A major supplier of bitumen for road builders in Sri Lanka for the last nearly 10 years, Bitumix (Pvt) Ltd last week moved to the Homagama Industrial Park to occupy its new factory and office complex, in addition to the company’s factory in Kalagedihena. The new factory would enhance the production capacity and would be able to ensure more efficient manufacture.

Bitumix is the only private sector bitumen manufacturer in Sri Lanka to receive the ISO certification. The company in addition to supplying the needs of the country, exports around Rs 20 to 40 million worth of bitumen mixture.

Ashoka Siriwardena, Managing Director, Bitumix told Business Times at their Homagama Industrial Park factory premises that the bitumen mixture that is now used in Sri Lanka is the conventional type and that layer lasts only about 15 years. He said that experiments have found that this mixture while not durable, is also prone to accidents and is not compatible with rainy weather conditions and the global warming.

Mr Siriwardena said that experiments in other developed countries have found a mixture called ‘Polymer modified bitumen’ that would be ideal for the roads in Sri Lanka and once it is laid it would last around 30 years and safer which lessen road accidents. He said that it is economical too, adding that;“We are on the job and soon ‘Polymer modified bitumen’ will be on our roads.”

Bitumix set up in 2000 manufactures bitumen based products for the road construction industry and over the years, the company has diversified it’s product portfolio into a spectrum of bitumen based products ranging from Emulsified, Cutback and Oxidized bitumen used in road construction, industrial and civil construction products. In addition Bitumix is also an authorized distributor for the Ceylon Petroleum
Corporation.