AmSafe Bridport: Pioneering aerospace safety, sustainability and best workspace practices in Sri Lanka

In the global aerospace market, safety and restraint products stand as the forefront of specialised equipment and systems, meticulously designed to ensure the safety of both the passengers and the cargo. In the aerospace industry’s niche market these exceptional solutions, are often the brainchild of the companies, and they come wrapped in the protective embrace of intellectual property rights, including patents and trademarks.

AmSafe Bridport Ltd. is one of the trailblazing companies that is a key player dedicated to problem-solving, solution-providing, and the development of highly-engineered textile based safety and securement products. They aim to become the global leader that caters to the ever-evolving safety and securement needs of the global aerospace and defence markets while safeguarding lives and equipment and cultivating a flourishing industry that brings pride and value to all. The Board of Investment (BOI) registered company is exclusively owned by the New York Stock exchange listed conglomerate TransDigm Group Inc. in the USA.

In a recent interview with the Daily FT, AmSafe Bridport Ltd. General Manager Chandani Ekanayake shared her insights into the aviation industry’s product landscape and the company’s broader contributions to the nation.

Following are the excerpts of the discussion:

By Nuzla Rizkiya

Give us a brief overview of AmSafe Bridport Ltd.

AmSafe Bridport is a prominent corporate entity in Sri Lanka with a strong affiliation to the aviation sector. Our journey began in 2001 as a small-scale business, manufacturing and supplying engineered safety and securement products to our sister companies in the US and UK. We have since assumed the complete control over the production process for our vastly diversified and expanded product portfolio, along with assuming responsibility for nearly all aspects of their administration engaging directly with globally acclaimed aviation giants such as Boeing and Airbus and other aircraft manufactures and airlines. Our initial team of 50 employees has grown into a family of 650 over the last two decades.

Our scope of work has since expanded from research and development to the sales of our manufactured goods directly to our customers. We have also embarked on a journey to provide BPO services to other companies in the TransDigm group in the areas of IT, Sales and Finance, etc.

 You mentioned that AmSafe Bridport is predominantly involved in the aviation sector. Tell us your insight into the industry here in Sri Lanka. Tell us how you contribute to revolutionising it.

 The global aviation industry is experiencing continuous growth, leading to increased demand for aircraft and their components and directly contributes to the growth and profitability of our business resulting in high GDP contribution to the local economy. However, I believe as a small Island nation the overall growth of aviation industry in Sri Lanka is minor in comparison to that of the globe. We have revolutionised the safety restraint systems for both passengers and cargo within the global aviation industry through relentless research and development efforts and a steadfast commitment to innovation.

In response to your question on the current challenges faced by the Sri Lankan businesses one of the most pressing challenges, given our current socio-economic context, is the massive “talent drain”.  As our products are highly engineered and specialised our employees require extensive training, post recruitment to bridge the knowledge gaps and we continuously invest in our employees to be ahead of the rapidly evolving market. Even in companies such as ours where there is a continuous and a rapid growth in the business which ensures job security and highly competitive and above par compensation to our employees amongst other perks, we still have employees leaving us for overseas opportunities due to the national economic crisis. In an attempt to address this issue and to align our objectives with our employees’ aspirations we try to retain our top talent in our business whenever possible by relocating them to our overseas facilities in the UK or the USA.

As a responsible organisation, we continuously aim to maximise productivity, contribute substantially to the national economy, and ensure the well-being of our workforce, local community and the environment. Hence, we would appreciate it if the national policies be made more consistent and competitive in comparison to neighbouring countries, ensuring Sri Lanka can protect the interests and expectations of existing investors while also attracting future foreign investments.

 Let us talk about the recent achievements of the company. AmSafe Bridport was recently well-recognised at the Best Workplaces Awards 2023. The company was ranked among the 

• Best 15 workplaces for Millennials for Sri Lanka in 2023
• Best 50 workplaces in Sri Lanka – 2nd Place under the Medium Sized company Category
• Best Workplaces in Asia in 2023 (Large Category) – #17 in Asia and #3 in Sri Lanka while also bagging the Excellence in Leadership Effectiveness Award at the ceremony

Tell us your thoughts about this. What do you think were the winning factors behind these recognitions?

 We are genuinely thrilled and satisfied with the recognitions we have received this year from Great Place to Work, even when we didn’t embark on our journey with the expectation of winning awards.

These awards reflect our commitment to creating a supportive and nurturing workplace built on mutual trust and confidence. We place strong emphasis on employee well-being, professional development, and fostering a culture of effective leadership. Our goal is to provide an environment where our employees feel valued and can flourish both personally and professionally.

In reply to your question about our accomplishments during the year, I believe it’s worth mentioning that even during challenging times of multiple national crises, we have achieved an impressive 20% growth in our business in the current financial year. Additionally, we embarked on a “0 defect journey” with the renowned aerospace company Boeing, who has also nominated us as their supplier of the year award in 2023. We have also proudly held a place on their list of elite suppliers for an extended period of time.

 What are the strategies adopted by AmSafe Bridport in terms of sustainable growth?

 AmSafe Bridport has strong green initiatives incorporated into our operations. For example one of the products we manufacture named the Pallet Net ZERO harnesses the power of innovative Bio-Based Dyneema fibre – a light material, sourced from renewable bio-based feedstock. 

Compared to traditional polyester based cargo pallets, Pallet Net ZERO has a two-year longer certified life span, 59% lighter weight, 79% carbon reduction, thereby reducing fuel consumption significantly. This product has actually revolutionised and is already listed as the future world’s leading innovation that will provide unwavering quality and strength for the aerospace industry, while being kinder to the planet. 

Adding to this we have also been actively involved in improving our ecological footprint. Recently we invested around $ 560,000 for a mega solar power plant where we were successfully able to program the network to contribute to the national grid.