Q: Could you outline the history of your organisation?
A: The origins of the company date back to 1939 when my father Pandithage Don Alexander – together with Stephen Peries, Harold Algama and Cyril Algama – worked with a German employer named F. K. Heller.

With the advent of World War II, the four youth were left unemployed when their employer was incarcerated and the government seized his business. Not discouraged, the four decided to start a small shop on Jethawana Road to repair vehicles, aptly naming it Diesel & Motor Engineering. That is when Diesel & Motor Engineering (DIMO) was born.

Once World War II was over, Heller was released. His wish was to promote German brands around the world – thus Heller embarked on visiting Asian countries. When he visited Sri Lanka, Heller was delighted to hear about DIMO – fruition of the efforts of his former employees. He offered authorised dealerships of top German brands – viz. Mercedes-Benz, Bosch, Siemens and others – to the company.

From humble beginnings, we diversified and progressed to be a Sri Lankan owned conglomerate, later converting to a public quoted company.

Q: When considering your organisation’s timeline since its inception, what were some of the most significant milestones?
A: Since its inception, we strived to be the trailblazer in the sectors it represented. Throughout this journey, there have been many significant achievements. DIMO is a well-known name in the automobile industry.

At the time however, only a few knew about the company as a provider of industrial and infrastructure solutions. We supplied and installed machinery to short wave radio stations, paper mills and cement factories to name a few. And we were the second country in the world to illuminate a cricket stadium – the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium – with floodlights.

In more recent times, DIMO has diversified into the agriculture sector, producing and marketing fertiliser and seeds – currently, the company operates Agri Techno Parks in Dambulla, Lindula and Dambadeniya. Our aim is to provide next generation agriculture solutions by educating and equipping farmers with the necessary knowledge that would help the country to become self-sustainable in agro products, and increase its exports.

DIMO’s investments are structured to be of a sustainable nature. Over 30 years ago, we invested in the DIMO Academy for Technical Skills (DATS) with the aim of providing world-class vocational training to the automotive sector.

This highly recognised course was offered free to students and was standardised by Daimler AG. In addition, our students have the opportunity to enrol in programmes offered by the FH Aachen – Germany‘s No. 1 University for Applied Sciences.

It should also be mentioned that when the civil war ended in the north of Sri Lanka in 2009, DIMO was the first to establish a similar training school in Jaffna. We are also proud to be one of the first to offer automotive training and employment for females, at DATS and our workshops. Now we conduct fee levying courses too.

Q: How has the market and your customers evolved over time; and how have you adapted to their ever-changing needs?
A: DIMO firmly believes in making a difference in the lifestyles of our stakeholders. ‘Fuelling dreams and aspirations’ is our corporate purpose, and we strive to make that happen every day.

We collaborate with the best by building partnerships that last generations and add value to the community responsibly. Looking back at the journey of eight decades, we’re proud of DIMO having become a trusted name in all corners of the country – from the rural farmer to the most affluent.

There has been substantial growth in the per capita income of postwar Sri Lanka and I believe DIMO too contributed to this alongside the rural entrepreneur.

For instance, when everybody used to come to Colombo for business, we went to rural areas with the DIMO Batta, giving them more flexibility and direct access to markets. We have over 20 branches and service facilities throughout the country.

Q: What were some of the most significant challenges faced by your organisation in recent times?
A: Challenges are inevitable; our founding fathers faced similar if not worse hurdles during their time. Economic activities should not stop because of a pandemic. What matters is how you navigate business operations successfully. Complaining and comparing will not take you a long way; smart and bold decisions will.

Our philosophy is not to follow the competition but engage in our undertakings so that our stakeholders are benefitted. If you continue to swim in clear blue waters tactically, you’d naturally avoid the red ocean – and that is our strategy.

Q: What are DIMO’s plans in terms of evolution and growth as a business – especially in the light of increasing global and local economic challenges?
A: DIMO will diversify and the contributions of our non-automotive businesses are continuously growing.

We believe that ‘anything for the stomach’ approach would be the future for us. Farm mechanisation and agriculture inputs will remain our primary focus. In addition, we’re laying the foundation to further establish ourselves in the education and digital sectors.

Ranjith Pandithage
Chairman
Managing Director
Telephone 2449797
Email ranjith.pandithage@dimolanka.com
Website www.dimolanka.com