By Ruvini Jayasinghe
INSEE Cement leads the local industry as the only fully integrated manufacturer of cement. Backed by the brand strength of its two flagship products – Sanstha and Mahaweli Marine Plus, this market leader has taken the initiative to be a true industry leader by introducing superior blended cements to the Sri Lankan construction industry, incorporating sustainability in its daily decision making, shifting to environmentally responsible production and mining processes and a pledge to “Build for Life”. “Build for Life” meaning to impact society positively with each action and thereby improving the place we are living in.
INSEE has set up a i2i (innovation to industry) Collaboration Space in Peliyagoda for the next generation development of the construction industry. The facility is a wide-open invitation to all stakeholders who could contribute to collaborate with and develop ideas, experiments and innovations to collectively reach that next level in the industry.
Giving this massive drive of leadership to elevate itself from the old and established industry to the next level to match global standards, is the company’s Executive Vice President of Marketing, Sales and Innovation, Jan Kunigk. His wide experience of working in over 40 countries around the globe in the building materials and construction industry has given him the leadership skills to take the industry forward toward a new, better, vision for the Cement Industry in Sri Lanka.
Excerpts from the interview with Jan Kunigk:
Q: The cement industry has shifted from State to private ownership and then changed hands several times. Is INSEE Cement the market leader now?
A: We have a proud history of over 50 years in the business and our top brand “Sanstha” is the market leader with a very established brand name in high demand in the industry. INSEE Cement Sri Lanka is the amalgamation of four long-standing local cement giants – Puttalam Cement Plant established in 1969 and Ruhunu Cement Plant established in 1967 and acquisitions of Ambuja Cement and Lafarge Cement terminals. Siam City Cement Public Company also known as INSEE Cement head quartered in Thailand, took over the Sri Lankan business operations from its last owner, Lafarge Holcim Cement in 2016.
Today, INSEE Cement Sri Lanka holds the largest share of the market at 37.5%. Approximately 75% of INSEE Cement Sri Lanka’s total revenue is generated from the retail segment, making it a truly household brand.
Read BMD December 2019 for more details…