Lanka Tiles, one of the pioneering wall and floor tile manufacturers in Sri Lanka, announced last week that it will enter the globally competitive mosaic tiles segment through a partnership with Foshan Shiwan Yulong Ceramic Co. Ltd., a Chinese mosaic tile manufacturer. This partnership will enable Lanka Tiles to obtain the technical knowhow and subsequently manufacture the tiles in Lanka Tiles factories in Sri Lanka in yet another pioneering move. Lanka Tiles is foraying into manufacturing mosaic tiles for exports to international markets, with a particular focus on North America, which has high demand for mosaic tiles. This collaboration also involves Lanka Tiles’ North American counterpart, Benjamin Malloy. Commenting further, Lanka Walltiles PLC Managing Director Mahendra Jayasekera said that he foresees immense export opportunity for mosaic tiles to North America and other countries. “Lanka Tiles has been on an aggressive expansion drive over the past few years. This is an ambitious move by Lanka Tiles to yet again break new ground by pioneering value-added mosaic tile manufacturing in Sri Lanka. This new manufacturing capacity will not only generate valuable employment opportunities, but will also add a new dimension to the company’s reputation as a world-class tile manufacturer and fill product gaps in the market. Our agility and willingness to innovate has consistently helped the company reap rewards by way of deepening our footprint in global markets,” he noted. Lanka Tiles is already a well-established brand in North America for more than 40 years and the company is familiar with the intricacies of the market there, which will make it easier to target exports of mosaic tiles to specific buyers. Consistently looking for new growth avenues, this tie-up with a Chinese company is an opportunity that has arisen as a result of the US-China trade wars and one which Lanka Tiles seized for strategic advantage. Lanka Tiles expects to promote its diverse product range along with mosaic tile exports to fulfil its aspiration to remain a dominant player in the local market as well as to deliver a better product to its local and overseas buyers. Lanka Tiles is already exporting to 12 countries, including high-quality markets such as the US, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Canada, and certain countries in the European Union (EU). In the company’s most recent expansion, more than 6,000 sq. m. of production capacity was added at a cost of Rs. 2.5 billion at its factory complex in Ranala.   Photo Caption: From left – Mr. Liang Yu En, Managing Director, Foshan Shiwan Yulong Ceramic Co. Ltd, Middle – Benjamin Malloy, Representative of the North American Market, Right – Mr. Mahendra Jayasekera, Managing Director, Lanka Walltiles Group