Monday, January 6, 2020

Sri Lanka’s cable maker ACL completes takeover of a 51-pct stake in local cable firm for Rs481mn


ACL Cables, Sri Lanka's cable and conductor manufacturer, has signed a stock sale and purchase agreement to acquire 51% of Cable Solutions (Private) Limited's issued shares for 481 million rupees. A stock exchange filing said that, together with other investors, it would eventually buy 75% of Cable Solutions. Cable Solutions Pvt Ltd., which produces electrical and electronic cables and wires, has a factory in Flint Industrial Park, Kadawatha, north of the capital, Colombo.
Cable Solutions Europe AB's largest plant in Sweden is based in Kerala, India. Swicord Investment, Sweden, manages the Flint Industrial Park and provides manufacturing companies with infrastructure facilities and support services. ACL Cables PLC is Sri Lanka's most significant cable manufacturer, pioneering the industry in 1962. ACL holds 45% of the local market and produces Sri Lanka's most extensive range of cables.

Today, ACL has evolved to be a group of companies that control 70% of Sri Lanka's cable market share. ACL is the most sought-after cable brand in Sri Lanka. It offers 80% of the Duty-Free project requirements owned by overseas investors and authorized by the Investment Board, beating international cable supplies. All of the leading factories, hotels, commercial buildings, and warehouses use ACL cables to-date.
Earlier this year, ACL Cables Plc won an Rs. 789.45 million deal to supply cables to state-operated Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB).
Sri Lanka’s Government Information Department stated that the Cabinet of Ministers approved the award of 1,300 kilometers of aerial bundled conductors to Sri Lanka’s ACL Cables Plc. The proposal was presented Cabinet for approval by Sri Lanka’s Power and Energy Minister Ravi Karunanayake. The Standing Procurement Committee made its recommendations, and the company was selected accordingly.
The contract awarded by Sri Lanka’s CEB to supply cables to a local company is indicative of the strength and growth of the country’s private sector. It is also indicative of the many business opportunities in Sri Lanka, given the expanding economic activities in the country.
Hence foreign businesses could, therefore, explore possibilities of forming partnerships with local companies - partnerships to engage in business ventures in Sri Lanka. They could also explore business/investment opportunities in the country’s development program.
OSL Take: The government of Sri Lanka is engaged in a development program covering the entire country as well as a plan to revive and uplift state-owned enterprises through public-private partnerships (PPPs). PPP initiatives have resulted in the opening of many business/investment opportunities in Sri Lanka. The country’s economic policies, as well as the ease of doing business environment, are encouraging signs for foreign investors to enter Sri Lanka’s economy.
The acquisition plans of the Sri Lankan cable manufacturing company is indicative of the strength and growth of the country’s private sector. It also portrays the business potential in the country. Sri Lanka’s geographical positioning in the Indian Ocean, the ease of doing business environment in the country and the many trade agreements, as well as trade concessions enjoyed by the state, have made it an ideal business destination in the South Asian region.
VBS/AT/20200106/Z_TB4

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