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The Sri Lanka Automobile Association in Japan (SLAAJ) held their first-ever Automobile Convention in Sri Lanka last week. Present at the event as Chief Guest was President Maithripala Sirisena, along with Guests of Honour Vallibel One Group Chairman and Managing Director Dhammika Perera, Ambassador for Sri Lanka to Japan Prof. Dammika Ganganath Disanayake, and former Ambassador of Sri Lankan Embassy in Japan Admiral (Retired) Wasantha Karannagoda, and other Ministry and Government officials.
Of the key topics under discussion was the possibility of the three main parties, the vehicle exporters, vehicle importers and the Government of Sri Lanka, working together under one umbrella to dissect the industry’s obstacles and issues at hand and to disseminate the solutions in a method that is mutually beneficial to all parties involved.
SLAAJ President Nishantha Meegalla said: “One of the biggest challenges faced by vehicle exporters out of Japan is the lack of coordination between industry officials and the other relevant organisations, which in turn affects the business. Therefore, the Association places great emphasis on developing trade links through appropriate programs to establish mutual relationships with vehicle dealers and other parties.”
He added: “The final outcomes of our discussions at this convention has to be mutually beneficial to all parties involved and our final stakeholder, the vehicle user. It is only through a united front amongst these parties that we can work towards achieving our goals.”
SLAAJ was formed in 2012 with a membership of over 70 Sri Lankan motor vehicle exporters based in Japan. The Association was a brainchild of the then Ambassador to Japan Wasantha Karannagoda, who felt the need to unify Sri Lankan vehicle exporters under one umbrella to maintain, manage and interrelate the industry with proper standards and certifications. The SLAAJ remains a self-motivated, non-profit-making social organisation that functions and interacts directly with the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Japan.
Since its inception in 2012, the Association has conducted trade development between Sri Lanka and Japan through integrated programs, launched awareness programs relating to the automobile industry, vehicle spare parts and other businesses, and developed a mutual relationship between vehicle dealers and other parties while cooperating with relevant regulations, and has taken up other issues with the Sri Lankan Government as well as local and international organisations.
Kobe Motor Company President Umar Ali said: “Constant and ad hoc policy changes means that we have to recalculate our procedures which impacts trade losses faced by exporters and importers as well as delays in shipments and documentation. This is why we want to liaise with two of Sri Lanka’s main bodies, the Vehicle Importers Association Lanka and Vehicle Importers Association Sri Lanka, and work as one voice to raise issues and formulate policies that will be helpful to us and the policymakers.”
Kobe Motor Company is one of the top 10 vehicle exporters out of Japan. Of the top 10, six companies are Sri Lankan-owned.
The two main vehicle importers associations in Sri Lanka are the Vehicle Importers Association Lanka and Vehicle Importers Association Sri Lanka.
The ‘SLAAJ Guarantee’, which was launched at this event, is a sticker that will be pasted on every vehicle exported from Japan hereafter, ensuring the end user will be guaranteed of quality and the proper standardisation with their purchase.
The SLAAJ also conducted a forum that was attended by officials of the Foreign Ministry, Import Control Department, Sri Lanka Customs, RMV and the Ministry of Environment.
