Ceylon Tobacco Company assists BAT office in Myanmar

Thursday, 23 October 2014 01:08 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Ceylon Tobacco Company (CTC) Product Assurance Manager Dharshana Wanniarachchi recently returned to Sri Lanka after completing a three month stint in the British American Tobacco (BAT) office in Myanmar. Myanmar, a rapidly opening market is a newly established entity in the BAT group which promises to be a lucrative market. As such, the group is channeling valuable resources and technical support to set-up its entity in Myanmar.

Wanniarachchi, a valued member of CTC with over 14 years of experience was identified as the key person to set up the Product and Quality Management System and to develop the capabilities of the new recruits attached to the process in Myanmar. Quality management is an integral process of any organisation, which determines its long term sustainability. Wanniarachchi was identified based on his success in improving Total Quality Management in Sri Lanka. He was a crucial memberof the ‘Drive Zero Campaign,’ set-up specifically to focus on improving quality. The ‘Drive Zero Campaign’resulted in the drastic reduction in consumer complaints in 2013, the lowest in the history of CTC. Wanniarachchi’s expertise is also highly recognised within the regional product and quality community. During his assignment in Myanmar, Wanniarachchi assisted in developing the quality policy, implementing the quality management system across the business, completing product integrity and traceability systems and establishing a vital export project. Simultaneously, he was also involved in training over 70 factory employees and management staff on product and quality assurance to bring them on par with BAT’s global practices and policies. “As a multinational business, quality is of utmost importance to BAT. We follow a fully automated process where every aspect is quality controlled to ensure it meets set specifications. For me personally, it was a great pleasure to be given the responsibility of creating the base of quality management in BAT’s Myanmar entity. It signifies the confidence the company has placed in me as well as BAT’s trust in the local operation,” said Wanniarachchi.