Dankotuwa

Q: Could you brief us on the organisation’s journey so far?
A: Dankotuwa Porcelain has been serving happiness for over 37 years here in Sri Lanka and 15 years in India. As a brand, Dankotuwa continues to capture, retain and enhance the trust and loyalty of its consumers, both in the local and international domains.

The pandemic has been tough on all businesses across industries and geographies. However, Dankotuwa continues to confront every challenge with optimism – and it has conquered every obstacle with confidence.

During the current financial year, despite the prevailing pandemic and other macro challenges, Dankotuwa was able to record one of the most profitable years in the history of the organisation.

For example, for the nine month period ended 31 December 2021, Dankotuwa Porcelain achieved a profit of Rs. 240 million – the highest nine month performance recorded by the company thus far.

In addition, the company’s sales figures for the same period were also the highest compared to the average full year’s numbers it has been able to achieve for the last 30 years.

Riding on this success, we are poised for continuous growth and have established our strategy quite early, aligning all teams towards achieving a common goal.

Q: What were the initiatives taken to reduce the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on your organisation and the brand in a general sense?
A: Our key priority during those trying times was the wellbeing of employees. While manufacturing and export sales continued, we rearranged our working arrangements to facilitate the safety of our people.

A hybrid working arrangement was implemented by adhering to stringent protocols. We also focussed on increasing efficiencies and optimising capacity, which resulted in growth for the group.

We also introduced a porcelain steam inhaler, which was distributed free of charge to government hospitals at the beginning of the pandemic. What began as a CSR initiative, thanks to the commendable efforts of Dr. Charith Nanayakkara, became a sought after product by corporates and individuals alike.

Continuing this innovative streak, we’re also developing an anti-bacterial clay to be used in our products in future.

Q: How did the organisation manage employee emotions during the pandemic?
A: At Dankotuwa, the approach to developing our people is based on nurturing their innate capabilities, and empowering them with ample room and resources to grow while practising accountability.

All employees, irrespective of their level in the organisational hierarchy, enjoy equal opportunities to contribute towards the overall objectives of the company. We believe that happy employees who enjoy what they do will always add more value.

The pandemic posed various financial and emotional difficulties, and our employees were affected as well.  However, in addition to rigorous safety measures that were implemented across the company, their financial difficulties were mitigated by providing support to all employees and their families.

Communications with employees were clear and frequent. We believed that maintaining transparency and open communications was paramount for the smooth flow of operations. Such transparency facilitated engagement and active participation in achieving company objectives even during the numerous lockdowns we had to undergo as a country.

In essence, we looked after our employees, and they looked after the organisation; together, we sailed towards sustainable success, which continues to date.

Q: And finally, what’s in the pipeline for the organisation and brand – especially in the context of both local and overseas expansion?
A: Brand Dankotuwa is a household name in Sri Lanka. Although a large portion of our sales revenue comes from exports, being a 100 percent Sri Lankan organisation, serving the local market has always been on our list of priorities.

Our plan for this year includes launching a premium range targeting high end market segments. We are also committed to strengthening the Laklain brand, targeting the value for money category and ensuring it is accessible across the island.

Dankotuwa subsidiary Royal Fernwood Porcelain will continue to be the brand of colour, mainly for millennials.

In terms of market expansion, we’ll be focussing on entering the Jaffna region, which we believe has much potential.

While we currently operate in India, Dubai, the US and some European markets, our global expansion would include venturing into Australia and expanding our footprint in Europe.

Telephone 5665000 Email info@dankotuwa.com Website www.dankotuwa.com