In order to successfully meet our ambitious 2030 sustainability goals, it is also imperative to communicate our plans and strategies with all INSEE stakeholders and every local community in which we operate. INSEE engages with 5 key stakeholder groups; Employees – the life force of our company, the Communities in which we operate, our Customers, Suppliers and our Business Partners – defining our success. When embarking on business partnerships, INSEE Cement focuses on a three-dimensional mutual value that includes commercial as well as social and environmental outcomes partners are able to offer.
Our employees play an important role in initiating and executing our projects and are the custodians of our sustainability efforts with a community & stakeholder engagement plan localized at each site. We also promote collaboration, skill development and knowledge dissemination across all stakeholder groups to sustainably advance the local construction industry forward. We encourage suppliers and business partners through contractual clauses to align their operations with global sustainability principles and standards, nurturing a shared value culture that inspires innovation and results in mutual success. INSEE Cement also invests in capacity building in the very same focus areas of the INSEE Sustainability Ambition 2030 among our stakeholder groups, so that our efforts can be collaborative and scalable at the same time.
INSEE Cement has nurtured strong synergies with the communities in the vicinity of our Puttalam and Galle Cement Plants through employment, empowerment, community development and uncountable social projects that have ensured the communities’ advancement alongside that of the company. We have established plant-level Community Advisory Panels (CAPS) inclusive of external stakeholders such as community leaders, District Secretariat authorities and Grama Niladari’s (Village Level Administrative Officer) working alongside an internal cross-functional INSEE team. With ground-level access to the community, the CAP is tasked with identifying potential projects that reflect INSEE’s focus on education, livelihood, clean water & sanitation, and environmental conservation within a 7km radius of every local INSEE operation, measuring success with impact assessments and surveys.
To further formalize our commitment, INSEE Cement aims to become a signatory to the UN Global Compact, to network with likeminded corporate and global entities, access partnerships and guidance, share best practices and emerging solutions to make our national and regional impact greater.
Even though the nature of the pandemic was unprecedented, INSEE Cement’s proactive crisis response framework and regulations in place enabled the company to immediately and efficiently engage in COVID response initiatives at a national level, spread across five key focus areas:
Addressing a direct request from the Puttalam community, INSEE Cement developed a two and a half year vocational training program leading to a NVQ Level 4 qualification, up-skilling the region’s enterprising youth with technical knowledge and complementing knowledge in English and IT to create opportunities for better livelihoods and career progression. The training is held at the INSEE Enterprise-based Vocational Education (EVE) Training Centre in Puttalam, and coaching is carried out by qualified trainers from the National Apprentice and Industrial Training Authority (NAITA) of Sri Lanka. A full year of theoretical knowledge is followed by a year of full-time practical training at our Puttalam Cement Plant with a monthly allowance. Over 1,800 youth from Puttalam have benefited from this program to date.
INSEE Cement has also entered a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), to train GCE Advanced Level qualified students on Occupational Health & Safety (OSH). The 12-month training program aims to build a specialized, qualified, and prepared talent pool of OSH experts in Sri Lanka, with three months of classroom training and the remaining nine months on-site training at INSEE Cement’s state-of-the-art facilities. The syllabus, practical guidelines and corporate strategic direction of the course has been collaboratively developed by NIOSH & INSEE Cement, ensuring that participants who successfully complete the one-year course will be NVQ Level 5 qualified with expertise to work as Safety Officers in the industry.
INSEE Cement considers education a pillar of our social initiatives and invests in providing education and directly related services to deserving students in our communities, uplifting educational standards and inculcating social values in our future leaders. The company conducts annual seminars for an average 100 students sitting for the GCE Ordinary Level Examination, while also sponsoring subject teachers for core subjects such as mathematics and science to support rural schools in Puttalam. School transportation services are also provided to some of the most rural villages in the area without which students will have no access to education. The INSEE SANSTHA Preschool in Eluwankulama has been supporting primary school children in the area for more than 30 years.
INSEE Cement conducts Annual medical camps in Puttalam and Galle, bringing together specialist doctors alongside our in-house medical doctors to offer free medical screening and consultation to hundreds of villagers belonging to these communities. The program is sustained throughout the year with two dedicated medical centres at Puttalam and Eluwankulam serving over 100 villagers twice each week with free medical consultations and prescribed medicinal drugs.
In response to the increasing rates of drug addiction and abuse especially among school children in Sri Lanka, INSEE Cement joined hands with National Dangerous Drugs Control Board (NDDCB) and Sri Lanka Police in 2017 to conduct a progressive drug awareness campaign to reach thousands of school children between the ages of 14 – 18 across 23 schools in Aruwakkalu, Puttalam and Galle with the participation of Police officials, respective District Secretariats and Municipal Councils. The one-day programs are designed to educate and create awareness among school children, teachers, and parents on the detrimental impact of drug abuse and the long-term benefits of a healthy lifestyle. Creative methods were used to communicate the message to the adolescents to stimulate high levels of engagement including performing arts and theatre. The campaign has positively affected the youth with significant drops in drug-related cases across the participating communities.
We renew our commitment to provide safe and clean drinking water to rural schools located in close vicinity to our Puttalam cement facility annually. INSEE cement has provided hybrid water treatment facility for five schools the area, benefiting the children, teachers, parents and communities. INSEE will continue this project for future years also.
A wide range of tests and equipment to assess fresh and hardened concrete properties
A wide range of tests and equipment to assess and ensure your aggregate grade meets the demand and requirement of your concrete.
A range of tests to assess properties of fresh concrete that go beyond the traditional ‘slump test’, improving the quality and consistency of concrete.
Advanced testing with durability indicators to optimize structural performance and extend the service life of concrete structures exposed to severe environments.