Laugfs Group enters Aussie automobile gas market

The Laugfs Group has entered the growing Australian auto gas market in big way by commissioning its first auto gas conversion facility in Perth, Western Australia.

Laugfs Australia Pty Ltd is a 100 % owned subsidiary of Laugfs Holdings Ltd, Sri Lanka’s only fully fledged energy company diversified in downstream LPG, Petroleum retailing, and lubricant distribution activities.

The first conversion facility was opened on August 2 in Perth, Western Australia by Steeve Arnott, General Manager – Investment Attraction of the Department of Industry & Resources of the Western Australia state government.

Laugfs Chairman W K H Wegapitiya, Managing Director Thilak de Silva and Lalith de Silva, Resident Director were present at this event. Representatives from various government agencies such as Western Australian Energy Authority, Australian Auto Gas Association, Auto gas equipment suppliers, Wespac Bank and National Australia Bank among others were also present.

Laugfs, pioneer of the auto gas concept in Sri Lanka in 1995, in a statement said it came across a huge and exciting market opportunity in Australia with the introduction of the substantial federal government subsidy, state government subsidies and other incentives to individuals who convert their petrol driven vehicles to run on auto gas.

Wegapitiya, speaking at the event, thanked the support extended by “Invest Australia,” the Federal Government arm for foreign investment promotion and the Department of Industry and Resources of the State Government of Western Australia. He outlined plans to set up more conversion facilities in the city of Perth itself in the short-term and to move on to Melbourne, Victoria in the next year. He indicated that Western Australia provides an ideal ground for investment with its booming economy and at present a number of opportunities are being pursued by the company including solid and industrial pneumatic tyre manufacture and re-capping and even consumer retailing with a chain of supermarkets.

Arnott welcomed Laugfs into Australia and thanked the company for its contribution in fulfilling the dire need to setup Auto gas conversion facilities in Western Australia.

He hoped Laugfs would open many more facilities and also look forward for further investments in other areas.

Thilak de Silva, Managing Director, Laugfs Holdings, said the company will soon be a multinational with planned investments not only in various states in Australia but in other countries like New Zealand, Fiji Island and also in the Maldives.