13 February 2021 12:22 am
From left: DSI Managing Director Kasun Rajapaksa and DSI Executive Director Dilshan Rajapaksa display a synthetic leather sheet
D. Samson Industries (Pvt.) Ltd, a subsidiary of DSI Samson Group (Pvt.) Ltd, enters into synthetic leather manufacturing by acquiring a state-of-the-art production facility in Katana, in the Negombo precincts, during a crucial period in which the government has encouraged Sri Lankan entrepreneurs to take a step forward to invest in the manufacturing industry.
“This was part of our business-related integration initiatives under the 2020-2022 strategic plan and a much-needed investment to manufacture the raw materials that are being used for footwear manufacturing. It will also cut down the supply chain and logistics lead time, when it comes to sourcing materials while we can reduce the much-needed foreign exchange spent on imports.
Another benefit to the country and its economy is the provision of additional employment to the youth of our country. With the in-house training in skills development, it gives a much-needed boost to improving the inherent talents of these employees,” said DSI Managing Director Kasun Rajapaksa.
DSI synthetic materials plant is the only manufacturing venture in Sri Lankan to use the transfer coating technology, which can manufacture the 0.3 mm to 4.0 mm thickness range. “While manufacturing the internal requirements for DSI footwear manufacturing, DSI synthetic materials plant will also cater its full range for the local footwear manufacturers, upholstery, automotive, bags and stationary sectors in the country. While introducing new products to the domestic market, our synthetic leathers have already entered into export markets such as the UK and Europe, with the required compliances and standards. We are confident that we can increase our exports this year since the demand for synthetic leather is also increasing, especially in the automotive industry worldwide, as its manufacturing does not involve animal killing,” said DSI Executive Director Dilshan Rajapaksa.
DSI endorses the government’s initiative to control imports and encouragement given to the manufacturing sector during a period the country is yet recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. The current interest rate reduction in the banking sector is a move in the right direction and it provided the impetus to go ahead with this investment.
D. Samson Industries (Pvt.) Ltd is the largest footwear manufacturer in Sri Lanka, with over 3,000 employees in the footwear plants, while DSI Samson Group provides over 10,000 direct jobs. The group also provides over 5,000 indirect jobs by way of sub-contracting and support services across its 25 companies.