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Friday, 22 August 2014 01:04 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Sri Lankan entrepreneurship has always had a vibrant history of innovation – the story of Odiris Engineering is one such story. In 1952, when Odiris Perera set out to start a unique venture, his aspirations were both ground breaking and noble. He was a devout Buddhist and a man committed to giving his customers the best he could. Today, as Odiris Engineering looks back on a long journey outlining a unique heritage, there’s a lot there that will inspire and spur younger generations of entrepreneurs.
Odiris Engineering became a limited liability company in 1991, when the sole proprietorship was converted. The COO of the company today, Isura Sirisena, a dynamic young professional who recalls his great grand uncle’s firm convictions and business principles, says that in keeping with the times, the company has grown in many ways.
“Odiris Perera never believed in adapting ‘tactics’ to sell the products he manufactured with a high sense of quality and pride. He was confident of the quality of the products he pioneered. I still remember him saying that customers purchase our products with their hard earned money and so it was our duty to provide them with the maximum satisfaction when they buy our products.”
True to its outstanding engineering capabilities, Odiris Engineering Management Team consists of three technical directors who possess exceptional engineering expertise in engineering, production and engineering consultancy in industrial and commercial sectors. The company today is headed by the eldest son of Odiris Perera, Wilson Perera, assisted by the other two Directors, Karunasiri Perera and Jayasiri Perera.
Odiris Engineering employs over 80 personnel and is still located at its original place of business, at the Ratmalana Industrial Estate and Pamankada.
“Odiris Engineering has always been driven by a philosophy of high quality, superior customer service and ensuring customer satisfaction,” says Isura. “We have never deviated from that.”
The company’s flagship product is their high quality coconut scraper; their product portfolio also includes the large clamp coconut scraper that can be fixed on a concrete surface or a tiled surface and a standard coconut scraper available at an affordable price yet meets the same stringent standard of high quality.
The range also includes the TMR, a model that Odiris pioneered in the Sri Lankan market and which the company considers is a first ever and the grand old coconut scraper known as ‘Jinjibaras’ the traditional bench favourite and its table version with the coconut scraping blade. The electric coconut scraper, available in both industrial and domestic versions for the modern household, is also a proud Odiris invention.
For generations, customers have trusted Odiris Engineering products for their durability and sleek finish. The Odiris range of high quality knives, from manna knives to kitchen knives, table and bread knives are manufactured to a specific design developed by the company, reiterates Isura.
Odiris Engineering also manufactures high quality kerosene cooker, a product the company pioneered. Currently, Isura says that due to a technical issue the range is no more in production but the company hopes to resume productionsoon. Odiris Engineering takes pride in their stainless steel products, manufactured with high end technical expertise, under personal supervision by the technical directors of the company.
Isura represents the young generation and the exciting promise of future for this company with a rich heritage. A product of Carey College, Colombo, Isura graduated from the Northwood University (USA) as a Bachelor of Business Administration Specialised in Business Management and also Member of Association of Business Executives UK. He is also a Passed Finalist of the Institute of Chartered Corporate Secretaries Sri Lanka.
For this young man, the opportunity to take over operations of a company close to his heart, one run by his family members, was both life changing and challenging. “For me, it is an opportunity to provide leadership, facilitate everyone to perform to the best of their ability , equipping and empowering them to give their very best,” he says.
He has many plans for the company and sees the future as full of opportunities and potential. “We are a family owned company but we have a customer centric philosophy that is ready to embrace the future – we understand changing customer perceptions and we have a product portfolio that is manufactured to meet world class standards. We are proud of our heritage and also have confidence in our consumers and the dynamics of the market we operate in,” Isura says in conclusion.
