Maxims Holdings aims at three different businesses
Maxims Holdings, a diversified Board of Investment (BOI) company has big plans for three big ventures, on the back of opening its brand new futuristic warehousing complex at Mulleriyawa on Tuesday.
President Maithripala Sirisena accompanied by Dr. Saman Weerasinghe (left-chairman of Maxim Holdings) checks out the flavour and aroma of tea at Tuesday’s opening of a new warehouse, tea factory and office complex of Maxims Holdings at Ambathale, Mulleriyawa. Pic by Ishanka Sunimal
Dr. Saman Weerasinghe, Chairman Maxim Holdings Private Limited told the Business Times on the sidelines of this opening that Maxims Group will be partnering with a Swiss concern to construct a US$30 million hotel consisting 80 rooms and 16 villas in a 4-acre plot at Waskaduwa. “The drawings are ready and we will start constructing soon.”
The group has cottoned onto a $6 million medical device manufacturing business with a Czech group at a 2 acre land which they obtained from the BOI at the Horana Free Trade Zone.
Maxims will also be striking deals with several parties from Russia, India and certain EU countries to bring power and energy and warehousing investments to Sri Lanka.
The newly started modern warehousing facility with a total storage capacity of 65,000 square feet is built on a 4.5 acre land with a total investment of Rs.2 billion. Along with modern office space this is the phase one of two stage mega projects, Dr. Weerasinghe said. The state of the art warehouse has a host of new and high-tech storage racking systems with computerised location allocations, loading/unloading bays with dock levelers which can handle four 40 feet containers at same time and ample parking facilities. The location of every widget can be identified with pinpoint accuracy.
Dr. Weerasinghe noted that in this day and age storage needs can be complex and the space a company needs for warehousing and the management of its inventories may be highly specialised. “Warehouse operations basically conclude the speed and accuracy with which every customer’s order gets fulfilled. Since people wish to do business with those they trust, and everyone wants everything instantly all the time, warehouse operations directly affect an organisation’s perception, performance, and profitability. With long years of successful history in business, Maxim Holdings (Pvt) Ltd has developed this warehouse complex at Old Road, Mulleriyawa with the prime objective of renting out the facility keeping all these in mind,” Dr. Weerasinghe said.
This state of the art warehouse facing the low level road at Colombo – Avissawella, is on a prime location having easy access to Colombo city and Colombo port. Most of the tea processing and exporting companies are having their processing and warehousing facilities in this area along the main road. Dr. Weerasinghe said that the closer such operations are to population centres, the less it costs the retailers and the faster and more competitive they can be in courting cost-conscious shoppers who yearn for bargains.
The tea processing facility and warehouse processing facility along with the double height warehouse covers 50,399.7 square feet.
Maxims has established a Perfecta Universal automated complete tea bags production line with blending facilities and other production facilities in line with International Standards – ISO 22000: 2005, HACCP and GMP. Maxims Holdings will hope to provide contracts in tea bagging facilities to small and medium scale companies in the tea trade. The company is currently exporting value added tea through its tea exporting arm, Euro Asia and has been awarded local and international awards such as best Sri Lankan Brand exporter and Best Value added exporter by National Chamber of Exporters of Sri Lanka (NCE) also Most Outstanding Tea Branding Award at the Hong Kong International Trade Fair Tea Competition in 2012.