News
Haycarb Super Star
‘Haycarb Super Star’ – A singing competition held for Haycarb employees, concluded with its grand finale held on 22nd September 2018, at Avenra Gangaara, Wennappuwa during the company annual get-together. Mr. Sanjaya Senevirathne from Recogen Plant won the title with his superior talent, beating four other finalists who competed in the grand finale.
The first round of the event was held in August with 33 participants competing from Madampe, Badalgama and Recogen Factories, Puritas and Head Office in Colombo. Only 15 participants made it to the 2nd round, which was narrowed later to 5 participants winning entry to the final round.
Mr. Darshana Lalith Kumara, Mr. D S P Danasiri, Mr. Nishan Suranjith Abeysinghe, Mr. Sanjaya Senevirathne and Mr. Kosala Senanayake competed for the coveted titled at the grand finale held on 22nd September, entertaining a crowd of over 1200 which comprised of Haycarb employees and their families.
Competitors were provided support by groups of dedicated fans cheering them on during the event. Mr. Sanjaya Senevirathne, the winner of the competition, was awarded by Mr. Mohan Pandithage - Chairman & Chief Executive Hayleys PLC and Chairman Haycarb PLC. Mr. D S P Danasiri and Mr. Darshana Lalith Kumara, both employed at the Head Office, won second and third places respectively.
The event provided live entertainment and a memorable evening for all at Haycarb.
Haycarb Suhada Hamuwa 2018
Haycarb’s annual get-together ‘Suhada Hamuwa’ took place on 22nd September at Avenra Gangaara in Wennappuwa. This year’s event saw over 1200 attendees, which included Haycarb employees and their families from Madampe, Badalgama and Recogen Factories, Wewelduwa Transit Stores, Puritas, and, Haycarb Head Office.
Mr. Mohan Pandithage - Chairman & Chief Executive Hayleys PLC and Chairman Haycarb PLC, graced the occasion as the chief guest, whilst several invitees from Hayleys Group also participated the event. Mr. Mohan Pandithage took the lead in lighting the traditional oil lamp in commencing the event. Mr. Rajitha Kariyawasan, Managing Director of Haycarb PLC extended a warm welcome to the gathering with a brief speech.
Nine employees of the group were felicitated with Long Service Awards in appreciation of their service to the company during the event. Long service award is a special recognition awarded to those who completed 15 years or 25 years of service at the company.
This years’ event also saw the final competition and award ceremony of ‘Haycarb Super Star’ – a singing competition organized for employees. 5 finalists of the competition sang and entertained the gathering competing for the title, which was won by Mr. Sanjaya Senevirathne employed at Recogen.
It was a fun-filled evening for the employees and their families. Kiddie bouncers were available for the children along with gifts and snack packs to enjoy. The event included a spot competition, and a raffle draw. A gala buffet was arranged for the attendees and the band ‘Sunshine’ provided the music to dance the night away. It was a memorable night for all at Haycarb.
Visit us at ECWATECH 2018!
Haycarb will be participating at ECWATECH 2018! Visit us at our booth to discuss your activated carbon requirement for water treatment!
Haycarb records turnover of USD 27.36 Mn and profit before tax of USD 1.16 Mn for Q1 2018/19
The Sri Lankan multinational Haycarb PLC reported revenue of USD 27.36 Mn and profit before tax of USD 1.16 Mn for the first quarter of 2018/19. The profit after tax stood at USD 1.01 Mn.
Haycarb PLC Managing Director Mr. Rajitha Kariyawasan said that while the company’s initiatives to extend its market reach and the value added portfolio contributed to the noteworthy growth in turnover, the continuing shortages and escalation of charcoal cost in Sri Lanka and India negatively impacted the profitability at both the company and group levels.
He further said, “Even though coconut crop and charcoal supply chain dynamics stabilised in Indonesia, shortages in coconut shell based charcoal supplies are expected to continue in Sri Lanka, India and Thailand in the short term. In this backdrop the company is continuing to focus on the procurement strategy that emphasizes on retention of existing suppliers, broad basing the supply network and supporting low-cost environmental friendly charcoaling methods. Given the formidable supply chain challenges, Haycarb has demonstrated its sourcing capabilities, to continue deliveries to its valued customers without disruption.”
On a separate note, Mr. Kariyawasan said that the growth in the environmental engineering arm Puritas (Pvt.) Ltd. is expected to contribute positively to the profitability of the Group supported by the expected growth in water and waste water treatment projects in Sri Lanka and in the Region.
World Environment Day #BeatPlasticPollution
Haycarb Activated Carbon Products Awarded Three Food Certifications - GMP, HACCP and ISO 22000:2005 from SGS
Haycarb PLC proudly announces that our carbons have now been accredited with three major food certifications in the world. Our valued customers requiring activated carbon for their medical, pharmaceutical as well as food and beverage applications can now purchase Haycarb food grade activated carbon to be used in their products with following certifications:
- GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) Certification: Accredited by SGS- Sri Lanka
- HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) codex Aliment Arius Certification: Accredited by SGS- Sri Lanka
- ISO 22000:2005 Standard for Food Safety Management: Accredited by SGS-Switzerland as a Food Grade Carbon under Food Additives Category.
GMP certification is awarded to our Medicine and Pharmaceutical range of carbons manufactured as Food Grade activated carbon.
Our carbons with RMP code manufactured especially for Food and Beverage related applications are certified under HACCP and ISO22000 under Food Additive category.
The qualified food safety team of Haycarb PLC has been working rigorously dedicated to establishing production and quality management procedures and protocols internally to implement Food Management production standards. Ensuring product hygiene, eliminating contamination risks, maintaining product quality, improving work environment and the training of employees has been conducted under the direction and facilitation of Mr. Rajitha Kariyawasan, Managing Director of Haycarb PLC.
The awarding ceremony of above certifications was held at the head office of Haycarb PLC at 400, Deans Road Colombo -10, Sri Lanka on 26th March 2018.
Mr. Chamika Wimalasiri- Business Manager, Certification & Business Enhancement at SGS- Sri Lanka awarded the certificated to Mr. M S P Udaya Kumara, Director-Technical and R&D, Mr. Brahman Balaratnarajah, Director - Manufacturing & Engineering and Mr. Ali Asgar Munaver – Director -Business Development respectively.
Haycarb PLC is committed to ensuring the consistent product quality to meet the new accredited standards with the use of advanced manufacturing technology, specialized manufacturing processes and hygienic conditions of food grade carbon as food additives.
Certifications
Mr. Chamika Wimalasiri of SGS presenting Mr. Udaya Kumara, Director R&D - Haycarb PLC the ISO 22000 certification
Mr. Chamika Wimalasiri of SGS presenting Mr. Bremen Balaratnarajah, Director Engineering- Haycarb PLC the HCPP certification
Mr. Chamika Wimalasiri, of SGS presenting Mr. Ali Munaver, Director Business Development – Haycarb PLC, the GMP certification
Haycarb Food Safety Team with the SGS official at the award ceremony
Haycarb at Aquatech China 2018
Meet us at Aquatech China to discuss your activated carbon requirement for water treatment!
Our representatives met with many of our valued customers from China as well as all over the globe at Aquatech China 2008. Many customers stopped by to discuss their various needs in activated carbon relating to water treatments in applications such as Block Filters, Monochloramaine Removal, Industrial Water Treatment, Municipal Water Treatment as well as Drinking Water Treatment.
Eurocarb at FILTECH 2018
Haycarb PLC's European subsidiary Eurocarb participated at the FILTECH 2018 held during March 15-18 this year. Our representatives met with a large number of interested parties, especially from the European region to discuss their activated carbon requirements for filteration.
Eurocarb Team would like to thank the customers and visitors who stopped by:
"Once again this year Filtech has been a big success for Eurocarb, the European subsidiary of Haycarb plc. It is a great opportunity to meet with our customers and people from different companies all around the globe. Many thanks for all that came to visit our brand new stand!
We hope to see you all soon.
The Eurocarb Team."
FILTECH is the largest filteration event held world-wide.
Haycarb PLC takes Gold Award in CSR at JASTECA Awards 2017 for “Puritas Sath Diyawara”
The Hayleys Group continued to set new benchmarks in corporate social responsibility as its purification sector, Haycarb PLC won two awards at the recently concluded Japan Sri Lanka Technical and Cultural Association (JASTECA) Awards 2017.
Drawing participation from some of Sri Lanka’s leading corporates, Haycarb PLC emerged as one of the nation’s true leaders in sustainability, winning the coveted Ian Dias Abeysinghe Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Gold Award in recognition of the lifesaving initiatives to provide clean drinking water to rural communities across the country for the flagship initiative ’ “Puritas Sath Diyawara”.
Additionally, Puritas Sath Diyawara also won the Special Award under the CSR category, securing further recognition for its groundbreaking initiative.
“Our team at Haycarb PLC is deeply honored by the invaluable recognition expressed for Puritas Sath Diyawara project at the recent JASTECA Awards 2017. We feel a deep sense of accomplishment at the life-saving support that this initiative has extended to water-stressed rural communities situated in Sri Lanka’s dry zone.
“Moving forward, we remain firmly committed to the continued expansion of Puritas Sath Diyawara with the support of key sectors of the Hayleys Group in order to provide safe, clean, drinking water to the communities that need it most, complemented with further opportunities for enhancing income generation and education as our flagship CSR initiative,” Hayleys PLC Chairman and Chief Executive, Mohan Pandithage stated.
Launched in 2014 with the construction of its first Reverse Osmosis plant, Puritas Sath Diyawara has grown from strength to strength now covering 19 villages hit hardest by the epidemic of Chronic Kidney Disease of uncertain aetiology (CKDu) in Northern and North Central Provinces.
With its most recent Reverse Osmosis plant, Puritas Sath Diyawara now provides 160,000 litres of clean drinking water to over 33,000 men, women and children.
“A key reason for the initiation of Puritas Sath Diyawara was as a response to the ravaging impact that CKDu was having on Sri Lanka’s rural communities with the patronage of key business sectors of the Hayleys Group. This has been ably coordinated and executed by our fully owned environmental engineering arm, Puritas (Pvt) Ltd. While there has been significant research into this subject, it is still unclear what causes CKDu, and the only known pragmatic preventative measure is to ensure access to clean drinking water.
“While Puritas Sath Diyawara has expanded with great success from this initial stage, we remain deeply committed to assisting these communities that often times are directly responsible for feeding our nation,” Managing Director of Haycarb Group, Rajitha Kariyawasan said.
Together with its vital water filtration facilities, the project also aims to support education among children in these communities, in addition to further initiatives aimed at Livelihood development.
Haycarb records turnover of USD 71.4 million and profit before tax of USD 3.7 million at Q3 2017/18
Haycarb PLC, the Sri Lankan multinational of Hayleys PLC reported revenue of USD 71.4 million and profit before tax of USD 3.7 million for 9 months ending 31 December 2017. The profit after tax stood at USD 3.1 million.
Haycarb PLC Managing Director Mr. Rajitha Kariyawasan said that the raw material shortages and resulting high prices continued to impact the bottom line adversely in Q3 of 2017/18. The deterioration of charcoal availability in Sri Lanka, India and Thailand driven by unfavourable weather conditions, resulted in significant increases of cost of manufacture in Sri Lanka and Thailand. On the other hand, even though the raw material availability continued to recover in Indonesia during the period under review, the price pressure did not ease due to the high level of demand attributable to shortages of charcoal in other locations. In this situation the company has made significant efforts to revise prices of activated carbon in consecutive occasions through discussions with its valued customers. However, the lagging effect and the inability to pass the full impact of the price increase has resulted in lower margins compared to last year.
Mr. Kariyawasan stated that in this challenging environment, noteworthy savings were generated through increased efficiencies and cost reductions obtained via manufacturing processes and supply chain through lean projects.
He further said, “The company’s initiatives to acquire new customer accounts and market segments backed by a robust product development platform have also shown positive results and added to the bottom line. Haycarb will continue to engage in its development initiatives to capture new markets, while using every effort to provide the best value proposition to its existing markets world-wide. Haycarb PLC made significant progress in its accreditations in quality by obtaining GMP, HACCP and ISO 22000 certifications from SGS that will enable the Group to position its high value added products in the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical application segments.”
He also noted the positive contribution to the bottom line from the Environmental Engineering arm, Puritas (Pvt.) Ltd. in Q3 and commented that this business segment is expected to continue its growth momentum and make a significant impact to the bottom line in the last quarter.
We are also proud to state that Puritas Sathdiyawara, the key CSR initiative of the Hayleys/Haycarb Groups, that is instrumental in providing 160,000 litres of clean drinking water daily to 33,000 people in 19 villages in North Central and Nothern districts affected by the Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) of Sri Lanka, was named world’s best environmental water project at Energy Globe World Awards 2017.
Commenting on the future prospects and growth of the Group, Mr. Kariyawasan said that the company remains positive to achieve medium to long term growth in the background of increasing emphasis on environmental sustainability worldwide through the execution of its strategic plan for growth and diversification.
Haycarb is the pioneer manufacturer of coconut shell activated carbon in any coconut producing country with manufacturing facilities in Sri Lanka, Thailand and Indonesia supported by marketing offices in the USA, UK and Australia. The company contributes net foreign exchange revenues with its value adding processes whilst remaining a leading and technologically superior manufacturer in its chosen segment.
HAYLEYS PURITAS SATHDIYAWARA WINS GLOBAL AWARD FOR WATER AT ENERGY GLOBE WORLD AWARDS 2017
HAYLEYS PURITAS SATHDIYAWARA WINS GLOBAL AWARD FOR WATER AT ENERGY GLOBE WORLD AWARDS 2017
Director Haycarb PLC & Puritas, Ms. Sharmila Ragunathan holding the Energy Globe World Award for the best Environmental Water Project with ENERGY GLOBE Founder Wolfgang Neumann at the Energy Globe World Award Ceremony 2017 at the Presidential Palace in Tehran
- The world winners in environmental initiatives were announced on January 16, at the Energy Globe World Award Ceremony 2017 held in the Presidential Palace in Tehran.
- Guests from 60 nations joined the ceremony, among them ministers of the Iranian Government, who announced the winners.
Puritas a subsidiary of Haycarb Group and a member of Hayleys PLC was announced the World Winner in the category of Water - for its acclaimed Hayleys’ Puritas Sathdiyawara project for providing clean drinking water to people with chronic kidney disease through its reverse osmosis water purification systems and comprehensive strategic village upliftment. The 1st place was tied with the Kerman Copper Region of the Islamic Republic of Iran for its integrated water master plan to provide water for the Sarchechmen mine, which includes an upgrade of tailings disposal and water management system.
Over 2,000 projects from 178 countries were submitted for the prestigious environmental award in five categories: Earth, Fire, Water, Air and Youth. The jury, led by Maneka Gandhi, environmentalist and Indian Union Cabinet Minister for Women & Child Development, selected 16 finalists and awarded the 5 most outstanding environmental projects.
The award in the category Air went to the Austrian Post for reducing their ecological footprint by replacing conventional vehicles with electric vehicles in their operations. Sustainable Coastlines Charitable Trust from New Zealand received the award in the category Youth for their flagship education center, where pupils, community groups and business are taught to become guardians of the environment. The award in the category Earth went to the Rural Green Environment Organization from Afghanistan for its efforts to reforest degraded watershed and establish fruit orchards through community involvement in one of the remotest and poorest mountainous valleys. Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences from India received the award in the category Fire. Green initiatives undertaken by this institute have found a great way to reduce the ecological footprint for large scale cooking.
To date Puritas Sathdiyawara provides 160,000 litres of clean drinking water daily to over 33,000 men, women and children across 19 villages in the North and North Central provinces since 2014. Each project is sponsored by a Group Company, and to-date the Hayleys Group has invested more than Rs. 63 million in this initiative. It consists of a formalized water distribution network through a bowser and multiple docking stations throughout the village to ensure all villagers have equal access to purified water.
Chairman and Chief Executive of the Hayleys Group, Mohan Pandithage said: “Sathdiyawara since its humble inception in 2014 has grown to be the heart of our Group CSR. I commend the Puritas Team for the incredible passion and love with which they have been driving this initiative and of course the Hayleys Group Companies who so generously contribute to the growth of this initiative. The Teams work with large numbers of villages in the North and North Central provinces, at ground level to identify the most severely affected villages. We have gone above and beyond what we originally set out to achieve, by additionally supporting the communities with livelihood development opportunities. Each time I see the hopeful faces of the beautiful village children and their families, I feel blessed that we have been able to transform their lives and give them hope for a better, healthier future. To me that is the greatest joy, but winning world acclaim for all the unwavering efforts of my Team is definitely exhilarating. Well done to the Team involved!”
Commenting on this outstanding achievement which puts Sri Lanka on the Global Sustainability map, Managing Director, Haycarb and Puritas, Rajitha Kariyawasan said: “This global recognition is beyond what we had ever envisioned when we started Hayleys’ Puritas Sathdiyawara in 2014. Our single-minded focus then and now, lies in eradicating CKD within the country. Sathdiyawara also consciously supports villages whose grim conditions are exacerbated not only by this debilitating illness but also by drought, dry arid conditions including floods, which deny them of basic access to drinking water. We are extremely humbled beyond words that our genuine efforts have received such global acclaim. We thank our Chairman and all the Hayleys Group Sectors who have stepped up to support this project which now has become the flagship CSR endeavour of the Hayleys Group.”
Elaborating further Director Puritas – Sharmila Ragunathan who accepted the award at the Ceremony in Tehran and who spearheads the passionate team that leads this initiative added: “This gift of life which we sincerely give to 33,000 Sri Lankans signifies a renewed hope for the future of these families. We do it out of genuine altruism. While winning awards is not the reason behind this endeavour, winning this world award is undeniably, deeply encouraging and has motivated the Puritas Team to persevere and continue this life changing project with renewed passion and enthusiasm.”
The international ENERGY GLOBE Awards / World Award are presented annually in the realm of a festive ceremony. The 3 nominees in each category are invited and the winners are announced at the ceremony. Prominent Award presenters include Kofi Annan, Michail Gorbachev, Maneka Gandhi (Former Indian Environment Minister), Ahok Khosla (President Club of Rome) the Presidents of the EU Commission and EU Parliament, UNEP DG Achim Steiner, former World Bank Inspection Panel Chief Prof. Edward S. Ayensu. Actors like Martin Sheen, Aamir Khan, Peter Falk (Columbo), etc. presented awards and famous singers like Robin Gibb, Dionne Warwick, Alanis Morissette, etc. were guests at the ceremonies.
To safeguard the future of the planet and the right of future generations everywhere to live healthy and fulfilling lives should be a human right for everyone. ENERGY GLOBE Founder Wolfgang Neumann has made this goal his lifetime mission. The International ENERGY GLOBE Awards / World Award for Sustainability are means to raise awareness on this issue, to showcase best practice solutions from a variety of countries, to motivate people to contribute their share and to convince governments to provide the necessary framework.
Meet Haycarb USA at WQA Convention 2018!
Haycarb USA will be present at Booth No. 237 at the WQA Convention 2018, held in Denver, USA during March 26-29, 2018!
Meet us with us to discuss your activated carbon requirement!
Haycarb records turnover of USD 46.5 million and profit before tax of USD 1.94 million for 1H 2017/18
The Sri Lankan multinational Haycarb PLC reported a revenue of USD 46.5 million and profit before tax of USD 1.94 million for the six months ending 30th September 2017. The profit after tax stood at USD 1.64 million.
Haycarb PLC Managing Director Mr. Rajitha Kariyawasan said that whilst the company continued to expand its market reach and recorded a healthy growth in turnover, the sharp increase in the price of its key raw material, coconut charcoal impacted its bottom line significantly. While the company made significant efforts to revise prices upwards through comprehensive discussions with its valued customers, the inability to pass the full impact of the raw material price increases and the lagging effect of price revisions has resulted in lower margins than last year. The company has successfully implemented initiatives to strengthen the raw material supply chain networks in Sri Lanka and Thailand during the period under review through its “Haritha Angara” program of assisting to build more environment friendly charcoal pits in Sri Lanka and by strengthening its own charcoaling operations in Thailand. However, the raw material availability in these two locations is expected to decline during the latter half of the year due to seasonal factors, a key challenge to be reckoned with. The raw material supply chain in Indonesia has recovered from the severe setback it suffered and is expected to improve further during the third and fourth quarters.
He further added, that “the current trend of shortages and resultant increases in prices of coconut charcoal is likely to continue in to the second half of the financial year in Sri Lanka and in India in particular. The company is in the process of negotiating further adjustments necessary to its sales pricing to the extent permissible based on the competitive market conditions. The adverse currency movements experienced in Thailand and Indonesia, where the company has a significant presence, can further aggravate the impact on margins.” On a positive note he added that the company has achieved encouraging savings in its lean platforms and growth in some markets and value added product segments that signal potential for the future.
Mr. Kariyawasan said that the environmental engineering arm Puritas (Pvt.) Ltd., will contribute positively to the top and bottom lines in the second half of the year and expressed confidence on this segment’s continued growth and potential for the future.
In the background of increasing emphasis on environmental sustainability worldwide Haycarb remains positive in its medium to long term outlook in its activated carbon and water treatment systems businesses.
Haycarb is the pioneer manufacturer of coconut shell activated carbon in any coconut producing country with manufacturing facilities in Sri Lanka, Thailand and Indonesia supported by marketing offices in the USA, UK and Australia. The company contributes net foreign exchange revenues with its value adding processes whilst remaining a leading and technologically superior manufacturer in its chosen segment.
The Board of Directors of Haycarb PLC comprises of Messrs Mohan Pandithage – Chairman, Rajitha Kariyawasan – Managing Director, Dhammika Perera, Arjun Senaratna, Sarath Ganegoda, Ms. Jeevani Abeyratne, Dr. Sarath Abayawardana, Sujeewa Rajapakse, M. S. P. Udaya Kumara, Brahman Balaratnarajah, Ali Asgar Caderbhoy, Ms. Sharmila Ragunathan, James Naylor and M. H. Jamaldeen.
Visit us today at Aquatech Amsterdam!
Our European subsidiary, Eurocarb Pvt. Ltd, will be exhibiting at Aquatech Amsterdam, 2017. Please visit us to discuss your activated carbon requirement!
We are at WEFTEC 2017!
Haycarb USA will be at WEFTEC 2017! Visit us to discuss your activated carbon requirement!
Haycarb wins big at Presidential Awards 2016!
We’re extremely happy to announce that Haycarb PLC won the awards of ‘Highest Value Added Exporter’ as well as ‘Highest Foreign Exchange Earner‘ in Coconut Non-Kernal Products Sector (in recognition of its Coconut Shell Based Activated Carbon Manufacture and Exports) at the prestigious Presidential Export Awards 2016 organized by the Export Development Board - Sri Lanka held in a gala ceremony today, presided by the President of Sri Lanka.
We are honored to have been recognized for our immense contribution towards the development of activated carbon industry in Sri Lanka as pioneers in the country to become the highest value added exporter and highest foreign exchange earner in this category.
Hayleys Puritas Sathdiyawara rejuvenates rural communities in Sri Lanka’s dry-zone
Hayleys Mabroc Teas commissions 16th Sathdiyawara RO Drinking Water Project in Dutuwewa, Galenbindunuwewa.
Sri Lanka continues to grapple with a rising number of cases of chronic kidney disease of uncertain etiology (CKDu), with estimates of thousands of cases across Sri Lanka’s North Central, East, Uva, Southern and Northern provinces being recorded over the past decade alone. Awareness and concern over the ravaging effect that this affliction has had on families and communities across the dry zone is on the rise. Combined with, and almost certainly exacerbated by the harsh, hot, and extremely parched conditions prevalent in these areas, day-to-day life has quickly degraded into a constant struggle as larger groups of Sri Lankans are faced with the life-threateningly difficult decision of consuming what little water they have and risking the fate which they have seen so many friends and family fall to, or struggle a while longer with no water at all.
Dutuwewa is one such village in Sri Lanka’s North Central province which has for decades endured these harsh conditions with little to no outside assistance until recently when a dedicated Reverse Osmosis water purification plant was established in the village for the first time as part of the continuing efforts of the Hayleys Group under its flagship CSR programme, Puritas Sathdiyawara, finally signaling an end to the terrible scarcity of drinking water which area residents had stoically weathered for so many years.
Abeyratne - a village farmer commented “Not having clean water all these years has been extremely difficult. And this contaminated water has caused a fast increasing rise in CKD affliction. There were many relatives and friends who were diagnosed with CKD and for them life has been hard. They get exhausted very easily, and get angry and frustrated as the disease affects their moods and disposition. It has been a great relief for all of us that we no longer have to worry about the poor quality and severe lack of water. We used to get water from the wells located in the area. This water has always been very hard and brackish. We are now so used to drinking clean and pure water that we realize how unbearable the previous water we have had all our lives tasted, and the harm it caused our families. We could not bear to drink that again.”
Speaking at the ceremonial opening of the plant, Chairman and Chief Executive of Hayleys PLC, Mohan Pandithage said: “Our goal with Puritas Sathdiyawara from the outset has been to ensure that we are able to make a lasting and meaningful improvement to the lives of these once vibrant rural communities. It is our duty to ensure that the basic needs of the people and communities of this nation are met, and their aspirations nurtured. Access to, safe, clean drinking water for these communities is absolutely imperative and we at Hayleys are fully committed to do as much as possible to fulfill this fundamental need and help to ease the plight of our people.”
“My parents moved here from the Kandy district almost 60 years ago. At that time we had of course never heard of kidney disease and we would get the water we needed from wells that we usually had to dig ourselves. While life was never too easy for us, I feel that especially over the last 10 years, it has become much more difficult. The droughts are worse than ever before and it saddens us greatly to see how many of our friends and members of the community have lost their lives to kidney disease,” G. R. Sugadathasa, a local farmer and former Treasurer of the Regional Welfare Society explained.
The families that first settled this area following the construction of reservoirs in the area so many decades ago, still have their descendants living and working the same land, however changing climate patterns and a rising epidemic of CKDu, together with lack of basic comforts that draw younger Sri Lankans out of the rural lifestyles and into increasingly densely populated urban centers have taken a severe toll on these communities. “We want our children to stay here and help the village grow and prosper and become like the cities one day. If everyone leaves, our villages will remain unchanged.’ Sugathadasa added.
Following the construction of its first RO plant in Maithreepura, Padaviya, one of the villages worst affected by CKD in 2014 Puritas Sathdiyawara has gone on to install 16 RO plants across four districts, providing life-saving access to clean, drinking water for over 33,000 men, women and children across 19 villages in the North and North Central provinces. In keeping with the established model of Sathdiyawara where key sectors of Hayleys Group companies sponsor the construction of a new RO plant, the Dutuwewa facility was sponsored by the Hayleys Group’s tea marketing and export business, Mabroc Teas.
“It is a true honour for the Mabroc to be part of the Puritas Sathdiyawara initiative. This is our very first RO plant commissioning, and we consider it a privilege to be able to contribute towards a project that will drastically improve the lives of so many families and communities in Dutuwewa,” Mabroc Managing Director, Niran Ranatunga said.
Community engagement is fundamental to the approach and vision of Puritas Sathdiyawara. In that regard, each of the RO installations has been designed in a manner that ownership, and responsibility for these life-saving facilities are retained with the residents of these communities. Particularly given that the conditions and requirements of each village differs from case to case, once each facility is constructed, it is handed over to Community Based Organization (CBO) of the village to manage the plant and distribute water and maintain records of distribution.
In charge of the Dutuwewa RO plant is Mr. Nandana, President of the village’s Community Based Organization. Having worked in close collaboration with Hayleys, Nandana is now determined to ensure that once the plant is up and running, that a systematic but simple process is established to manage the plant.
“Before Hayleys got involved, we had requested assistance from every person we could think of, because we could see members from our community fall ill and we knew that something had to be done. We are fortunate and extremely grateful to the Hayleys Group in hearing of our need and coming to our aid when it was most needed. This gift was totally unexpected. When we heard that our village would be receiving this RO plant, we never knew that it would be such a massive one. This unit is capable of supplying the total water needs of our village’s consumption. Now that they have done their part, we must do ours and ensure that this invaluable gift is well maintained and managed for future generations.”
He noted however that with the prolonged hardships that area residents had to face, many from the younger generation seem to have gravitated towards the idea of seeking out jobs in the city. In the process, he felt that some of the sense of community that he had enjoyed growing up had been diluted. However he noted that the fact that the RO plant was also built to with a dual purpose of serving as a community centre equipped with computers, internet facilities, and books and toys for children, as well as regular deliveries of newspapers, would in addition to quenching the thirst of residents, also bring them together in a shared space, thus serving to revitalize the ties that had helped establish this community over six decades ago.
“It is true that many of our young people are thinking about moving away from the village and they think that this will give them more freedom than what they have here. But my goal is to keep working and build our village to be as good as Colombo or any other big city when it comes to the ability to make a living. We believe this is possible and we will not give up on this dream, Mr. Abeyratne, a farmer from the village explained.
Indeed, the community centre is deeply appreciated with school children from the area like Imasha Udara, a Grade 10 student with aspirations to complete her education and share her learning with others. “Now that we have computers here, this will be so much easier for us students to read and to learn how to use computers. We can use them to learn so much more so we are all very excited.”
Location is naturally crucial to the success and impact of each Puritas Sathdiyawara plant, and a lot of effort is channeled into ensuring that an optimal location is found which is the closest and most central point for area residents. Remarkably, the land on which the new Dutuwewa RO facility (approximately 10 perches) and community centre is located on was freely donated to the Community Based Organization by one of the families.
Ms. R.A. Mallika Ranawaka a member of the Ranawaka family shared her reasons for donation. “We inherited all this land of 1 acre from my father, and since we wanted to honour our parents’ memory we wanted to contribute this 10 perches of it to this very worthy cause which will help uplift the lives of families and friends in our village, and do our part for an important social cause. After I discussed it with my brothers, we all decided that it was the right thing to do. We have seen how our community has suffered from a lack of clean drinking water and from the agonizing CKD affliction. The fact that this plant is now installed and that it will help all the 3000 families in our community makes us all very happy,” she explained.
Commenting on the future of Puritas Sathdiyawara, which is coordinated by Puritas a key business segment of the Hayleys Group that facilitates the execution of water projects, Rajitha Kariyawasan, Managing Director of Haycarb PLC and an Executive Board Member of Hayleys PLC, reaffirmed the group’s commitment toward further expansion of the project under the guidance of the Chairman and the Board of Hayleys PLC.
“The key known remedy to treat and reverse the effects of CKDu and it’s prevention is providing the access to and wide spread and continued usage of clean drinking water. Having seen the life-changing effects that access to clean, safe drinking water has had on communities across the region, we remain more committed than ever to expanding this initiative as rapidly and sustainably as possible, with the blessings of our Chairman, the Board and the patronage our key sectors of the Group.”
Haycarb records turnover of USD 21.6 million and profit before tax of USD 992,000 for Q1 2017/18
The Sri Lankan multinational Haycarb PLC reported revenue of USD 21.6 million and profit before tax of USD 992,000 for the first quarter of 2017/18. The profit after tax stood at USD 792,000.
Haycarb PLC Managing Director Mr. Rajitha Kariyawasan said that while the company’s initiatives to increase throughput and the value added portfolio together with the geographical expansion of export markets contributed to the growth in turnover, the challenges faced in Indonesian operations due to the shortages in raw material supply and resultant high prices and the increases in charcoal prices in Sri Lanka, India and Thailand negatively impacted the Group’s profitability.
He further said, “Shortages and price increases in coconut shell based charcoal supplies are expected to continue through the current financial year in all the key coconut producing countries in Asia. The challenge in passing its full cost impact to end customers is a major concern to maintain activated carbon business’ expected margins through the year. The Company is in the process of reviewing its prices to pass on a fair part of this impact to its customers after extensive discussions. Central and country specific management teams are working aggressively to ensure a secure supply chain in the current adverse situation whilst focussing on controlling costs and improving efficiencies through the Lean Manufacturing platform. Haycarb’s reputation to manage difficult supply chain issues effectively, without interruption of deliveries to its valued customers is well demonstrated by example in the past.”
On a separate note, Mr. Kariyawasan said that the growth in the environmental engineering arm Puritas (Pvt.) Ltd. is expected to contribute positively to the profitability of the Group.
In the background of increasing emphasis on environmental sustainability worldwide, Haycarb remains positive in its medium to long term outlook in its activated carbon and water treatment systems businesses.
Haycarb is the pioneer manufacturer of coconut shell activated carbon in any coconut producing country with manufacturing facilities in Sri Lanka, Thailand and Indonesia supported by marketing offices in the USA, UK and Australia. The company contributes net foreign exchange revenues with its value adding processes whilst remaining a leading and technologically superior manufacturer in its chosen segment.
The Board of Directors of Haycarb PLC comprises of Messrs Mohan Pandithage – Chairman, Rajitha Kariyawasan – Managing Director, Dhammika Perera, Arjun Senaratna, Sarath Ganegoda, Ms. Jeevani Abeyratne, Dr. Sarath Abayawardana, Sujeewa Rajapakse, M. S. P. Udaya Kumara, Brahman Balaratnarajah, Ali Asgar Caderbhoy, Ms. Sharmila Ragunathan, James Naylor and M. H. Jamaldeen.
Hayleys Group’s Alumex and Hayleys Agriculture expand Hayleys Puritas Sathdiyawara with two RO Plants in Meegassegama and Pahala Kedithokkuwa
Sath Diyawara reaches a total of 18 villages, providing 33,000 people with 130,000 liters of drinking water, daily.
Continuing to expand to create a positive impact on the nation’s growing CKD concern, the Hayleys Group’s – Puritas Sath Diyawara endeavour has now extended its clean drinking water project with two more Reverse Osmosis plants. One plant was recently installed in Meegassegama, Thalawa, sponsored by Alumex PLC The second plant was installed in Pahala Kedithokkuwa, Nochchiyagama, sponsored by Hayleys Agriculture, where in addition to the RO Plant, a mixed cultivation of fruits and moringa was also initiated with the expertise of Hayleys Agriculture, in the 1 acre land owned by the CBO (Community Based Organization) of Pahala Kedithokkuwa. Both villages were also gifted with a knowledge hub, each consisting of computers with internet access and a library.
These projects are the second villages which both Alumex and Hayleys Agriculture have committed to, thereby further strengthening their long-term pledge to this cause.
Speaking at the event, Managing Director of Alumex PLC, Mr. Rohan Peris commented, “This is the second Sath Diyawara village which we have adopted. As part of the Hayleys Group, we strongly believe in how Puritas Sathdiyawara has benefitted these marginalized people, and we have seen firsthand, how providing clean drinking water to CKD afflicted areas has resulted in reduction and reversal of the illness. This encourages us to continue investing in this cause to save more affected lives as well as the lives at risk.”
Addressing the gathering, Ms. Jayanthi Dharmasena, Deputy MD of Hayleys Agriculture stated that Hayleys Agriculture is committed to uplifting rural livelihoods of the community, and that this initiative is an extension of their holistic CSR strategy. Mr. Rizvi Zaheed, Managing Director, Hayleys Agriculture commenting on the project, stated, “While this is the 2nd RO plant which we have commissioned, we have also added to the initiative by supporting the livelihood of the villagers by sharing our expertise and knowledge on agricultural best practices to support them with the cultivation of fruits and moringa on an acre of land. We will continue to support Sath Diyawara which is our Group’s flagship CSR project.”
The village of Meegassegama in Thalawa, is home to 2500 people with 76 confirmed CKD patients. While Pahala Kedithokkuwa in Nochchiyagama with a resident population of over 2,097 has 60 CKD patients. Both villages face one common problem – lack of clean drinking water and a growing number of people suffering from Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) of which collectively over 200 cases are under investigation for suspected CKD.
Each village was fitted with a Centralized Water Treatment plant, including a Plant house, an RO treatment system with a capacity of 10,000 liters a day and water storage cum distribution tower. And a water distribution and delivery mechanism consisting of two wheeler tractor pulled bowser (of 1, 000 liters) and 10 docking stations of 1, 000 liters each.
Elaborating further, Managing Director, Haycarb and Puritas, Mr. Rajitha Kariyawasan added, “Since 2014, Sath Diyawara has grown to become a highly sustainable and long-term endeavour which has reaped very clear results. We now provide over 30,000 people with 130,000 litres of drinking water a day. Our single-minded focus lies in eradicating CKD. But we are also consciously supporting these villagers whose grim conditions are exacerbated not only by this debilitating illness but also by drought, dry arid conditions and harsh weather, including floods, which deny them of basic access to drinking water, for day to day survival.”
Speaking on the initiative the Community Based Organisation (CBO) Secretary of Meegassegama, Thalawa, Wijerathne commented. “This gift of life which we have received today signifies a renewed hope for our future. While CKD is a huge concern with more and more CKD patients being diagnosed in our villages, we have also suffered through the severe lack of quality drinking water. We have to travel miles and miles to collect water, which to most is just a basic amenity, but to us is a luxury which we only dreamed of.” Wijerathne is a disabled soldier who lost his leg in the war. He continues his service to the country even after being disabled, as the Secretary of the CBO, which is done on a voluntary basis without any remuneration. The Hayleys Group is humbled to be able to lighten the burden of this hero and his fellow villagers.
Hayleys installed its first Reverse Osmosis (RO) plant in Maithreepura, Padaviya, one of the villages worst affected by CKD. Since 2014, the Hayleys Group has installed 13 Reverse Osmosis (RO) water purification plants across four districts covering eighteen villages. Access to clean drinking water has proven to be the only known long term remedy for CKD, with the alternative being an organ transplant.
Commenting on the commitment to clean drinking water, the Chairman of the Hayleys Group, Mr. Mohan Pandithage said, “We have visited a large number of villages in the North and North Central provinces, working at the ground level to identify the most severely affected villages. We have gone above and beyond what we originally set out to achieve, through the Puritas Sath Diyawara program by additionally supporting the communities with livelihood development opportunities. These two villages have suffered through the lack of drinking water and a rise in CKD affliction. When I look around and see the hopeful faces of these beautiful children and their families, I feel blessed that we have been able to transform their lives and give them hope for a better, healthier future.”
To date Puritas Sath Diyawara has provided clean drinking water to over 33,000 men, women and children across eighteen villages in the North and North Central provinces since 2014. Each project is sponsored by a Group Company, and to-date the Hayleys Group has invested more than Rs. 56 million in this initiative. It consists of formalized water distribution network through a bowser and multiple docking stations throughout the village to ensure all villagers have equal access to purified water. Surveys are conducted on a regular basis to monitor the benefits of this initiative.
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Haycarb PLC is the world's leading manufacturer and marketer of coconut shell based activated carbon solutions. We have over 35 years of experience...
View on YoutubeHayleys is one of Sri Lanka's largest multinational business conglomerates with a history spanning 134 years. We drive a globally competitive busin...
View on YoutubeHayleys is one of Sri Lanka's largest multinational business conglomerates with a history spanning 134 years. We drive a globally competitive busin...
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