Dankotuwa Porcelain expects higher demand from India’s exploding middle class

By Sarah Thadhani

Leading Sri Lankan porcelain tableware manufacturer Dankotuwa Porcelain PLC (DPL) sees ample opportunity in the neighbouring Indian market and is gearing to further expand its business interests in that country, a top company official said.

According to DPL Chairman Ranjan Asirwatham, the company has tapped into the middle class Indian market and is further pursuing to increase demand for their products since a large proportion of the country’s wealth lies in that market as well as the numbers.

The company’s 2016/17 annual report said plans to capture a higher sale in the Northern Indian region continues through agents appointed to cover both the institutional and hotel sectors.

Asirwatham also said the company has ramped up its marketing campaigns and is trying to follow the footsteps of tea major Dilmah in positioning its brand in the global market place.

“However, Sri Lanka has always been known for their tea and not porcelain ware. So it will be a rather difficult hurdle to leap over,” Asirwatham told Mirror Business at the opening DPL’s Signature Showroom in Colombo 07, recently.

Dankotuwa caters to a custom specialized niche market where they manufacture and sell lifestyle based porcelain ware.

Not only did this store feature its own home-grown brands - Dankotuwa and Royal Fernwood - it also houses worldwide brands such as Lenox and Portmeirion.
Dankotuwa also manufactures for England’s longest leading porcelain brand, Royal Worchester, which is under the Portmeirion Groupe.

DPL said one and a half years of their work has paid off as they’ve introduced these two prominent British brands to Sri Lanka in order to enhance customer shopping experience and satisfy their various needs. DPL’s clientele includes countries in the US and Europe but a few road bumps were faced with the depreciation of the Euro, which affected demand.

As of now, Thailand and Bangladesh are Dankotuwa’s biggest competitors as they provide cheaper alternatives.

“Our overall growth plan for 2020 includes several new exciting initiatives such as Signature Showrooms aimed at taking the group to new heights,” said Asirwatham.
Porcelain is an expensive business and constant innovation will need to take place for DPL to remain competitive not just in the local but international market as well if it is to reach its seat at the table next to Dilmah.

For the six months ended September 30th 2017, DPL posted a net profit of Rs.18.4 million, down 59 percent year-on-year (YoY) on a revenue of Rs.1.09 billion, down Rs.1.2 billion YoY.