Leading Sri Lankan electrical cable manufacturer Kelani Cables PLC was awarded the World Class Awards in the Large Manufacturing category at the ‘World Class Global Performance Excellence Awards – 2017 organized by the Asia Pacific Quality organization (APQO).
The awards ceremony was held at Okada hotel in Manila, Philippines in conjunction with the 2017 International Quality Conference.
“We are pleased to announce that recognized 22 organizations in 11 countries in Asian and Pacific Rim countries are being recognized as exemplary companies of world class quality performance. They have achieved the ‘Global performance Excellence Award’ modelled after US ‘Malcolm Baldrige Performance Excellence Award.’ said Charles Aubrey, Chairman of APQO and the Global Performance Excellence Award executive committee.
Dr. Aubrey held top positions at several Fortune 500 companies and has worked with Dr. Juran at the Juran Institute. He helped draft the original Baldrige criteria an served as a Senior Examiner for the Baldrige Program for four years. The GPEA is the only formal international recognition of performance and business excellence and is a strategic enabling tool for global performance excellence.
The GPEA process promotes awareness in performance excellence as an increasingly important tool in competitiveness towards global business success and sustainability. The APQO, which organizes GPEA, was founded and organized by National Quality Organizations in Asian and Pacific Rim countries, including the American Society for Quality. It is a primary mover for quality and continues improvement for goods and services and quality of life in the Asia Pacific region.
Winning the National Quality Award is the eligibility criteria to apply for the ‘World Class Global Performance Excellence Award’. Evaluation of the National Quality Award and the ‘World Class Global Performance Excellence Awards’ is based on seven criteria. They are Leadership, Strategy, Customers, Measurement, Analysis and Knowledge Management, Workforce, Operations and Results.
These criteria are same for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Awards in the US, one of the most stringent sets of quality requirements in the world. An organization succeeds in achieving sustainable positive results and moves forward in the right direction when it is managed by an ethical leadership with a vision and an understanding of organizational values, complying with relevant rules and regulations and utilizing effective two-way commnucation.
Mahinda Saranapala, Director/ CEO, Kelani Cables PLC expressing his views on this victory said Kelani Cables being Sri Lanka’s number one brand in secure electrical and communication cables constantly gets recognized in the Sri Lankan context and now the company is venturing for international markets.
“We are on the fast track towards capturing international markets. Already, Kelani Cables has become a leading brand in the electrical cables market in the international context. Hence this award is an endorsement by the international level in recognition of our product. This award hence is going to be an eye-opener for international buyers. A company that wins the ‘World Class Global Performance Excellence Awards’ becomes a world class company.”
He added, “One main reason for Kelani Cables PLC to get recognized constantly like this is the dedication of our workers to sustain the quality standards of our products”.
Upul Mahanama, General Manager (Operations), Kelani Cables PLC and Shyama Perera, Manager (Technical Operations) also participated at the awards ceremony.
Kelani Cables PLC is a one hundred percent Sri Lankan company serving the nation for 48 years manufacturing electrical and communication cables. The company achieved “Super Brands” status in the electrical and telecommunication sector in 2008 for professional supremacy it demonstrated in the electrical and communication cables sphere.
In 2012, Kalanai Cables PLC clinched the bronze award for the excellent business brand category at the SLIM Brand Excellence. It clinched gold at the SLIM Brand Excellence once again in 2013 for the same category. The company secured gold at the SLITAD People Development – 2013 award ceremony for the contribution it has made towards training and development of the work-force plus up-keeping their welfare. Kelani Cables PLC is the proud recipient of ISO 9000:2008 certification for quality, ISO 14001:2004 for better environment management, National Standards award and the gold winner of Taiki Akimoto 5S award. In 2015 Kelani Cables PLC was conferred with the Asia’s Best Employer Brand award. Kelani Cables was recognized for sustainable development at the National Green Awards in 2015. The company bagged Silver award for best organizational CSR brand under the B2B brand category at the SLIM Brand Excellence awards in 2015. National HR Excellence Silver award in 2016 and Green Reporting Gold award at the Presidential Environmental Awards in the same year are other achievements. Kelani Cables PLC is one of the first companies in Sri Lanka that took oaths to adhere to National Green Reporting System. As a green oriented and socially responsible company, Kelani Cables PLC has been certified to use the ‘Responsible Care’ label which has added immense value to the company’s reputation in the export market sector.