Top 15 companies at ‘Danish Days’ in Sri Lanka from 1-4 November

Delegates representing 15 top Danish companies will be visiting Sri Lanka from 1-4 November to strengthen ties with their counterparts in the Sri Lankan business community as well as explore potential for involvement in the Sri Lankan market in areas such as energy, infrastructure and water.  The delegation is to be led by Ambassador of Denmark to India and Sri Lanka, Peter Taksøe-Jensen, Commercial Counsellor and Head of Trade of the Royal Danish Embassy Morten Viktor Ranieri-Svendsen, Director International Jens Holst-Nielsen and Nanna Bogesvang Olesen from the Confederation of Danish Industry.

In addition to a series of business-to-business meetings organised for the delegates by the European Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka (ECCSL), the visit will coincide with ‘Danish Days in Sri Lanka 2016’, a two-day event to be held at the Taj Samudra Hotel on 2 and 3 November, where deliberations will take place under the broad theme ‘Water, Energy and Infrastructure’.  

Danish Days will be hosted by the Embassy of Denmark along with the Confederation of Danish Industry.  The organisers expect that these events will also enable Sri Lankan public and private stakeholders to explore opportunities for partnership with Danish companies.  

The keynote speech of the inaugural session on 2 November will be delivered by Minister of Megapolis and Western Development Patali Champika Ranawaka, followed by sessions where representatives of the BOI, the EU and ECCSL will discuss business and investment opportunities in Sri Lanka.

BOI Investment Promotion Executive Director Prasanjith Wijayathilake will speak on ‘The investment advantages and framework conditions in Sri Lanka’ while Deputy Head Political and Trade Section Delegation of the EU to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Roshan Lyman, will touch on the ‘International framework and special EU conditions in Sri Lanka’.

Legal Advisor and In-House Counsel to ECCSL John Wilson and ECCSL General Manager Srinath Fernando will discuss the opportunities and barriers related to ‘Investing in, doing business with and trading with Sri Lanka’. 

These will be followed by presentations of the Danish delegates moderated by Commercial Counsellor of the Embassy of Denmark Morten Ranieri-Svendsen. There will also be parallel ‘Round Table Discussions’ on energy, infrastructure and water.  

On 3 November the subject of project finance will be deliberated on, followed by a series of business-to-business meetings.  

The participating Danish companies are highly reputed globally in their particular lines of business and therefore the visit will be a golden opportunity for the building of partnerships that could boost the development drive currently underway in Sri Lanka, especially after the vast strides made in improving relations between Sri Lanka and the EU over the past 18 months following a tense period where Sri Lanka lost the GSP Plus facility.

The visiting delegates represent the following Danish companies and interest groups: Babock & Wilcox Volund, COWI, Cre8o, Dairy Tech, The Danfoss Group, Grundfos, IFU, Kosan Crisplant A/S, Maersk, Odense Maritime Technology, Rohde-Nielsen, Terma, Vestas Wind Systems A/S, and the Confederation of Danish Industry.  

The following are thumbnails of the companies and groups.

Babock & Wilcox Volund

A Danish clean-tech company with considerable expertise in extracting the greatest amount of energy from waste and biomass, whose first waste-to-energy plant was developed way back in 1930, a plant that revolutionised waste-disposal techniques. 

The company is today one of the world’s leading turnkey EPC contractors and suppliers of equipment and technologies that turn solid waste and biomass into thermal energy.

COWI

A group that was founded in 1930 in Denmark, COSI provides consultancy services in engineering, environmental science and economics, handling projects in more than 120 countries ranging from solid waste management, waster-to-energy, rehabilitation of waste dumps and the establishment of waste treatment facilities.

Cre8o

Cre9o specialises in business development and innovation for small and medium-size enterprises globally, working intensively and consciously to create a greater security for investors and banks.   

Dairy Tech

Dairy Tech is a Danish engineering company specialising in supplying small and medium-sized projects to dairy, juice and food-related industries, including the coconut industry. It is in a unique position to supply complete plants and process lines to the coconut industry to enhance and increase the value of the products from the coconut kernel, moving away from traditional products such as desiccated coconut and copra.  

The Danfoss Group

Danfoss develops technologies that enable the world of tomorrow to do more with less and serves customers in more than 100 countries, drawing on the expertise of 5,000 persons specialised in motor control and making it easier for customers to make correct choices and secure profitable, energy-efficient systems.  

Grundfos

Grundfos is a global leader in advanced pump solutions and a trendsetter in water technology. It is a world leader among pump manufacturers.  

Investment Fund for Developing Countries (IFU)

The IFU provides risk capital and advice to companies seeking to set up businesses in developing countries and emerging markets. IFU and IFU managed funds have invested in over 1,200 projects covering more than 100 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe.   

Kosan Crisplant A/S

Kosan Crisplant A/S offers a large range of solutions in the power market, from solar cell solutions for households to large power plants.  

Maersk

The Maersk Group is an integrated transport and logistics company with multiple brands and is a global leader in container shipping and ports.  

Odense Maritime Technology

Odense Maritime Technology traces its heritage back to 1917, when Odense Steel Shipyar was founded in Odense, Denmark. Key focus areas are the design of cost-effective and fuel-effective ships while the product range includes container ships, bulk carriers, gas tankers, offshore supply vessels, tugs and navy ships.

Rohde-Nielsen

The RN Group, founded in 1968, is Scandinavia’s largest dredging company and its modern fleet consists of a wide range of trailer dredgers, backhoe aqua-diggers, bucket dredgers, barge unloaders, tugs, towed split barges and survey vessels.

Terma

Terma provides mission critical solutions for the defence of aerospace industries. They are proud providers of security and their business activities include command and control systems, radar systems, self-protection systems for ships and aircraft and space technology. 

 Vestas Wind Systems A/S

The world leader in wind energy, Vesta wind turbines deliver clean energy that supports the global fight against climate change. Vestas has delivered wind energy in 75 counties and has installed 52% more megawatts than anyone else in the industry.   

Confederation of Danish Industry (DI)

DI is a private organisation fund, owned and managed entirely by 10,000 companies in manufacturing, trade and services.  DI’s vision is to ensure the best possible conditions for its members to conduct business in Denmark and the rest of the world.