Singer Sri Lanka: Leading the way in sustainability and innovation

Singer Sri Lanka, the market leader in the country’s consumer durables industry, is gearing up to spotlight its unwavering commitment to sustainability in a world increasingly focused on social responsibility and long-term positive impacts.

With a mission to improve the quality of life by creating lifelong partnerships with its consumers, the company is devoted to provide efficient services, comfort, and convenience at the greatest value.

To discuss Singer’s growing efforts to uphold its reputation as the country’s most powerful consumer durable brand, Singer Sri Lanka’s Marketing Director Janmesh Antony recently sat down with the Daily FT to highlight the company’s achievements and continued efforts toward sustainable success.

Below are excerpts from that discussion.

Could you give us a brief overview of Singer Sri Lanka?

Singer Sri Lanka is the undisputed market leader in the consumer durables sector in Sri Lanka. Our brand has a history spanning over 147 years, during which it has built a formidable reputation for trust, quality, and reliability among Sri Lankan consumers.

As a company, we have been committed to offering our customers some of the best solutions available globally in terms of electronics and home appliances.

We have an extensive manufacturing footprint through our factories with state-of-the-art technologies including furniture factory, refrigerator factory, washing machines factory and sewing machines factory, all of which have been recognised nationally for producing high-quality products.

In addition to our extensive distribution network, our company is also endorsed by strategic partnerships with over 60 international brands, solidifying our presence as a pioneering local manufacturer and service provider in the global landscape.

CFC emission elimination, ozone layer protection, GHG reduction, ESG regulations in white goods manufacturing are some of the buzzwords in the industry right now. Could you elaborate on Singer Sri Lanka’s take on these?

Singer Sri Lanka has always been at the forefront of environmental sustainability, particularly in white goods manufacturing in Sri Lanka. A prime example that showcases our commitment to sustainability is our ‘Singer-Paramaarthayen Perata’ (Progress through Purpose) initiative, a comprehensive vision aligned with the UN SDGs.

This initiative is designed to create a socially and environmentally conscious culture within our company by integrating sustainability into our core values. The framework for this initiative consists of four key pillars: emission management, energy and water management, social responsibility, and community commitment, all of which aim to achieve practical yet challenging environmental targets for 2030.

In terms of global concerns regarding CFC emissions, we were one of the first companies in South Asia to introduce refrigerators with R600a refrigerants—a 100% environmentally safe product with zero impact on the ozone layer. This initiative was launched in 2012, and since then, we have produced and sold over 1.3 million refrigerators, saving more than 1.3 billion kilowatt-hours of energy.

Tell us about Singer Sri Lanka’s Green Inverter Air Conditioner range and its effectiveness on energy efficiency.

The Singer Green Inverter Air Conditioner range is a highly environmentally friendly innovation, manufactured using R32 refrigerant—one of the world’s most eco-friendly and sustainable refrigerants, with an ozone depletion potential of zero.

These Green Inverter Air Conditioners are designed to cool rooms faster than non-inverter models and are comparatively easier to install. They are ideal for Sri Lanka’s warm climate, as the inverter technology used in these air conditioners are capable of regulating power according to room temperature, resulting in lower electricity consumption and higher energy efficiency.

Moreover, these inverter air conditioners are equipped with a variable speed compressor that adjusts its operation based on temperature needs, helping consumers reduce electricity consumption by up to 50%.

Therefore, our Green Inverter Air Conditioner range provides a very cost-effective and environmentally friendly service for our consumers.

Tell us a little bit about the comprehensive solar solutions offered by the company to Sri Lankan energy consumers. 

Singer Sri Lanka has a comprehensive range of solar solutions designed to meet the diverse energy needs of local consumers. Our on-grid and off-grid solar PV systems are equipped with high-quality panels, inverters and lithium batteries to offer users with reliable and efficient solutions.

Our systems carry 3kW, 4.2kW, 5.5kW, and 6.2kW options with each of them backed by a 25-year warranty on linear power output, a 12-year warranty on solar panels, and a 2-year warranty on both inverters and batteries.

The systems are designed utilising premium solar technology, with inverters from leading global brands such as Solax (China), Fronius (Austria), and SMA (Germany), alongside A-grade JA Solar (Mono Perk) panels. Tailored to different energy requirements these solar solutions are designed to cater to a variety of applications, including households, hotels, factories, and large-scale projects.

Could you provide some insight into the pilot project initiated by the Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority (SLSEA) last year in which Singer Sri Lanka played a major role?

The pilot refrigerator replacement project, initiated by the Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority (SLSEA) on 17 February, 2023, aimed to encourage energy efficiency and reduce overall energy consumption across the country.

As part of this initiative, a Minimum Energy Performance (MEP) label was introduced for 15 refrigerator models in a bid to provide consumers with crucial energy usage information at the point of sale.

The SISIL brand under the Singer umbrella contributed 9 of these models, all of which exceeded required energy efficiency standards.

The ultimate goal of this project is to gradually phase out energy-wasting products from the market. By participating in this initiative, Singer Sri Lanka was once again able to establish our pioneering commitment to introducing innovative technologies, sustainability, and innovation in the country.