S&D Associates established in 1998 initially focused on manufacturing Sanitation & Cleaning Products aimed at the Hospital and Healthcare industry. Since then, the company has grown many folds and has diversified into a variety of new product areas catering for different industries including Manufacturing & Technical Sales Providers to the Textile Manufacturing Industry and Garment Wet Processing Industry as well as final & intermediate products for Personal Care, Home Care, Adhesives, Sealants, Surface Coatings and Industrial Chemicals for the Rubber Industry and for Water Treatment. In Bangladesh S&D has been operating its business through its local Outfit, Redox Chemical Industries Ltd. Mr. Dayantha De Silva, Chairman, of S&D Group frequently visits Bangladesh and meets clients ever since Redox Chemical started its operation. In the recent past, the Textile Focus Team had a discussion session with Mr. Dayantha and Mr. Chandima Punyawardana, Director, Redox Chemical Industries Ltd. Some key points of the discussion session are mentioned below for our readers.
Textile Focus: Can you please brief us on your company history and operation?
Mr. Dayantha: We are one of the most diversified chemical manufacturing plants in Sri Lanka – manufacturing and handling over 1000 types of chemical stuff. Our fundamental belief is that each customer has the right to have a product produced to their individual needs. It is for this reason that we are regarded as a highly innovative company in the South Asian region and beyond. We have the capability of polymerization and sulphonation. Our company is a technical solution provider and troubleshooting is our essence.
S&D is a very professional and highly customer-focused organization, developing innovative value-added products tailor-made to a variety of customers’ end-use. All products manufactured by us are biodegradable and therefore environmentally friendly. Our focus is on a sustainable future and we always consider process optimization with regard to reducing carbon footprint. We work to reach our goal “to be the best at what we do”.
Textile Focus: What about your Market Areas?
Mr. Dayantha: Our Team consists of highly skilled local and overseas members including chemical engineers, industrial chemists and other professionals. In addition to our manufacturing facilities in Sri Lanka, we also operate via Redox Chemical in Bangladesh & liaison office in Maldives Islands. Now buyers and the associated bodies are emphasizing on the green industry. We are also very much concerned about it. Already we are in the process of Bluesign Accreditation. We are a GOTS-approved manufacturer. Our trade mark products are exported around the world to the countries such as India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Vietnam, Dubai, Egypt, Spain, Australia & Singapore. In near future, we plan to spread out to cover some of the other South East Asian Regional markets such as Thailand and Malaysia.
Textile Focus: What are the strong points of your company?
Mr. Dayantha: We at S&D believe in providing from Concept to Creation and Technical Innovation that strategically strengthens our client’s business process. Undertake the responsibilities of our stakeholders seriously, and work to maintain sustained growth of the company while meeting the needs of the people we depend upon. We are a highly customer-oriented organization that develops and delivers innovative products with tailor-made technical guidance achieving quality & sustainable/economical solutions.
We work relentlessly to build bridges of trust & loyalty with clients and fellow associates. These “bridges” help us to retain the brightest associates, to uplift trust and achieve the satisfaction of our clients in order to grow our business.
We at S&D have a hand in building these bridges by leveraging our core principles:
- Sustainability
- Partnering with Customers
- Innovative & Technology
Client Satisfaction is the cornerstone that defines our culture and success.
Textile Focus: We learned that S&D Chemicals Private Limited has recently won Presidential Environmental Award, will you give a highlight on it?
Mr. Dayantha: S & D Chemicals Pvt Ltd has been awarded the Bronze Award of Presidential Environmental Awards 2016 organized by the Central Environmental Authority, Sri Lanka. S&D Chemicals was adjudged the second-best performer in the category of Chemical Products under the industrial sector as no candidate was selected for the Gold Award. The company runs on the basis of ‘Life Cycle Thinking’ and the 3R Concept including the practical aspects of the terms Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. It is also on the way forward to reducing our carbon footprint and being the first carbon-neutral company in the sector by 2025. The company has already facilitated solar energy-based electricity. The company puts maximum effort to reduce energy consumption in our production process. S&D initiates the production process only after running a proper risk assessment which involves a thorough investigation of every possible accident that may occur during the production process and be prepared to implement possible alternatives or management strategies. The company follows strict regulations and standards in waste disposal.
Textile Focus: What do you think about the Bangladesh textile market?
Mr. Chamdima: Bangladesh’s textile industry is growing very fast and it’s a mass market. There are still a lot of opportunities. We as a Sri Lankan company feel deeply attached to Bangladesh. We are ready to provide the best possible services to the Bangladesh market. We consider Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in the same platform for business. You know lead time is very important for production. In this regard, we can provide products within a very short time from the ordering date, whereas it’s not possible for European companies. Moreover, we are providing quality products at a competitive rate.
Mr. Dayantha: More certainly Bangladesh has the capability to achieve the $50B export target by 2021. For this, the industry should grow up with innovative products, economical and sustainable solutions, compliance, and value-added products. It is encouraging that Bangladesh Government is placing top priority to textiles.
Textile Focus: What are the aspects that you consider for your business in the upcoming days?
Mr. Dayantha: There are three aspects we are considering for the last one year and the subsequent two years:
- Pressure from the buyers for sustainability for green chemistry.
- To provide better products in the industry at an economic rate. For this, we are working on sustainable developments.
- We have already updated our own development centre. We are working on different fashion ideas with our chemicals.
Mr. Chandima: We are emphasizing on enriching our knowledge and raw materials and also taking feedback from the experts about our products. Development is a continuous process and it’s very expensive. I have been in Bangladesh since 2006 and feel like a local citizen. There are a lot of developments here but still a long way to go. Especially sufficient infrastructure and technological implementation are badly needed for long-term and sustainable development.
Textile Focus: Thank you!
