The CNCI Achievers Awards 2017 organized by the Ceylon National Chamber of Industries (CNCI) will be held for the 16th consecutive year on August 17 at Galadari Hotel, Colombo.
The closing date for applications is May 15. The awards will be presented under the sectors of manufacturing and services in extra large, large, medium and micro segments.
“The Chamber strives to promote and develop industrial sector while promoting industrial growth. The awards are presented to those entrepreneurs who have excelled in manufacturing and services sectors recognizing their efforts in contributing to the economy of the country,” CNCI Chairman Tissa Seneviratne said. Ministry of Industry and Commerce Secretary Chintaka Lokuhetti said, industries play a vital role in the growth of a country and awards of this nature provide encouragement and opportunities to entrepreneurs. Recognising and rewarding achievers will encourage them to reach great heights.
The recognition will raise quality standards and entrepreneurial efforts. This will result in enhanced efficiency and growth of the industries. The government is planning a SME policy for growth and development and will be looking for public-private partnerships in this regard, he said. Tharanga Perera, Factory Manager, Link Natural Products (Pvt) Ltd., the Gold award winner 2016, said the corporate environment is highly competitive. The corporates need to assess themselves to be competitive. The awards provide a guideline to raise the benchmark and perform better.
The evaluation consists of array of criteria which is diverse. There was immense benefit winning the gold award such as identifying the excellence, focused effort and awareness towards excellence and cross functional teams working towards achievement of targets. The awards opened a path towards a sustained excellence, he said. There will also be special awards for districts with limited facilities such as the North and the East. The highlight of the Achievers Awards is the presentation of national awards for the top 10 industries. The judging criteria include turnover, value addition, productivity, employment statistics, cost of incentives to employees, statutory and other responsibilities, environment responsibility, social responsibility, corporate plan, R&D, quality assurance and certifications and industrial and occupational health and safety. – SJ