CTC shares expertise in operational excellence

Wednesday, 29 April 2015 01:52 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

CTC operational excellence Samitha Perera In its legacy of over 100 years, the Ceylon Tobacco Company (CTC) has established itself as a benchmark in corporate excellence, not only in Sri Lanka, but within the wider network of British American Tobacco (BAT) markets. The company has always placed an emphasis on talent development, giving employees opportunities to gain exposure in foreign markets within the British American Tobacco Group (BAT), to prepare them to take up leadership roles in the future. Among CTC’s many achievements throughout the years, the company’s excellence in operations is a key highlight which has placed it in a distinct position within the Group. “Operational excellence has always been a key focus for us at CTC, and all our efforts towards this end have enabled us to reach the unique position of being one of the most efficient manufacturing units among all BAT companies in the Asia Pacific region. This achievement comes through a singular focus on efficient management of all resources, which includes identifying the best talents for each and every requirement,” says CTC Chief Executive Officer Felicio Ferraz. CTC has continued to share its expertise in achieving sustainable business growth by exporting their talent to other end markets on short term to long term assignments. The company believes that talent export not only provides a platform for its employee development, but also acts to position Sri Lanka as a talent hub within BAT. In 2014 the company provided international exposure opportunities to 10 of its management level employees. More recently CTC has shared its extensive knowledge and experience with the BAT operation in Myanmar, supporting the team in the setup of a new factory and its operation. Samitha Perera, the Production Manager of the Secondary Manufacturing unit at CTC, recently returned from a four-month long international assignment as a subject matter expert, where he supported the team in Myanmar to establish its operations. Commenting on his stint abroad, Samitha said, “I was humbled and excited to be selected for this special project of knowledge transfer within the network. Our factory at CTC is recognised as a model in lean operations, maintaining high efficiencies and low levels of waste. My main task in Myanmar was to work with the Manufacturing Manager in establishing systems and processes that would enable them to achieve similar successes.” During his time in Myanmar, Samitha was instrumental in initiating a project which streamlined the current shift patterns that would benefit the operation by increasing factory capacity by 58%, improving communication between working shifts and ultimately achieving an annualised saving of $ 34,000. He also helped the team to put in place Business Contingency Plans and trained staff on best practices in 5S, environmental, health and safety and waste management.