GRI managing director: 2021 is a year to build

At the start of 2021 GRI managing director Prabhash Subasinghe reflected on 2020 and shares his focus for 2021. Beginning with a reflection on the true meaning of resilience – something that is only put to the test only when you go through a year like 2020 – Subasinghe spoke proudly about GRI and the company’s home country Sri Lanka:

“I am humbled and proud of how resilient we were as people, a company, and a country. Our fortitude drove the way we interacted with society and the way we managed our relationships with our stakeholders. GRI showed an incredible amount of resilience in all facets.

“In March 2020, a critical moment of truth dawned as we saw what was happening around the world, wondering how long we could survive. When I now reflect, I realize we not only survived but thrived. I am proud to state that we never closed our manufacturing plants, even during the two-month lockdown in Sri Lanka. We continued operations and served our customers due to the resilience we had built within GRI.

“…From the way we connected internally and externally to uninterrupted business continuity, we worked hard towards an exceptional outcome in 2020. I am proud of Team GRI. And it has been a privilege to work with such an extraordinary and committed team.

Thriving rather than just surviving

From here, Subasinghe moved on to the lessons learnt: “We set out to survive the pandemic in 2020 but we thrived and had a better year than 2019…The first thing we did was to prepare for the unexpected in advance. In January/February 2020, we were fortunate to foresee some of the worldwide disruptions that would ensue and worked swiftly to get ahead. We looked at everything from cash conservation, operational continuity, logistics, securing raw material, shipping orders, etc. We gathered information required to make fast decisions and had contingency plans for every aspect of our operations that bring GRI’s products to life.”

This plus placing a premium on internal and external connectivity led to a surprising level of success, according to Subasinghe: “….Our goal during this crisis was a simple one – to get to the other side. We set out to survive but we ended up thriving.”

What’s Next? Diversification, sustainability and building

“We have diversified our business, growing from the material handling business to the agriculture and the construction tyre business in 2018. The global agriculture tyre market is a $10 billion business and GRI comes with a wealth of expertise and heritage. I would firmly say that the next decade is filled with growth opportunities for GRI.

“In 2021, we start with our second phase of production expansion and will increase capacity of our new Radial Agriculture Tyre Plant to 50 tonnes per day. We will also look at expanding in new geographical areas in 2021 and widen our B2C business footprint worldwide.

“Consumer behaviour around the world is changing and no matter what 2021 brings, the importance of sustainability will only grow….
Our GREENX circle, for instance, leans on Sri Lanka’s rich agricultural heritage that spans over 2500 years of sustainable agriculture, and connects Sri Lankan farmers with farmers worldwide. Our manufacturing plants also keep sustainability at its core by minimizing waste, maximizing energy efficiency and incorporating eco-friendly materials in production. In 2020, we were one of the first companies in Sri Lanka to introduce an eco-friendly solid tyre into the world.”

As far as building the business is concerned, Subasinghe added: “We should consider ourselves fortunate. We got through 2020 – one of the worst economic times in the world – and emerged stronger.

“….I see 2021 as a year of endurance and growth for GRI. Our sector has done well but we must look at the world and global economy at large. Our hope for 2021 is that COVID-19 would end. However, the economic recovery and the aftershocks will take longer to overcome and has already left adverse effects on the world. It will take a few years to rebound to where we were in terms of GDP growth. I look at 2021 as a year to build and grow on the strong foundation we laid in 2020. Last year was our year of resilience. This year will be our year of rapid growth.”

In conclusion, Subasinghe said “GRI has done well…but..it is time for us to look beyond and see how we can be more helpful to everyone, inspire greatness and play even a small part to move people towards making a positive impact on our planet.”