Sunil Handunnetti, Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development, and Naoaki Kamoshida, Chargé d’affaires ad Interim of the Embassy of Japan unveiling Tokyo Cement Group’s new cement grinding mill in Trincomalee.
Sunil Handunnetti, the Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development, inaugurated Tokyo Cement Group’s state-of-the-art cement manufacturing plant in Trincomalee. This fully automated, high-tech grinding facility adds one million metric tons to Tokyo Cement’s total production capacity, increasing it to four million metric tons per annum, making it the largest in the country.
The inauguration event was attended by Naoaki Kamoshida, Chargé d’Affaires ad Interim of Japan; Takafumi Nakanishi, Finance Attaché and First Secretary of the Embassy of Japan; Prof. Jayantha Lal Ratnasekera, Governor of the Eastern Province; and Roshan Akmeemana, MP of the Trincomalee District, among other dignitaries and government officials. Dr. Harsha Cabral PC, Chairman, and S.R. Gnanam, MD, Tokyo Cement Group, welcomed Masaharu Sansui, Managing Executive Officer, Mitsubishi Ube Cement Corporation—Tokyo Cement’s technical partner—along with distinguished members of the Board of Directors, management, and staff of the Tokyo Cement Group.
Sunil Handunnetti, Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development remarked: “It is humbling to see the significant impact Tokyo Cement has made on the nation’s growth and the Eastern Province. The late Deshamanya A.Y.S. Gnanam recognized this region’s potential as a business hub, a vision I share. Today’s progress reflects strong public-private partnerships and a commitment to nation-building. As a government, we reaffirm our support for local investments like this by fostering a conducive and investor-friendly environment for industrial development.”
L–R: Sunil Handunnetti, Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development, Masaharu Sansui, Managing Executive Officer, Ube Industries, Japan, and Naoaki Kamoshida, Chargé d’affaires ad Interim of the Embassy of Japan opened the new cement grinding plant of Tokyo Cement Group.
Dr. Harsha Cabral PC, Chairman, Tokyo Cement Group; Naoaki Kamoshida, Chargé d’affaires ad Interim of the Embassy of Japan; Masaharu Sansui, Managing Executive Officer, Ube Industries, Japan; Minister Sunil Handunnetti; and S.R. Gnanam, MD, Tokyo Cement Group observing the manufacturing plant and the premises.
Naoaki Kamoshida, Chargé d’Affaires ad Interim of the Embassy of Japan, praised the partnership by stating, “We admire Tokyo Cement’s mill expansion, which comes shortly after the country’s economic crisis. This visionary move will contribute to national progress and foster hope in the region. It highlights the collaboration between Japanese and Sri Lankan businesses for sustainable development and mutual prosperity, reinforcing our strong economic ties.”
Dr. Harsha Cabral PC, Chairman, Tokyo Cement Group; S.R. Gnanam, MD, Tokyo Cement Group; Minister Sunil Handunnetti; Naoaki Kamoshida, Chargé d’affaires ad Interim of the Embassy of Japan and others present during the event.
S.R. Gnanam, MD, Tokyo Cement Group in discussion with Minister Sunil Handunnetti; while Dr. Harsha Cabral PC, Chairman, Tokyo Cement Group and Naoaki Kamoshida, Chargé d’affaires ad Interim of the Embassy of Japan look on.
L-R: S.R. Gnanam, Managing Director, Tokyo Cement Group; Sunil Handunnetti, Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development; Dr. Harsha Cabral PC, Chairman, Tokyo Cement Group; and Naoaki Kamoshida, Chargé d’affaires ad Interim of the Embassy of Japan.
Dr. Harsha Cabral PC, Chairman, Tokyo Cement Group, said, “This capacity expansion to four million metric tons, powered by state-of-the-art European technology, reaffirms Tokyo Cement Group’s commitment to innovation and environmentally efficient production. Importantly, the entire project was executed by our in-house engineering teams, demonstrating the potential of Sri Lankans and our confidence in creating value from within. Our strategic priorities over the past 40 years have consistently focused on expanding our local value chain by reinvesting back into the future of our own country. With this milestone, Tokyo Cement is prepared to meet the rising demand from the construction industry while saving millions of dollars otherwise spent on imports.”
