“Standing tall amongthe pioneers of Business”.

Abstract

Today, EB Creasy (EBC) is a diversified group of companies spanning a wide spectrum of activities ranging from import, export, manufacturing &distribution of FMCG products and freight forwarding to formulating and trading in chemicals, hotels, renewable energy and plantation management.The Groupis having a strong foothold in Homecare, Personal care, Health & Nutrition, Pharmaceuticals and Hardware products. It has diversified into many businesses and has experienced rapid growth over the years. The underlying strategy when making new acquisitions or expanding existing business primarily have been capitalizing on existing synergies, either raw-material, production techniques, human expertise, focus on complementary products and/or integration in to an existing value chain, concentrate on products of mass appeal to uphold the company’s brand image within the households, no inhibition in reaching island-wide customer base since EBC has over the years built-up a robust , highly trained and motivated sales and distribution network covering the whole island though the Company has colonial roots in its corporate ancestry, it has since recognized the importance of being a truly Sri Lankan company whilst carrying the name of its colonial forefathers which still provides an aura of dependability in the minds of Sri Lankan public when it comes to product acceptance. Having recognized this mission to foster a Sri Lankan identity, EBC embarked on a product localization or import-substitution programme as a strategy of importance and urgency. By this time EBC was having a well-established of product portfolio which were predominantly imported. To achieve this planned integration with the local economy EBC adopted a two-pronged strategies of integrating and assembling imported key components with locally manufactured components for international brands under franchise and starting end to end total manufacturing process in Sri Lanka. Darley Butler & Co. is the core of EB Creasy group and mainly engages in marketing a range of FMCG categories that are well-known brands in the country. To successfully market the brands, the company has a team of Brand Managers who have hands-on experience in handling FMCG categories and are well-versed in the sphere of brand management. To maximize distribution of these products, the company relies on its key strength, its current distribution infrastructure consisting of 184 professionally trained sales representatives and 36 sales management and supervisory staff. To facilitate the distribution, the company has a modern fleet of commercial vehicles and the services of 70 long-standing stockists located strategically throughout the country. EB Creasy partnered with Pettah Pharmacy Ltd, a former subsidiary of Muller& Phipps Ceylon Ltd, one of Sri Lanka’s pioneering pharma companies established 1956 with more than 40 years of experience in agency-distributor business operation lines partnering with global pharmaceutical giants on ethical product lines. The energy and lighting interest of E B Creasy is put in to action under Laxapana Batteries PLC, a Public Quoted Entity. The subsidiaryis in the business of manufacturing batteries and assembling CFL bulbs. In April 2015, EB Creasy acquired Lanka Special Steels Ltd, which was incorporated in Sri Lanka under BOI in Nov 2003. Lanka Special Steels Ltd is the largest domestic manufacturer of Galvanizing Wire in Sri Lanka.The production facility operates with ISO 9001: 2008 certification and the GI products are certified as per SLS 139:2003. The Homecare Division has been known for its innovativeness and responsible product portfolio. EB Creasy follows globally certified manufacturing processes and offers an Eco-Friendly product range to the market. The company was the pioneer in introducing the first Sri Lankan made aerosol product under the brand “Ninja” as an alternative to imported products. As a step to fight against the dengue epidemic, the company also introduced the Ninja Protector which too is a totally new innovative product and also pioneered in introducing a two scents joss stick of their brand Amritha-an innovative introduction that totally changed the foreign brand dominated Sri Lankan joss stick market. Amritha provides 7 different fragrances which caters to Sri Lankan aromatic preferences. Another remarkable innovation is the introduction of Bio Clean. A toilet sanitization product which is not just effective in its functions but also first and the only biodegradable toilet bowl cleaner available in Sri Lanka. Bio Clean is a biodegradable toilet cleaner made of an organic acid which fully degrades in to the soil after use. This product is the first of its kind as the introduction of a bio-degradable toilet cleaner makes the existing intense competition from other big players such as Harpic irrelevant creating a brand new uncontested market space for its product. EB Creasy offers two star class brands under personal care. Bic is the number one shaving range in Sri Lanka with a market share of 75%.Exceeding 11 million in global sales each day, Bic Shavers are today the No. 1 disposable razor in Sri Lanka. EB Creasy also offers tooth brush brand under the brand name Denta which is currently the market leader in the toothbrush category.In a time when the toothbrush market was focussing on oral hygiene, Denta came up with a turnaround strategy turning the attention of toothbrush users from cavity free oral hygiene to beauty and appearance. The company identified the original buyers of toothbrushes as the mothers and therefore came up with a strategy which associated aspirational values to the brand. This change of targeting opened up a new market space for Denta which helped it to eventually be the market leader in toothbrushes. The communication focus changed from addressing functional benefits to one which addressed the emotional benefits of the consumers.The company is also engaged in manufacturing confectionery products as well as importing food products through its subsidiaries. Its flagship product is the internationally renowned medicated candy “HACKS” which is manufactured under license from Cadbury Schweppes Overseas Ltd, U.K. since 1985. EB Creasy has their own flavoured candy under the brand name “Candyman”. They also produce bakery ingredients such as Darley margarine and yeast. Company had faced failures in their attempt to launch some products such as Tooth paste, ball point pens, importing & selling three wheelers due to the broad reasons of lack of product knowledge and after-sales, launching of products which couldn’t draw strength from existing distribution network being a non-FMCG, choosing wrong marketing and product placement strategy etc. However, in each case the decision to withdraw has been quick and decisive and prevented any negative goodwill descending on any complementary products or the company image.