Export market diversification and product innovation a top priority for new Dipped Products MD
- Targets emerging opportunities in Middle-East, Africa, South America, Asia and Oceania
- Invests in expanded manufacturing capacity, new product lines
Global integrated rubber glove manufacturer, Dipped Products PLC (DPL), is taking aim at lucrative emerging opportunities in new export markets, and high-value niche product segments, as part of an ‘innovation-led’ growth agenda spearheaded by new Managing Director, Pushpika Janadheera.
A member of Sri Lanka’s largest diversified conglomerate, the Hayleys Group, DPL currently offers a wide variety of specialised industrial, medical, and household gloves to customers in over 70 countries across the globe, including major retailers across the European Union and North America.
With more than 24 years of experience in working in industries connected to the rubber sector, Janadheera joined DPL in 2017 as Director Operations, where he oversaw many of DPL’s most transformative initiatives. This included significant manufacturing process optimization, total manufacturing capacity expansion, and a continuous focus on research and development leveraged towards development of innovative products.
During his tenure with DPL, Janadheera has also actively championed the company’s progressive approach to implementation and continuous enhancement of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) standards, and the company’s more recent alignment to Group-wide targets set out under the Hayleys Lifecode.
Over the coming year, Janadheera explained how DPL would be working to further consolidate its presence in established market strongholds, while exploring new opportunities in Oceania, Asia, the Middle-East, Africa, and South America.
“For nearly half a century, DPL has steadily moved up the value chain in hand protection. In that time, we have developed an unmatched reputation for quality, and served as a hub for high-level product innovation and best practices in sustainable manufacturing and an authentic commitment to ESG.
In addition to consolidating our reputation as a global leader in sustainable and ethical manufacturing, we are also committing substantial investments towards expansion of our production capacity. Similarly, we are exploring high value-niches like sports gloves, while accelerating our research and development programmes in order to create new innovations that will unlock even greater growth potential over the short-medium term,” he stated.
Janadheera added that DPL had already committed significant investments towards the establishment of a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility for the production of sports gloves at the Biyagama BOI Investment Zone.
“Relative to our larger international competitors, DPL’s value proposition has always been built on delivering high value product innovations and unmatched service while maintaining a powerful commitment to ethical, sustainable manufacturing.
From everyday home and garden usage, to the specific needs of high-performance athletes, electrical engineers, cleaning professionals and medical practitioners; we understand the challenges people face around hand protection and provide solutions to meet all aspects of industry and life. We pride ourselves on providing a superior service for customers, through customized, flexible manufacturing. This potent blend of quality, customer-centric product development, and a total commitment to continuous elevation of ESG standards, is what we will leverage to capture new ground,” Janadheera said.
Together with DPL’s efforts to vertically integrate smallholder rubber farmers into its supply chain with a fair pricing mechanism, the company continues to pioneer a ‘grassroots’ led approach to Sri Lanka’s export development.
DPL’s outstanding commitment to sustainability is also being leveraged to support broader efforts to drive a 30% group-wide reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 carbon emission by 2030 and increase reliance on renewable energy.
