Sri Lankan president attends GRI gala

BADALGAMA, Sri Lanka —  Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena was among the special guests who attended the gala reception held to celebrate the opening of specialty tire manufacturer Global Rubber Industries Pvt. Ltd.'s pneumatic tire factory.

GRI officially opened the plant in Badalgama on Jan. 25, the first facility in the country to produce agricultural tires. The facility also produces construction and pneumatic material handling tires.

After the ceremonial opening of the factory, which was attended by visitors from more than 35 countries, Mr. Sirisena, the seventh president in the history of the country, mingled with guests at the gala, held at the main ballroom of the Shangri-La Hotel Colombo.

Mr. Sirisena acknowledged GRI's milestone for the company as well as for the country, with GRI becoming the first tire manufacturer to produce pneumatic agricultural tires in Sri Lanka.

Other dignitaries to attend the gala were Arjuna Ranatunga, petroleum resources development; Ranjan Ramanayake, deputy minister of social empowerment, Mahinda Amaraweera, disaster management minister; Ravi Karunanayake, former finance minister; and Tissa Attanayake, former general secretary of the United National Party.

GRI said the plant is equipped with "some of the most advanced technologies available" with machines that perform an increased degree of precision, lower operator dependency and greater automation. GRI said these advantages will result in enhanced consistency, higher quality, greater efficiency, reduced cycle times and lower waste.