Kelani Cables has maintained an emphasis on safety and quality since it was founded more than 50 years ago. The cable manufacturer has built a reputation for delivering products that meet the highest standards in a variety of benchmarks, with safety being a particular point of interest for employee and end customer alike.
Dr. Anil Munasinghe, Chief Executive of Kelani Cables, says the brand’s areas of focus are narrow by design. Consistency, he says, allows the company to ensure every cable that comes off the production line will always meet the customer’s needs.
How has Kelani Cables repositioned its brand in the years since its acquisition, and what aspects of the original brand identity have been retained or transformed?
It is challenging to create a brand for a product like cables, which is hidden from view and forgotten once installed. This is something that we have understood from the beginning, so we developed a variety of strategies to address it. For instance, we built Kelani Cables around the tagline “Safety Forever,” assuring customers of our commitment to thorough raw material checks, safety for staff and materials throughout all production processes, and then a final trio of tests to confirm cable quality meets our standards. It’s not enough to name this process and continue. We actively work to maintain our standards every step of the way, and we make use of every opportunity to improve.
This focus allowed Kelani Cables’ branding to be consistent through leadership changes, backed by continuous guidance from our Chairman, Deputy Chairman, and the Board of Directors. Their oversight has protected the 56-year legacy of the company.
What defines Kelani Cables’ brand strategy in regional export markets, and how does this influence its perception and positioning in the domestic landscape?
We currently export to 18 countries. The company has developed its products and quality parameters to ensure consistent delivery of high-quality goods, and this gives us the advantage in export markets, given customers come back when they realise what our products are worth.
Due to our reliable products, customer service, and after-sales support, we enjoy a growing customer base both in Sri Lanka and abroad. We have also obtained all the necessary certifications to meet international standards.
How does the brand effectively communicate its value proposition to both highly technical institutional buyers and general retail customers?
Kelani Cables’ communication primarily targets the retail market, which includes over 9,500 dealers supported by a strong distribution network. To address the needs of technical institutional buyers, including engineers, supply managers, and consultants, we have to personalise our approach. This involves complying with their specific project requirements and leveraging the company’s capacity to manufacture and deliver any kind of unique cable.
A new customer who takes a chance on our product will find their trust rewarded in full. Naturally, this encourages them to come back regardless of the needs of the project in question.
With institutional customers, we can dispatch engineers to intervene when an issue arises. On the other hand, our sales engineers, who are adept at marketing and engineering, connect with our customers and partners to discover what they may be looking for and how we can meet future demand. They may talk to consultants, electrical engineers, and so on to develop a picture of the market.
This outreach forms the basis of our competitive advantage.
What role do product certifications and manufacturing standards play in shaping brand credibility, and how does this translate into consumer trust?
The safety of our products is paramount for Kelani Cables. Our products are designed and tested in conformance to national and international standards, including Sri Lanka Standards (SLS), British Standards (BS), and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). Further, in a testament to the adherence to stringent quality requirements, several of Kelani Cables product ranges carry product certifications from Sri Lanka Standards (SLS), Underwriters Laboratories (UL), and British Approvals Service for Cables (BASEC).
How is Kelani Cables using product innovation to modernise its brand and align with evolving market demands?
When customers request products outside the standard portfolio, the dedicated R&D and technical teams work together to develop and deliver these specialised items. This ability to provide customised solutions enhances the brand’s reputation.
The company also partners with leading global brands for its trading business, such as Schneider Electric, U-Gear Automatic Machinery Taiwan, and Havells India. These partnerships support our commitment to quality and safety.
Kelani Cables now offers more than 200 products to retail customers, covering all their needs at a competitive price. Specialty orders, on the other hand, may represent a minority of our offerings, but these customers give the team an opportunity to showcase their strengths. On certain occasions, new customers find Kelani Cables after working with companies from other countries.
They come to us looking for a better product and a better working relationship. Since we dedicate our full attention to each project, both as a company and as a team, our customers consistently leave satisfied.
The Kelani Cables manufacturing facilities in Kelaniya
What internal mechanisms are in place to protect brand integrity during periods of leadership change, portfolio expansion, or shifts in strategic focus?
While there might be minor shifts with leadership changes, the core path stays the same. I’ve been with the company for 20 years, and while my vision will introduce certain changes in the upcoming financial year, they will align with the company’s long-standing objectives. Portfolio expansions are also evaluated under this new vision, ensuring we always uphold the brand’s core values of safety and quality.
As the leading power cable brand in Sri Lanka, with customers from multiple countries, we have a duty to prioritise safety and quality. If we can’t deliver here, we would rather not take on a project at all.
This remains true even when leadership changes hands at Kelani Cables. We have a mission and ambition, and new leaders ensure we do not stray from this path. In the past, we grappled with challenges like the pandemic and fuel crisis. Today, we see foreign competitors entering the market, sales obstacles due to tariffs, and so on. However, we like to see challenges as opportunities, so this is an exciting time for us.
In a market where cost often drives purchasing decisions, how does Kelani Cables maintain a premium brand perception while remaining commercially competitive?
Kelani Cables maintains a premium brand perception by consistently delivering top-quality products at a competitive price. One of our biggest advantages is backward integration, where as a group, we manufacture primary raw materials, such as copper, aluminum, and PVC, locally. This self-sufficiency in raw material production provides a buffer against external disruptions and market volatility, allowing us to remain competitive even when external factors challenge other companies that are reliant on imported materials.
What long-term goals do you have to position the Kelani Cables brand around sustainability and ESG values, as the industry transitions to greener supply chains?
The company has so far invested in solar energy capacity of 1,100 kilowatts and during this year we have planned to add further 800 kilowatts of capacity to demonstrate our commitment to clean energy. Kelani Cables is committed to environmental stewardship including streamlined production processes that minimise waste and resource usage as well as recycling and repurposing of waste material such as Copper, Aluminium and PVC. The company is ISO 14001:2015 EMS certified by SLSI.
To add to this, Kelani Cables runs two unique and long-standing CSR projects called Kelani Saviya and Kelani Shakthi, with the University of Peradeniya and the University of Jaffna, respectively. This 10-month programme has trained more than 1,000 electricians so far, producing professionals who serve the island’s residents better and make full use of our products’ capabilities at the same time. This ties the Kelani Cables brand closer to safety in the eyes of our customers.
Further information about the 100 Most Valuable Brands in Sri Lanka:
Sri Lanka’s Top 100 Most Valuable Brands
Introducing Brand Finance and Sri Lanka’s Most Valuable Brands
Brand Valuation Methodology: Identifying Sri Lanka’s Top 100 Brands