Dimo unveils the Xenon from TATA with leasing options
Dimo recently unveiled the new diesel single cab Xenon from TATA before a select gathering where a MoU between Dimo and HNB Leasing was also signed. Under this, customers can buy the Xenon at lease rentals which would be in line with the car allowances they receive.

“With the launch of the TATA Xenon, we are taking the motor car enthusiast into a new league altogether,” says Ranjith Pandithage, Chairman DIMO. The pick-up truck runs 10 km per litre and costs Rs 1.8 million.

Rajan Theagarajah, MD/CEO Hatton National Bank, said the vehicle could be purchased at tailor- made leasing package with an initial down payment of Rs 600,000 and a monthly payment of Rs. 30,879.

Arpico rewards customers
Over 20 lucky winners won top prizes when Arpico Flexifoam, a subsidiary of Richard Peiris Group, held a mammoth consumer promotion “Alto Magic” to reward loyal customers who have trusted the brand for decades.

The competition was held from November 2007 to 2008 for the third consecutive year. The grand prize of a Suzuki Alto special edition car worth Rs.1.6 million was won by Hasumal Ruwansiri of Payagala while 20 Nokia camera phones, each worth Rs. 14,000 were given away as consolation prizes at a grand presentation in April.

Signal invests over Rs 20 million in ‘Sina Bo Wewa’ campaign
Signal said last week it has invested over Rs 20 million for the third installment of the Signal Sina Bo Wewa campaign, once again in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Dental Association (SLDA). The campaign, which is the flagship programme of the Signal Oral Health Services (SOHS), will this year educate schools and families in Hambantota, Kurunegala and Anuradhapura districts from June 15 on the importance of oral health care.

The Signal Sina Bo Wewa campaign, which was launched by the SOHS in 2005 linking the ‘Sri Lankan smile’ with oral hygiene, will this year offer a series of educational programmes, games and activities and dental camps to schools and families all over the island in order to create awareness on good oral care habits and treatment of dental disorders.

FCCISL briefs District Secretaries
Samantha Abeywickrama, Secretary General/CEO of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka (FCCISL) recently made a presentation on the chamber’s District Enterprises Forum at the monthly meeting of the District Secretaries (formerly Government Agents) conducted by the Ministry of Public Administration and Home Affairs in Colombo.

He said the role of SMEs is of critical importance to the Sri Lanka economy and in this sphere of developing the SME sector, the public-private partnership also plays an equally important role, but unfortunately Sri Lanka lags behind in public-private partnership when compared to other South Asian countries.

FACETS gem and jewellery show in September
Hundreds of representatives from the international and local gem and jewellery trade and industry will arrive in Colombo this September for the 18th International FACETS Sri Lanka Show organized by the Sri Lanka Gem and Jewellery Association, the association said.

The show will be held during 6-9 of September 2008 and industry representatives from Hong Kong, Thailand, Myanmar, Singapore and an important business delegation from Egypt have.confirmed participation.

FACETS Sri Lanka is Sri Lanka’s only international trade exhibition which is featured in the international calendar of events in the Gem and Jewellery Industry worldwide. The show which has been running for 17 years since its inception in 1990 has attracted more than a million buyers, sellers and visitors over the past 17 years.

Former Malaysian Minister at Colombo economic summit
Former Malaysian Finance Minister Tun Daim Zainuddin will make the keynote address on the ‘Malaysian Success Story’ at the 9th economic summit organised the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce from July 1 to 3 in Colombo, the chamber said this week.

The theme for this year’s meeting is “Meeting Today’s Challenges for A Better Tomorrow”, and the summit willl focus on the economy, trade and investment, competitiveness, infrastructure, plantation sector, sustainable development, revival of the East and the most important topic of peace.

Among other speakers are Minister of Enterprise Development & Investment Promotion Dr Sarath Amunugama and Fast Futures, UK CEO Rohit Talwar.

Hotel Sigiriya wins Green award in USA
Hotel Sigiriya has won first place in the category of Green Award for value hotels in the International Restaurant and Hotel Award (IRHA) USA. This is the first time a Sri Lankan Hotel has won a Green Award in the USA, the hotel company said.

The hotel has been in the forefront of energy and environment conservation activities for several years now and has implemented several energy conservation and renewable energy projects, such as Solar Water Heaters, Biological Sewage Treatment Plan, Composting of garbage, replacing of diesel fired boiler with a Bio mass Gasifire etc.

“It is estimated that due to these energy conservation initiatives, the hotel is saving approximately 10% on expenses annually. Hotel Sigiriya is also the first hotel in Sri Lanka to have calculated its carbon foot print which also has been successfully reduced from 240,” the statement said.
2 metric tonnes (mt) 2006/07 to 166.8 mt in 2007/08,” it said.

PC Partner celebrates “Achievers Night 2008”
PC Partner, the retail arm of PCH Holdings, recently held its annual ‘Achievers Night’ to celebrate a highly successful sales drive that resulted in their staff achieving 75% of the total revenue. In celebration of this outstanding achievement, the management of PCP recognized their executive staff whose performance contributed significantly to the growth in sales, by rewarding them for their commitment and dedication, according to a company statement.

Both qualitative and quantitative aspects were taken into consideration when deciding on the awards, which was presented under three main categories; Senior Management; Showroom Managers and customer friendly employees who keep their customers smiling. PCP has a total Sales Force of 150 and 21 top achievers received this honour based on their performance in 2007.

Seminar on exploitation of off shore resources
The Chamber of Construction Industry (CCI) is organising a seminar on ‘Management of Ocean Resources’ on June 24 to discuss ways on how Sri Lankan needs to acquire resources and capacity to handle upcoming oil exploration work.

The CCI says there is no dedicated institutional infrastructure to manage this issue in the public interest. This is essential, because all offshore resources are in the public domain and owned by the nation and not any individual group or business entity. “An important basic in exploiting offshore resources is the credo of ‘no exploitation without exploration’. Therefore, it is time that we consider this matter as an urgent national priority,”the chamber said.

At least in respect of two of the most urgently required resources, we are fortunate, that in the last decade or so, we have spent the absolutely essential minimal amounts, on exploration. We refer to offshore oil exploration, and the exploration for locating near-shore resources of sand for construction,” the chamber said.

BASF Finlay awarded ISO certification
The Chamber of Construction Industry (CCI) is organising a seminar on ‘Management of Ocean Resources’ on June 24 to discuss ways on how Sri Lankan needs to acquire resources and capacity to handle upcoming oil exploration work.

The CCI says there is no dedicated institutional infrastructure to manage this issue in the public interest. This is essential, because all offshore resources are in the public domain and owned by the nation and not any individual group or business entity. “An important basic in exploiting offshore resources is the credo of ‘no exploitation without exploration’. Therefore, it is time that we consider this matter as an urgent national priority,”the chamber said.

At least in respect of two of the most urgently required resources, we are fortunate, that in the last decade or so, we have spent the absolutely essential minimal amounts, on exploration. We refer to offshore oil exploration, and the exploration for locating near-shore resources of sand for construction,” the chamber said.