Visionary Lankan engineer trailblazer in low cost machinery
When the British withdrew after Sri Lanka gained independence, they left a legacy of mechanisation in industrial agriculture like with tea factories, coconut mills, and also rubber factories.
Wet coconut coir dust is fed to the dryer
Most of the other industries like soap making, cosmetics and the like too were mechanised. This mechanisation began more than 100 years ago but around 50 years ago these machines were worn-out, becoming obsolete, drastically slowing down production and compelling industrialists to replace them, in the absence of any other option.
New imported ones would have been prohibitive while the alternative was to modify them or replace them locally, to continue the same production rate.
By 1965, Sekarage David – who runs a machine manufacturing plant bordering the Ekala Industrial Estate in Jaela – had completed his studies then worked in the Ceylon Railway for 10 years. From 1980 he worked at Ceylon Tobacco Co, Sugar Corporation, Rhino Asbestos, and then as Chief Engineer at Baurs Ltd.
He also acquired an MBA from Rajarata University and a Master’s degree in Economics from Colombo University. A product of Katubedde University with a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering he continued his further studies in Poona University, Chennai.
In 1980, then Baurs Managing Director Thilo Hoffman helped him to set up his own workshop to manufacture machinery.
A techo-mechanical genius, he became a ‘God sent’ to those large scale manufacturers with heavy machines that needed replacements. Mr. David helped them to modify or replace the obsolete and worn-out machines.
The man who single-handedly conducted a 5-day industrial exhibition in 1993, covering the entire exhibition area of the BMICH when others pulled out, now produces all types of plant and machinery for many of Sri Lanka’s biggest firms. He began to prove his craftsmanship in the latter part of 1970s.
He has manufactured conveyors, agitators, mixers, sieving machines, chemical pumps, blenders, furnaces, deck ovens, rack ovens, rotary ovens, service carts, rice degraders, ball mills – match mixers, stainless steel structures, automated dryers for noodles and papadam manufacturing machines.
The uniqueness of his work is that he could turn out any ageing, imported machinery by modifying or by innovating to suit the requirements of various industrialists, with automation. He now supplies machines for industries like food, soap, cement, textiles, coconut, rubber, packaging, agro based industry, paint, etc.
His newest venture is a ‘coco peat’ Drying Machine (coconut coir dust) which is in great demand as, according to him, in Sri Lanka there are around 60 such dryers but they all involve sun drying which takes a long time.
Mr. S. David speaks to the Business Times with- part of the coconut coir dust drying machine in the back ground
It could be supplied with various capacities at varying prices from around Rs. 3 million. He says there are several coconut producing countries and coir dust is in great demand in the world market, but no other country in the world has tried to make coco peat drying machine. The lowest cost would be Rs. 4 million.
The plant and machinery thus required are designed to suit local conditions, considering the smooth function, high rate of production, maintenance and the supply of spare parts with high quality.
He also had a revolutionary streak since prior to the infamous 1981 JVP insurrection, he met JVP leader Rohana Wijeweera when Dr. Ray Wijewardene, another technological genius, dismantled and demonstrated his helicopter at the Katubedde University for the benefit of the undergraduates.
Lever Bros (now Unilever) which was using his engineering services then gave him the contract of turning out machinery. Another big David client is Ceat Kelani Tyre manufacturers.
When Sri Lanka was plagued with various exchange restrictions and the exorbitant cost of importing new machinery, many industrialists backed down closing down their industries – unable to afford new machinery to replace the obsolete ones. In that difficult time his services became invaluable for those struggling to keep their industries afloat for want of new machinery or replacements.
When imported machinery cost Rs, 10 million, his replacements would cost around Rs, 1 to 2 million, saving millions of rupees in foreign exchange.
The largest machine he has manufactured is for the then state-owned Ceylon Gas Company for their main gas filling plant somewhere in 1979. It was a machine worth Rs. 100 million but manufactured by him for just Rs. 3.5 million.
Now, Litro Gas has asked him to manufacture a similar type of machine and he has quoted Rs. 130 million for a machine that would cost more than Rs. 300 million in the international market.
A true visionary, he planned to set up a Technical Training and Education Campus in 1994-95, and bought a 40 acre land in Alawwa to train around 100 diploma holders as technically skilled to feed the job market.
But that was a bad time due to unrest in the country and there were also fears of forcible encroachment of the land, so he had to abandon his plans.
He concedes that his machines would not reach the standards that of UK, Germany or USA but assured that the quality and precision of his machines would be amongst the best in South Asia. He also has exported several machines from soap manufacturing machines to washing plants and bottle filling plants to the Maldives and Vietnam.
Not resting on his industrial brilliance, Mr. David plans to author several books on engineering and economics to be distributed in the international market.