Cement manufacturer INSEE Cement (formerly known as Holcim (Lanka) Ltd) signed a milestone partnership with three of Sri Lanka’s universities - Peradeniya, Moratuwa and Ruhuna – to boost the local construction industry with game changing, innovative, research and development advancements.
This partnership was formalized between INSEE Cement’s Sri Lankan corporate unit – Siam City (Lanka) Ltd and the three universities and is expected to play a vital role in expanding and nurturing construction-related educational facilities offered locally. The agreement was signed by Commercial Director of Siam City Cement (Lanka) Ltd., Janaka Weerakoon and Vice Chancellors Prof. Upul Dissanayake of the University of Peradeniya, Prof. Ananda Jayawardena of the University of Moratuwa and Prof. S.G.J.N. Senanayake of the University of Ruhuna.
Director of Procurement and Logistics, Charith Wijendra and Head of Industrial Sales at Siam City Cement (Lanka) Ltd., Sanka Seneviratne were also present.
“At INSEE, we encourage new thinking and innovation to strengthen the future of the local construction industry,” Weerakoon said.
The partnership also implies INSEE Cement’s assistance with research on identified challenges faced by the construction industry, knowledge sharing with the universities and academia, as well as the transfer of knowledge/solutions developed with the collaboration with the universities to the industry on different applications.
Today, the global construction industry is challenged by highly demanding, rapid infrastructure and urban development. With this partnership, INSEE Cement’s dedicated Innovation and Application Center is looking to address these challenges through continuous research and collaboration, thereby introducing application-based cement products to the market that provide swift, high quality, safe and economic solutions. INSEE Cement heavily invests in creating premium quality products that strictly adhere to the country’s quality, safety and operational health regulatory requirements; INSEE Cement’s Palavi and Ruhunu Analytical Laboratories are accredited for cement mechanical testing based on ISO / IEC 17025:2005 standards from national accreditation authority, the Sri Lanka Accreditation Board for Conformity Assessment (SLAB). The company also maintains a culture of safety first in a formidable industry for all stakeholders, also providing the latest in safety equipment to encourage best practices in process and production. Such effort has resulted in INSEE Cement having the distinction of being the Sole Technical Partner of the National Health and Safety Awards, one of Sri Lanka’s prestigious events coveted by the manufacturing sector.