As the world continues to focus on flattening the curve in the COVID-19 pandemic, Teejay Lanka PLC has adapted to the “new normal” to post an improved performance in the three months ending 30th September 2020.
Sri Lanka’s only multinational textile producer has converted the first quarter’s net loss of Rs 31.5 million to net profit of Rs 631.3 million for the second quarter of the current financial year and reported profit before tax of Rs 782.3 million for the three months reviewed.
Revenue grew by 86% over the three months to Rs 8.8 billion from Rs 4.7 billion as at 30th June 2020, the Company reported in a filing with the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE).
The extreme adversity of the first quarter of the year has, however, taken some of the starch out of the Group’s six-month figures, with revenue down 22% to Rs 13.5 billion, gross profit down 42% to Rs 1.3 billion, and pre and post-tax profit down 48% and 52% respectively over the corresponding six months of 2019-20 to Rs 796.3 million and Rs 599.8 million for the six months ending 30th September 2020.
Nevertheless, Teejay Chairman Mr Bill Lam has said the Group remains “cautiously optimistic” as the situation in Sri Lanka continues to evolve, and that with the Group’s presence felt throughout the region, Teejay is poised on the cusp of realising its target of becoming a US$ 300 million company in the foreseeable future.
“With the help of the Operational Excellence initiatives launched, the Group continues to focus on cost-control mechanisms,” Mr Lam said. “These initiatives have resulted in managing non-operational and non-strategic costs while re-evaluation of the cost base has given rise to elimination of non-essential costs making Teejay leaner. However, the Group has invested substantially on added health and safety related measures to protect our employees from the pandemic.”
During these times of intense competition resulting from price swings and high demand for low cost products, the Group is positioned to capitalise on the opportunity created by customers focussing on supply chain strategising to mitigate reliance on a single country, and equipped with a strong order book is prepared to face any challenge, Mr Lam added.
Teejay Lanka CEO Mr Pubudu De Silva disclosed that Teejay’s operations in India are gathering momentum and had increased their loading capacity during the second quarter. The Group has also taken deliberate steps to unfreeze the restrictions on capital expenditure to continue with the modernisation of the plants, he said.
“This 180-degree turnaround in performance would not have been possible if not for the commitment and ingenuity of Team Teejay, which should receive all the credit for the second quarter’s performance,” Mr De Silva said.
Teejay Lanka has continued with a strong balance sheet and a cash balance of Rs 5.8 billion at the end of the period reviewed, keeping the Company net debt free.
Teejay Lanka was adjudged the Best Textile Exporter in Sri Lanka at the Presidential Export Awards presented by the Export Development Board (EDB) in 2019, moved up three places in the Business Today Top 30 companies ranking that year and was named among the 100 Most Respected Companies in Sri Lanka by LMD.
With manufacturing operations in Sri Lanka and India, Teejay is one of the region’s largest textile manufacturers, and supplies fabric to some of the best international brands across the world. An ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 and OHSAS 18001:2007 compliant company and the first in the industry to develop green fabric, Teejay has been listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) since 2011 and was included in the S&P Top 20 Index in Sri Lanka. The Company has also been named among the Forbes ‘200 Best under a Billion in Asia’ and been recognised as the ‘International Textile Firm of the Year’ and the ‘International Dyer and Finisher’ by World Textile Institute, London.