Profiles

SUNIL WITHANACHCHI

Academic / Professional Qualifications:

• Automobile Technology –  4 years full time.  (Ceylon German Technical Training Institute – Moratuwa).
• National Certificate in Technology - (Elect. & Electronics). (Govt. Technical College – Rathmalana).
• HNDT – Electronics & Telecommunications - British University (UK) & Open university of Sri Lanka.      

Work Experience

• Engineering Assistant –  Dilma Tea Bagging  Plant in Maligawatta,  Col – 10 (1980 – 1983) Responsibility  for  the Transport & Machinery Plant  maintenance.
• Electro- Mechanical Superintendent – Saudi Telecom – Ministry of PTT Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (1984 – 1988).
• Maintenance Engineer- Kosgoda Beach Hotels Ltd,  Kosgoda       (1988 – 1989)
• Maintenance Engineer- Embudu Village Resort, Rep. of Maldives (a star class Hotel)        (1989 – 1992)
• Maintenance Engineer- Sindbad Hotels Ltd.  Kalutara  (1992 – 1994).
• Member - Board of Directors - Cey-Nor Foundation Ltd – Affiliated to the Ministry of Fisheries & Ocean Resources. (2004 - 2005).
• Authorized Officer to issue Vehicle Fitness Certificates in Southern Province.
• Presently the Managing Director / Proprietor of SD TECHNOFAB - the main line of business of the firm is Electro- Mechanical Designing & Engineering manufacturing. (Designing & Manufacturing of innovated Hardymec brand two wheel tractor & Hydrocab hoist, Hydraulic Fire wood splitters, etc)

Special Achievements & Milestones

• Established SD TECHNOFAB, a firm for Designing & Manufacturing Invented / Innovated Machinery, Transportation & Industrial equipment with improved productivity, efficiency while making them economical – Current investment Rs: 23 million).
• Introduced the brand name of HARDYMEC (registered Trade mark) for the products designed and manufacturing locally.
• Designed a hydraulically operated Electro-Hydraulic Fire Wood Splitter a new machine for splitting fire wood. The Patent right of this product is with me.
• Designed and locally manufactured (Hardymec Load Master)  an Innovated Tiller & Trailer. This has lot of improved features and uses compared to a conventional two wheel tractor. Such as Steering control, with 35 km/h speed, dumping trailer etc. This has been designed to improve the standards of the rural transportation & to serve the agricultural requirements in Sri Lanka. Her Excellency (Ex.) President granted Rs. 5 million interest free loan through the scheme of President Fund for Inventions & Innovations for the development of this Project.
• Designed and developed the hydraulically operated (HARDYMEC HYDROCAB) Tractor mounted Mobile hoist which is an efficient & economical new machine / Vehicle for an aerial maintenance work especially for Local Government Institutions, Pradeshiya Sabas and varies other uses including crop plucking/harvesting.
• Successfully introduced new processing machinery to improve production efficiency in Sri Lanka’s Tea Industry under the brand name of Hardymec.
• Designed new Vehicle for Garbage handling in coordination with the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya. Unfortunately due to refusal of foreign funding for the project (which was planned to manufacture locally) by a well known funding Organization (who claims for developing Asia) the project could not be commenced.
• 2004    Court of Appeal  of Sri Lanka  issued  a ruling of ‘Mandamus Writ’ - CA:1178/99 – directing the   Commissioner of Motor Traffic to register the  ‘Innovated  Hand  Tractor’  as a ‘Hand Tractor’  which was refused by  CMT in 1999.  Presently the Judgment has become a new law regulation (NLR) in Sri Lanka.
• 2005    Developing work is in progress to manufacture an innovated mobile Freezer Vehicle (+05 to -20~ C) for low cost & efficient transportation of fish or any other frozen foods while keeping the quality unchanged This can also be used in distribution and collection of fresh milk in rural areas.  
• 2005    Designed new ‘Incineration Plant’ for the disposal of un-recyclable garage collected by the Pradeshiya Sabas, this machine operates with an  innovated technique with efficient combustion while minimizing the  exhaust pollution.                        
• 2005    Southern Provincial Council awarded the ‘Dakshina Abimani – 2005’ Provincial Award for the performances in the field of Technological Inventions in Southern Province.
• 2006    Established an International Trade links with reputed manufactures of diesel engines, hydraulic components, automotive spares, accessories, steel raw materials, hydraulic horned tubes & other components.
• 2007  National Science & Technology Award for best engineering product design & developments for commercial applications in Sri Lanka.

Participated International Workshops / Symposiums

• World Tech 95-Internationl Exhibition and symposiums at Nakon Rathchasima in Rep of Thailand – sponsored by UNDP.
• International Workshop on Transport, Food Processing and Packaging machinery at Zhenjiang University of Science & Technology.- People’s Republic of China. Sponsored by the UNDP.
• Visiting modern manufacturing Plants of Automobile & Machinery in People’s Republic of China – Linhai Vehical Co., Ltd – a leading Truck manufacturer under the Bioma brand.
• Been visited world famous food processing, transport, agriculture & heavy machinery producing plants in India, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, China, Saudi Arabia and several other countries.