Sri Lanka recognised as major industry player at Global Rubber Conference 2014
Saturday, 8 November 2014 00:11
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The Global Rubber Conference (GRC), hosted by Sri Lanka for the first time from 27–29 October this year, saw the coming together of delegates from 25 countries representing the United States, Europe, East Asia, North Asia and ASEAN. An international platform that brings together stakeholders of the global rubber industry, the GRC is considered to be at the helm of all conferences on natural rubber production.
This year’s conference was concluded at a successful note where Lalan Rubbers Ltd Chairman Lalith Hapangama was awarded the GRC Wickham Award – named after Wickham who was instrumental in creating the rubber industry – for his outstanding contribution to the rubber sector. This coveted award is recognised as the highest honour that could be bestowed upon a stakeholder in the said category.
Sri Lanka annually produces an estimated amount of 130,000 tonnes of rubber, which is spread across 100,000 hectares of plantations island-wide and the country can proudly state that over 90% of the operations of rubber product manufacturing is done using locally sourced materials and infrastructure, highest across all export oriented industries in the country.
In this backdrop, this achievement marks an important milestone in the Sri Lankan rubber industry – one of the oldest in the world – in a context where the industry has displayed vast potential in exporting value added products. Value added rubber products account for 80% of total rubber exports, a significant amount. As such, solid tyres, gloves, moulded products, mattresses, footwear, bicycle tyres, rubber products etc are exported to major global markets, along with raw rubber generating an annual revenue of $ 1.1 billion. A major area in the plantation sector, a spectrum of other industries and businesses revolve around the rubber industry as support services. These industries and businesses comprise of small holder plantations, tapping, transportation, centrifuging and packaging services, which generate a vast range of direct and indirect employment opportunities.
Lalan Rubbers Ltd is a pioneer in South Asia who holds the edge in being a vertically integrated company controlling the value chain from the plantations to the finished product, producing the complete range of disposable, surgical, household, seamless and industrial glove products manufactured in six state of the art facilities which supersede international standards across the country.
A major market player in terms of exports, Lalan supplies over one billion gloves annually to overseas markets. The company manages 17,000 acres of FSC certified rubber plantations and exports centrifuged latex, rubber bands and mattresses and pillows are also included in the company’s product portfolio.
Further, ethical business practices and eco-friendly production is at the core of Lalan’s philosophy, as it is a company that firmly believes in servicing the society through their endeavours.
Behind Lalan’s successful journey is the strength and guidance of Lalith Hapangama, who together with the company’s dedicated workforce, has been able to place Lalan at the pinnacle. A visionary entrepreneur and an industry pioneer, his contribution to the local rubber industry goes beyond statistics and figures. Lalan has been able to make its mark as a major market player that supplies a variety of product to renowned supermarket chains in the world, as well as to leading automotive, aircraft, chemical, electronic, foo, medical and construction brands. Hence, the GRC Wickham Award is a fitting tribute to the excellence achieved by Hapangama and Lalan Rubbers Ltd.
