‘Pens, books, pastels, office stationery, pencils, we produce them all and more importantly we entered the export market and maintain product demand in that context. You would doubtless know what that could mean. We have maintained high quality in our products. Above all, having said that, our product range, quite substantial, satisfies wide cross section in end user preferences. Not only the local market, but internationally as well.’

‘The Island’ interviewed Assistant General Manager Ceylon Pencil Company Pvt. Ltd. Nilan Silva recently, and in addition to detailed cross section of what he said on virtues of their product range he also said substantial percentage of their products were for the export market. ‘They have been well received in those locations. We are now recognized as a growing Brand in all international centers. Our products are marketed in the US, England, Australia, Malaysia, and Italy.

Their product range spreads laterally to cover approximately 350 products from pencils, to ball pens, and in general terms is a brand that could be used by school children as much as spread their use to professionals in any line of endeavour. He said selection is varied and matching their use finds ready compatibility with what ever is the user base.

The Ceylon Pencil Company limited was founded 1959 by D.S.Madanayake with 10 employees. The Company has grown to its present employee strength of approximately 1000.

Progress included collaboration with the Atlas Pencil Company of UK.

Technological input and expertise was resuscitated to correlate to production demands to appeal to international markets.

Silva said competitors too produced similar products and perhaps had their market share. That was only natural in an open economy, but Atlas products being what they were had the stamp of quality and dependability. He said they were in an intensively competitive market and retail shelf space had equaled growing demand for their products.

The Company conducts an annual art competition, Atlas Sithuru, among school children using Atlas Products. He said ‘Atlas’ is the brand, now internationally recognized and instantly recognized.

Such recognition did not come automatically but through relentless hard work and commitment.