CEAT Kelani wins double honours at CNCI Achiever Awards 2025

CEAT Kelani Holdings, Sri Lanka’s largest manufacturer of pneumatic tyres, has been recognised with two prestigious awards at the 2025 CNCI Achiever Awards presented by the Ceylon National Chamber of Industries (CNCI), reaffirming its standing as one of the country’s foremost industrial enterprises. 

Competing in the ‘Extra-Large Manufacturing Sector’ category, the company received the National Silver Award and a Top Ten Award, accolades that celebrate excellence across multiple dimensions of industrial performance including financial strength, value addition, productivity, innovation, quality assurance, environmental responsibility, and social commitment. 

The CNCI Achiever Awards, regarded as one of Sri Lanka’s most respected recognitions for industrial excellence, evaluate companies on stringent criteria encompassing more than 12 key operational aspects. CEAT Kelani’s success at the 2025 edition marks another milestone in its journey of continuous improvement, having previously won CNCI awards in 2013 and 2024. 

Commenting on the achievement, CEAT Kelani Holdings Chief Operating Officer Mr Shamal Gunawardene said: “These awards are a reflection of the collective commitment of our teams to manufacturing excellence, innovation, and sustainability. Every process within CEAT Kelani, from product design to delivery, is guided by our quality-based management philosophy and a deep sense of responsibility to our customers, employees, and the environment.” 

The company’s performance in several key areas contributed to its recognition at this year’s CNCI Achiever Awards. CEAT Kelani has maintained a strong financial profile validated by Fitch Ratings, which reaffirmed its National Long-Term Rating at ‘AA+(lka)/Stable’ for the fourth consecutive year, projecting an 18 per cent increase in sales volume in FY 2025 and a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10 per cent through FY 2028. 

Under its proprietary Quality Based Management (QBM) system — a holistic Total Quality Management framework built on ‘Customer Focus,’ ‘People Focus,’ and ‘Process Focus,’ CEAT Kelani has institutionalised a culture of continuous improvement across all operational levels. Its product development is driven by consumer insight and supported by advanced R&D capabilities in Germany and India, ensuring superior performance, safety, and durability in every tyre segment.

Reinforcing its commitment to quality and innovation, the company recently pledged Rs. 4.5 billion in new investments to acquire advanced technology for new product development and drive significant quality improvements across its entire product portfolio.

Beyond operational excellence, CEAT Kelani continues to demonstrate strong environmental and social responsibility. The company’s sustainability initiatives include the quantification and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions under ISO 14064-1:2018 standards, the installation of a 2.4 MW rooftop solar power system, advanced waste management and recycling systems, and extensive CSR programmes such as the CEAT Cares School Road Safety initiative and educational support for children of the rubber cultivator community.

Ranked Sri Lanka’s most valuable tyre brand by Brand Finance and as the ‘Most Loved Tyre Brand’ in Sri Lanka in 2025 by LMD, CEAT is Sri Lanka’s highest-selling tyre brand, with over 1.2 million tyres sold annually. CEAT Kelani’s rise to market leadership is underpinned by sustained investments in technology, innovation and capacity. The Company’s manufacturing operations encompass pneumatic tyres for passenger cars, vans, SUVs, commercial vehicles (bias-ply and radial), motorcycles, three-wheelers and agricultural vehicles. 

Besides accounting for half of Sri Lanka’s automotive tyre requirements, CEAT Kelani exports around 20 per cent of its output to 16 countries. The joint venture had invested more than Rs. 8.5 billion in Sri Lanka prior to its commitment of another Rs 4.5 billion over the next 18 months, strengthening its position as a vital contributor to the local economy and a trusted partner to the nation’s transport sector.