Maliban reaches helm at CNCI Awards 2015

Chief Guest of the ceremony Member of Parliament Eran Wickramaratne and Ceylon National Chamber of Industries Chairman Gamini Gunasekera handing over the award to Maliban Biscuit Manufactories Chairman 

Rathnapala Samaraweera

Sri Lanka’s premier biscuit manufacturer Malian Biscuit Manufactories was placed at the helm of success at the 14th CNCI Achiever Industrial Excellence Awards organised by the Ceylon National Chamber of Industries. The award ceremony took place at the Galadari hotel on 3 September and was graced by many distinguished guests from industries in manufacturing and service sectors in Sri Lanka.

Maliban emerged victorious, winning the Gold Award of the Manufacturing National Level Extra Large Category for the third consecutive time. This simultaneously entitled the company to win the Crystal Award of the same category awarded for the three-time consecutive gold award winner of the CNCI Achiever Awards. The Crystal Award, considered as a lifetime achievement for a manufacturer at this award ceremony, is considered as the highest fete that is awarded by CNCI. Further, the pioneering biscuit manufacturer was also adjudged the first of the Top 10 manufacturers of the Extra Large Category, another feather in their cap.

Sharing her thoughts on Maliban’s astounding success at the CNCI Achiever Awards, Maliban Biscuit Manufactories Managing Director Kumudika Fernando said, “We are indeed very proud to be recognised as the crystal award winner at the 14th CNCI Awards. This achievement would have not been possible without our Chairman A.G.R. Samaraweera. His guidance and futuristic vision has been an inspiration for our employees to work as one united team. This award is extra special because we celebrated the 60th anniversary of the company this year. We are a trusted company among consumers and have always been loyal to them. All of our products meet all parameters set by the company achieving a 100% rate in terms of customer satisfaction. These measures have helped Maliban to receive the world recognised FDA certification last year.” The CNCI Achiever Industrial Excellence Awards is held annually to recognise the operational and manufacturing excellence achieved by local enterprises in the industry, manufacturing and service sectors. It is renowned in the local arena as a benchmark of operational excellence and is highly regarded as one of the greatest fetes a manufacturer could achieve in the local arena. The awards are presented after reviewing the applicants’ performances under criteria that includes the following aspects; value addition, productivity, employment statistics, welfare and incentives to employees, corporate planning, research and development, quality assurance, environmental and social responsibilities and industrial and occupational health and safety.

Sharing her views General Manager (Research and Development and Quality Assurance) Warna Fernando stated, “We have come a long way to achieve growth in the overall performance of the company by introducing new products, which are new to their categories and have made improvements to the existing products after considering customers’ suggestions and feedback. We maintain and adhere to strict quality control measures in all areas of production and these have resulted in enhancing the overall performance of the company.” Initiated in 1954 by late Chairman A.G. Hiniappuhamy, Maliban Biscuit Manufactories has grown from strength to strength in the past 60 years to become one of the leading biscuit manufactories in Sri Lanka. At the core of their success is the meticulous attention to provide the best quality and taste for the nation. Equipped with state-of-the-art manufacturing machinery, equipment, infrastructure and a skilled workforce, Maliban has been able to make strides in the biscuit manufacturing field.  As a testament to their excellence they have won many awards in the national and international arena, which include the National Quality Award in 1996 and 2012, Export Gold Award 2011, 2012 and 2013 and Global Performance Excellence Award in 2011, 2012 and 2013 to name a few. Furthermore, Maliban is armed with ISO 9001:2008, 14001:2004 and 22000:2005 for quality, environment and food safety management systems respectively.

Maliban has proven that it is in the forefront when it comes to innovation with truly novel products such as Cheese Puff, Spicy Crackers and Sugar Free Biscuits for health conscious individuals. Packed with nourishment, Maliban is known throughout the island for its quality and by achieving the Gold award as well as being placed at the helm amongst the Top 10 companies of Sri Lanka in the CNCI Achievers Awards 2015, Maliban has been able to further establish its excellence.