The awards were presented to Atlas Axillia Co. at the 25th Global Performance Excellence Awards, which was held recently at the Stones Hotel Legian, Bali, Indonesia. Asitha Samaraweera – Managing Director and Viraj Jayasooriya – COO/Director Operations represented the Company at the event and accepted the awards. Atlas Axillia Co. was also the winner of the National Quality Award 2018 for Large Scale Manufacturing and it was this that paved the way for the Company to be recognized at the global level at the Global performance Excellence Awards 2019.
Speaking about the awards, Asitha Samaraweera, Managing Director at Atlas Axilla Co. said, “It is a great pride and honour to have been recognized and rewarded on such a global platform as the Global Performance Excellence Awards. We were considered amongst other giants of industry in the region and our sincere commitment to quality & operational excellence helped to set us apart. To be eligible for the GPEA 2019, each participant is required to have won the National Quality Award (NQA) in their respective countries and Atlas Axillia Co. received the Sri Lanka National Quality Award 2018, making the Company eligible. The Global Performance Excellence Award aims to bring the NQA award winners of Asia Pacific countries together on a single platform, crossing national, cultural, geographic and economic boundaries. The GPEA then judges the entrants based on a combination of the Malcolm Baldridge Criteria (the NQA of the USA) and the European Foundation of Quality Management (EFQM) criteria. Atlas was judged based upon these world class standards and chosen for these prestigious awards.”
Viraj Jayasooriya, COO/Director Operations added, “The process of assessment for the Global Performance Excellence Award was rigorous and conducted by an international panel of experienced assessors. Atlas was recognized for its bottom up, “everyday innovation” culture and for setting an example as a home grown business that others can follow, both locally and globally. Thus, this is a significant victory for us as we celebrate 60 years and remain firmly committed to providing high quality tools for learning that are accessible to all Sri Lankans.”
The Asia Pacific Quality Organization is an autonomous, non-political, non-profit, membership association that promotes, recognizes and rewards excellence in quality management amongst organizations in Asia and the Pacific Rim. Organizations from Australia, China, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, New Zealand, Philippines, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, UAE, USA and Vietnam competed for the awards. APQO seeks to encourage economic growth in the region through positive business transformation in terms of productivity and quality by creating a platform for leading organizations in the Asia Pacific region to interact with each other.
Atlas Axillia Co. (Private) Limited, formerly known as Ceylon Pencil Company (Private) Limited, was founded in 1959 and has since grown to become Sri Lanka’s market leader in school stationary manufacturing. Fuelled by a passion for providing school children with essential tools for success, “Atlas” has created a strong connection with Sri Lankan consumers, being voted Sri Lanka’s most loved brand in 2017 and winning the prestigious National Quality Award in 2018.
Asitha Samaraweera and Viraj Jayasooriya, Managing Director and Director Operations at Atlas Axillia Co. accept the prestigious Global Performance Excellence Award 2019 on behalf of the Company at the GPEA 2019 Awards Ceremony hosted by the Asia Pacific Quality Organization in Bali, Indonesia