Precision Persistence

Apr 18, 2014 (LBO) - The founder of a 40 million US dollar Sri Lanka based precision tech company whose entry in to the automotive supply chain epitomizes persistence said he was helped by cultural interaction and trust.







He said his knowledge of the Japanese language and culture also helped him break into the automotive supply chain there.

"Your personal relationship to the Japanese people, especially the decision makers who will make decision," he said.

"It is very vital to have a personal contact.

You might have to go there and play golf and go fishing with them."

Lanka Harness Company (Pvt) Ltd, founded by Rohan Pallewatte, makes impact sensors for airbags, where virtually no fault is tolerated and with defects set at one part per million (1 ppm) in theory.

Fail Safe

Under the Six Sigma process 99.99966 percent of the output is expected to defect free or 3.

4 defects are tolerated per million opportunities.

"But here is a situation where even zero defects are not tolerated," he told senior business executives at Sri Lanka's LBR-LBO CEO forum in Colombo.

"Just 1 ppm. At the impact the airbag must come out.

It cannot fail."

Pallewatte said when he started the firm he wa