Financial Times

Chevrolet to set up car plant here
Chevrolet, through an Australian company, will set up a manufacturing plant in Sri Lanka, converting its left hand drive vehicles to right-hand drive cars, for re-export to other markets.

These Chevrolet cars, which are mainly sports utility vehicles (SUVs), would be imported from Texas and re-exported to Singapore, Malaysia, China and Australia. Managing Director of Chevrolet Australia, Peter N. Hill said, during the signing of an agreement with the BOI last week, that he was confident that there is a big demand for right hand drive models of the Chevrolet range.

Chevrolet is part of the huge General Motors conglomerate, which has manufacturing plants across the US with an annual output of 1.7 million cars. The cars imported into Sri Lanka will come from Texas, where a dry environment ensures minimal rust and damage prior to their shipment.

Chevrolet Australia will initially invest Rs. 71.8 million and begin operations in end August or early September this year. Hill said that he expected output to rise to around 550 cars at the end of two years, according to a BOI press release.

Creative Services Ltd marks 21 years in advertising
Creative Services Ltd (CSL), a fully-fledged advertising agency which began on a modest scale in 1983 as an associate company of de Alwis Advertising Company, completes 21 years this week.

"The decision to set up another agency was made in view of the highly competitive nature of business which prevailed at the time following the then government's decision to open the economy. We felt it was unethical to handle the advertising of competing products and that's how CSL was born," recalled Managing Director Herman Gunesekera, a pioneer in the advertising industry.

CSL was incorporated in 1979 but began operations independently in July 1983 - just a week before the infamous ethnic riots hit the capital. Despite such an inauspicious greeting, the young agency headed by Gunesekera has grown over the years handling a wide range of established brands and services.

It has also won awards in both SLIM and 4 A's ad events. CSL handles some of Sri Lanka's leading clients who have remained with the agency for well over a decade. Among them are Siedles (Pvt) Ltd, Singer Sri Lanka Ltd, Suzuki Motors Lanka Ltd and recently acquired Orient Financial Services Corp.

It also has handled PR assignments for clients like British American Tobacco (BAT) and French water bottler Perrier among others through its associates Mumbai-based Burson Marsteller- Roger Pereira Communications Ltd.

The agency's creative and copy direction is under Gunesekera while Dushan de Silva leads the Client Services Division. In addition to Gunesekera, Rohan Guneratne (Production Manager) and U.M.K.G. Somadasa (Office Assistant) received their Long Service Awards of 20 years, while Ms. Rizvia Sheriffdeen (Media Assistant) received an award for her 10 years of service.

CEAT ventures into scooter and motorcycle tyre market
Tyre manufacturer CEAT has entered the scooter and motorcycle tyre segment in Sri Lanka with the launch of a new range of tyres imported from its parent company in India.

Branded 'CEAT SECURA', the new tyres are superior to most other brands available in the market due to quality features that provide safety and durability, the company said.

The scooter tyre range consists of two sizes, while five sizes have been introduced for motorcycles, two of which are for exclusive use as front tyres. Among the many features of the new motorcycle tyres are their block tyre pattern for better highway performance and resistance to aquaplaning.

They have been manufactured with radial and longitudinal grooves for a good wet as well as a dry grip ensuring a high level of safety and deep non-skid grooves for high mileage. These tyres also have angular shoulder blocks for good road hold during cornering and a high grip tread compound.

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