to withstand sudden impacts and finally the prospects for long-term life. The testing of piles were done through three methods and results integrated.

Pile integrity was initially tested through low strain 'pulse echo' method - when the pile is impacted by a small hand held hammer, the compression wave which travels down the pile is tested by a small computer based pile integrity tester which is placed on top of the pile. The wave reflection signals recorded on the accelerometer confirm the shape and length of the pile and also expose variations such as honeycombs, depressions and bulging.

The most popular pile testing method for buildings in Sri Lanka is through Static Load Tests. The test piles of Premier Pacific Pinnacle were loaded with 450 tonnes and weight transferred to the pile by activation of the hydraulic jack placed on top of the pile. The ability of the pile to carry the load of the building and pile flexibility is confirmed by this test.

The third and the novel application used by Premier Pacific is the state-of-the-art Dynamic Pile Testing where a solid iron weight of almost 10 tonnes was dropped on top of the pile from three different heights using two cranes, one to lift the load and the other to push the hook to drop the load. The wave signals received by the pair of transducers attached near the pile top were recorded by a pair of accelerometers which were also attached near the top of the pile.

The signals or impact were transmitted through a data transmission service of a digital network to a computer located in Malaysia using software of the Pile Dynamic Testing (PDA) system. The results of analysis were interpreted with the assistance of experts in this field in Sri Lanka, Geotech Testing Services (Pvt) Ltd. The entire PDA testing was conducted by an authority in this field, Managing Director, Geotech, Parakrama Jayasinghe.

Lanka Bell signs agreement with Sathosa

Lanka Bell recently signed an agreement with Sathosa for the provision of voice and data telecommunication facilities for the islandwide network of Sathosa outlets. This agreement which will interconnect all Sathosa outlets will result in a major decrease in Sathosa's total telecommunication costs. The agreement was signed by Sathosa Chairman, Lal Wickrematunge for Sathosa and Managing Director, Lanka Bell, Joey V. Mendoza for Lanka Bell.

Also present at the signing ceremony were Minister of Commerce, Ravi Karunanayake, General Manager - Finance, Lanka Bell, Suren Goonewardene, Head of Sales, Lanka Bell, Rishad Mansoor and  Industry Manager, Lanka Bell, Zuheyr Thalbreez.

Hameedia set to knockout duplicates

Proliferation of duplicates of famous brand names is fast becoming a pestilence in the Sri Lankan clothing market. Pollution in trade practices lacking in social conscience have downgraded the business etiquette in this country.

In this scenario, Hameedia is straining every sinew and nerve to arrest the cancerous growth of duplicate hegemony in the clothing market.

Hameedia, a clothier with high traditions and honourable trade practices is aggressively moving into the polluted market with real, genuine and 100% originals of reputed  brands such as Van Heusen, Arrow, Louise Phillip, Lee, Raymond, Adidas in addition to their own brands  LeBond, Envoy, Signature and Rugby etc.

"We do not take the customer for a ride by deception. We take the customer into confidence and provide the genuine stuff and thereby win customer confidence in return," a spokesman said.

It is their philosophy to treat every customer need as paramount and not deceive him/her for the sake of easy gains. This is Hameedia's strength in the upmarket. By dealing in originals they have ensured shop products are genuine and take pride in it.

All activities of Hameedia have been carried out with a genuine social conscience with a commitment to deliver on  customers' expectations with no harm to society. It has also taken up as their own task to educate the general public on duplicates and fakes. All offers by Hameedia have been carefully selected and in line with current seasonal trends around the world.

When one visits Hameedia showrooms during the season, one can be assured that he/she will not leave the shop with substandard or duplicate items of the famous brands but the original items. That is their guarantee and commitment.

Hameedia markets the most fashionable clothes and ready to wear with a splash of colour and  texture not found elsewhere.

Hameedia has put in place a plan during this festive season to serve the customers  with a whole range of classy originals to keep up with the latest in style and comfort, befitting the occasion. Every piece is hand-picked and is 100% original. This is where they have the cutting edge over the others.

Hameedia's seasonal slogan is  "Buy more and save more" and in keeping with this is offering fantastic discounts.

Brand new motorcycles from
United Motors

United Motors Lanka Limited (UMLL) has taken another step forward by introducing a brand new motorcycle to the local market. Billed to be a popular brand, the new product is available at the United Motors' Showrooms at Hyde Park Corner, Colombo 2 and their dealers islandwide.

The motorcycle which is assembled in China to Japanese styling and quality tested by UML, is sold under the UniMo JINHAO brand of UMLL.

Competitively priced, the UniMo motorcycle comes in more than 25 models and many engine capacities. It also comes with a 12-month or 10,000km warranty from United Motors, Sri Lanka's largest automobile company equipped with one of the best workshops to carry out after sales service to all its vehicles including motorcycles.

A spokesman for the company said that the Sri Lankan market now has the advantage of purchasing a good quality, tested and a proven motorcycle that gives the best in value for money from a reputed company committed to superior after sales service. He also added that although similar products are available in the market from different suppliers, there are many differences between UniMo Jinhao and them.

"Providing transport solutions is our main business and is our only business and we believe that we could extend out leadership in the vehicles market to this segment as well through the introduction of this new product.

"The reconditioned motorcycles are already available in the local market but we are offering a brand new motorcycle at a very affordable price. When we first introduced it to the local market, the response from our staff itself was immense. This was indeed a great achievement for us because our own staff members, most of whom are with an engineering background bought the most of the first two consignments. In addition to this we have also won many tenders with the government and we are confident that our product is the best in value for money," the spokesman said.

The range of motorcycles are complete with many features that offer value for money. The JH 125-4 ensures stable and smooth riding with front disc brakes. It has a single cylinder, five-gear transmission and an air-cooled 4-stroke engine. The JH 125-5 model, which is also packed with a powerful CG 125cc engine, delivers unique sports performance and its superior shock absorbers allow for good on and off road performance. The JH 100 model, which is a scooter type machine, is equipped with a powerful engine with and is the best in fuel economy for economical minded folk. All models of motorcycles are equipped with a self-starter.