The Chairman and Managing Director of DIMO (Diesel & Motor Engineering PLC), Ranjith Pandithage was awarded the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, in honour of his long standing contribution to German-Sri Lankan relations, as well as his outstanding dedication to introduce and promote the German vocational education and dual training system in Sri Lanka.
The Cross of the Order of Merit was instituted in 1951 by Federal President Theodor Heuss.
It is the only honor that may be awarded in all fields of endevour and is the highest tribute the Federal Republic of Germany can pay to individuals.
Pandithage, an engineer by profession, studied engineering in Cologne, Germany and holds the Dip.Ing. from Germany and is a member of the Institute of Engineers, Germany (VDI).
With lifelong connections to Germany, he has been initiating, developing and nurturing Sri Lankan-German business and cultural relations, is the Vice President and one of the founders of the Sri Lanka-Germany Business Council, an active member of the OAV, the German Asia Pacific Business Association and a staunch supporter of German Economic and Cultural Events in Sri Lanka.
Pandithage is the founder of the DIMO Automobile Training School and pioneer of introducing and implementing the German vocational education and training system in Sri Lanka which is recognized worldwide due to its combination of theory and training embedded in a real-life work environment.
DIMO as the representative of the most prestigious German Brands has been in existence since 1939 and has always had strong links to Germany dating back to its inception and is considered the oldest distributor for Mercedes-Benz in Asia and represents German brands such as Siemens, Osram, Zeiss, Bosch, and Thyssenkrupp.
The Bestowal ceremony held on behalf of Frank -Walter Steinmeier, the President of the Federal Republic of Germany by the German Ambassador to Sri Lanka Jörn Rohde, took place at the Ambassador’s Residence on April 26, 2018 in the presence of numerous German Sri Lankan business and cultural community members and representatives.