The presentation of the Sri Lanka National Quality Award to Logistics International Limited (LIL) has established significant firsts for the company, its parent group and its sector, the company said this week.

A subsidiary of the Hayleys conglomerate’s Transport Sector Group Maritime Holdings, LIL was adjudged winner in the Small Scale Service Category at the recent National Quality Awards for 2001. The National Quality Award is the country’s highest recognition for excellence in business management and execution.

"LIL’s achievement is a first for the container depot industry in Sri Lanka," the company’s General Manager Chandima Allis said. "LIL is also the first company in the Hayleys Group to win this prestigious award."

Logistics International Limited commenced container depot operations in early 1997. In its brief five-year history, the company has made giant strides in quality enhancement, becoming the first and only container depot in Sri Lanka to receive ISO 9002 certification, and being selected the best container depot in the region including South Africa, UAE, India and Pakistan, by Textainer, one of the largest container leasing companies in the world.

"The National Quality Award brings us a step closer to our mission to be the benchmark company in the container depot industry in Sri Lanka," Mr. Allis added. "New quality initiatives are planned for the current year to enhance our competitive edge."

The Sri Lanka National Quality Award is based on an in-depth audit of seven interrelated areas, leadership, strategic planning, customer and market focus, information and analysis, human resource focus, process management and business results. The National Quality Award is modelled on the world-renowned Malcolm Baldridge Quality Award program in USA. The audit is conducted by a team of auditors from the Sri Lanka Standards Institute (SLSI) and the private sector.