Ceylon Tobacco recognised as second most efficient factory in BAT
View(s):Ceylon Tobacco Company PLC (CTC), a member of the British American Tobacco (BAT), was recently recognised as the second most efficient factory among BAT’s subsidiaries across the globe.
A media release issued by CTC this week quoted its CEO Michael Koest as saying that, “CTC takes great pride in this recognition. This achievement is a testament to the manufacturing team’s relentless efforts to continuously raise the bar on its operations.”
CTC has long since established itself as a benchmark for corporate excellence in Sri Lanka. During it’s over 100 years of operations in Sri Lanka, CTC has achieved many local, regional and global accolades for their commitment to continuous improvement and innovation. CTC achieved its groundbreaking results in efficiency improvement following the launch of its distinctive management system, the Integrated Work System (IWS), which was adopted in 2015. Following the implementation of IWS, in 2016, the company became a front-runner in manufacturing efficiencies among companies in BAT’s Asia Pacific region before rising to the second spot globally in 2016.
Sajeewa Rajapaksha, CTC’s Manufacturing Manager said: “IWS aims to deliver ‘zero losses’ along the process by ensuring 100 per cent ownership of people. In this journey the ‘zero loss’ mind-set is key. We continuously worked together with our manufacturing team to ensure they are always motivated to strive for ‘zero losses’. We inculcated employee ownership by showcasing critical behaviors necessary from individuals, recognizing efforts and rewarding individual, team and cross functional contributions.”
The release said that as a result, within six months, the company broke 10 average modular output records. Furthermore, the company’s safety and quality parameters also improved significantly during this period. “The landmark results achieved are a tribute to CTC’s consistent drive towards executing innovative and globally acclaimed industrial practices, and the company will continue to be at the forefront of manufacturing with its unceasing determination to achieve maximum efficiencies in its production processes,” it said.