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Alpha Industries’ persistent pursuit of growth opportunities

Investing in people and technology amidst the pandemic, diversifying into allied businesses, keeping a breast of evolving consumer needs and global trends, and building binding relationships with international brands secure Alpha Industries ‘ perch at the top of the furniture market. Safraz Careem, Director and Chief Executive Officer at Alpha Industries, explains.

For over 50 years, Alpha Industries has maintained its market leadership status in the security safes and office furniture space. What was, and continues to be, challenging about that?

Alpha Industries began its journey five decades ago as a steel-furniture manufacturer.

Alpha expanded from “steel-only” to engineered and solid wood furniture and, today we are a total interior solution provider, with auxiliary service segments including project management and consultancy. Transforming the business, any business for that matter, is never easy, and the challenges are many. We thoughtfully developed a people strategy because people come first, committed investments in technology and enhanced our capabilities to keep abreast with consumer tastes and global furniture industry standards.

We have invested in manufacturing plants and technology and built a team of efficient and skilled craftsmen and top interior designers.

This plays a crucial role in the transformation and success of Alpha Industries. We built strong relationships with top global brands like Haworth, Chubbs, Godrej Interiors and Bristol to represent them in Sri Lanka. Working with these brands helped us build expertise, enabling us to cater to the demands of a growing clientele including multinationals operating in the country.

We continue to grapple with the perennial challenges of finding and retaining skilled labour and securing the supply of raw materials. Sri Lanka does not have the raw materials we require, so we source these from India or China. Relying on imports necessitated building deep relationships with suppliers for a robust yet agile supply chain. On top of those, we had to be on our toes to keep abreast with changing consumer behaviour, global standards and designs, and evolving technology.

Right now, the currency crisis has thrown our supply chains in disarray. We cannot open an LC or make payments to our suppliers because of the forex controls. We forecasted the ongoing currency crisis early and managed to build enough inventory. It is increasingly challenging to run a manufacturing business these days, but we remain determined and focused on finding solutions as hard as it may be.

How did the company perform in 2021, or consider the last two years?

The onset of the pandemic was disastrous for Alpha Industries. The lockdowns halted production, and when we resumed once the lockdown lifted, we found the market had shrunk and the supplier network even more so. The restrictions on imports proved to be a blessing in disguise. As a local manufacturer, we reported considerable growth as sales rocketed due to the lack of supplies in the market. We achieved considerable growth in the last six months of 2021.

Talking about strategy, how do you maintain your market-leading status and grow during a global economic crisis?

We remain market leaders for safes, and our diversification strategy into allied businesses is paying rich dividends and helping us navigate the unfolding economic challenges.

Earlier, a client would get one company to design an office, contract another company to supply or manufacture the furniture and fittings and engage another for installations and maintenance. There was a need for a one-stop solution in the market, and we ventured into filling this gap. Our partnerships with global brands helped us develop total turnkey solutions and brought us immense benefits. From a strategic point of view, it is a great value proposition that we have and it is an advantage over our competitors. We are now expanding our corporate solutions to include carpeting, ceilings, lighting, and everything else under one roof.

Post-pandemic, everyone is concerned about health, safety and wellbeing, and demand for ergonomic furniture is growing, opening new opportunities for us. We are gearing to expand our offerings of ergonomic furniture, including height-adjustable electronic tables. Consumers care about their posture when they work at a desk, and they have evolved sophisticated demands centred around wellbeing. Our ability to identify these needs and cater to them has been another reason we continue to enjoy market recognition for over five decades.

I believe Covid itself has evolved. People are treating it more like the common flu. The work environment has changed from workfrom-home to a hybrid model, and now back to the office with the hybrid elements still at play. Driving efficiency improvements and investing in technology have emerged as solutions for a quick recovery from the ill effects of Covid-19.

We have invested more in the past 12 months than in the last decade. To some, this may sound crazy, but it was the best time to invest. The pandemic will not last forever. We are preparing for when the floodgates open once the economy recovers and projects in the Colombo Port City begin to materialise. Focusing on the future during a crisis is critical for any business.

Alpha-Singer tie up to expand footprint

For those demanding the highest in quality, security and convenience, the Alpha Industries range of safes has always been sure to please. 


Alpha Industries is the first and top-most manufacturer of high-security luxury safes and vaults in Sri Lanka, who offer a wide range of standard safes and also lead the industry in custom-built security solutions, whether for home use or bank vaults. 


The company recently tied up with Singer Sri Lanka, the local retail giant, in a strategic move to make available its range of domestic safes to consumers islandwide. With its vast network of showrooms, strong reputation for trust, quality and reliability and recognition as one of Sri Lanka’s most loved brands, Singer will now be instrumental in offering Sri Lankan consumers the country’s best solution in domestic safes as well. The Alpha Industries domestic safes portfolio includes home safes, hotel safes, wall safes and cash boxes.


“Each one of our safes are meticulously crafted using the most advanced engineering and manufacturing processes. For us, quality is key. Singer Sri Lanka has a strong reputation for the quality of brands they distribute within their network and we are proud to now be part of their repertoire,” said Alpha Industries Chief Executive Officer/Director Safraz Careem. 


“What’s more, we, at Alpha, believe that being close to our customers is imperative for our growth and Singer Sri Lanka’s vast footprint of showrooms around the country will help us achieve this goal. This partnership therefore creates significant synergy for both organisations as we continue to serve our local market with the best quality brands at the widest reach,” he added.


With over 59 years of history, Alpha Industries is the manufacturing business of the privately-owned FINCO Group, a diversified conglomerate with businesses in various sectors, including manufacturing, information technology solutions, leisure sector, consulting and trading. 


Singer is the market leader in Sri Lanka’s consumer durables industry, with an unmatched reach to millions of customers and a penetration across the country through its 430 outlets. 

The Happy Place

Working from home and building a home office was one arduous task, one that we at Alpha came promptly to your rescue. Now with the travel restrictions being lifted, most employees are calling in to duty at offices and with that shift in paradigm and environment, it is imperative that employers understand and build a workplace that people would love to come into and feel both welcome, and, happy.

When it comes to interior fit outs and design, the right hues and shades must be used. Vibrancy and of course natural lighting must flow through seamlessly. Workstations be designed to encourage social interaction while giving one the headspace and privacy they require to carry out their tasks, perhaps you could add in a chill corner where employees can meet to destress will boost morale across the board. Throw in a few plants too,
employees don’t need to be the only living things in the room! Physical meetings are back too, and while it may seem while the new normal to have open meeting rooms, it is also important that the confidentiality of what is being discussed or presented is maintained, and toward this board rooms need to give that sense of privacy and aura for decision making.

Employees spend most of their hours in the workplace and productivity stems from happiness. Speak to our team of experts to design your happy place today!

In case of emergency

There are days where everything seems normal at work, you are reviewing a document that is against a tight deadline and from nowhere the firm alarm rings aloud, you raise your head and realise everyone has hit panic mode and discover a few minutes later that it was triggered because someone took too long to blow out a birthday candle. Emergencies are real and having a firm action plan (like the alarm in this case) is one of the key
responsibilities of the management.

The Emergency exits much like the fire alarm are taken for granted, because fortunately, we have never had to use them (and hopefully will not have to either), yet can we underscore their importance to our very survival, the answer is in the negative. Fire doors at the emergency exits are not just good to have, those are a must have, because it typically spares the life of all those inside the room at any given point in time. They serve a dual purpose in that they give a safe means of evacuation for those inside while ensuring that the fire does not escape the room!

When it comes to investing in a fire door, it is imperative to find the right one because it is for life literally! That’s why we at Alpha take it personally and have in store the right fire rated exit door that will protect you and your colleagues should something ever unfortunately ignite.

Implementing Impactful Workspaces

Everyone is a bit grounded right now and can really do with a holiday. If you picture a vacation, the mind instantly imagines
checking in to a hotel to see clean bedding and fine linen, but why though? Because it gives you that calm you yearn from a holiday and for the most part, you try to keep it neat yourself, even if you are usually someone who tolerates clutter. The ambience you create gives you the vacation vibe that you longed for and keeps your mind at ease and joy.

Why not import that idea to your workspace? The ambience you offer your stakeholders speaks volumes about your values as a business. Be it the hues and colours, worktops, ergonomic chairs, computer tables and various other office furniture, ambience
creates impression and impact which are two essential ingredients towards attracting customers and motivating your employees.

At Alpha, our creative team of interior designers are equipped to create ambience and build impactful workspaces which will suit your business needs. From designing restaurants, showrooms, banks, and cozy resorts; we pride ourselves in having built meaningful ambience that define businesses and value for our clients because we believe in the power of an impactful workspace and the success that comes with it!

Define your workspace, walk into happiness – drop into our showrooms and dealers island wide where our creative team will assist you to tailor your ideas into reality. You can also visit our website at alpha-staging.saberion.org/ to have a look at the plethora of designs we have created for our valuable clientele and we hope you will soon make it to the list too.

Excellency in Manufacturing

Excellency in Manufacturing – Safraz Careem, Director and Chief Operating Officer of Alpha Industries Pvt Ltd is exclusively featured in our June 2021 Coffee Table Edition. Out now!

Missing the Office Chair?

Remote working is gathering momentum and driving more people towards the comfort of their homes. The upside of avoiding the traffic jams and dressing up has somehow made remote working attractive to many. The system is not without its negatives, you sit for long hours without your colleagues or your coffee breaks; all of which has switched to a virtual set up, except one, the chair! While your couch or bed might be a fine alternate, in the long run, it is not the best choice, especially given the hours you put in and the attention your work requires.

Office chairs are designed to be ergonomically friendly, which simply means that your spine is straight and in total comfort when you tend to your work. Therefore, you tend to complain less of backaches at office, but you jump out your dining table chair or couch at the slightest opportunity. We at Alpha understand your pain and are here to offer you the work experience at home.

We offer a wide range of chairs including international brands such as Haworth, Bristol and Godrej. Our customer support team will guide you through ergonomically friendly designs that will suit your requirements and your budget. Talk to us for a comfortable remote working experience and we will make sure that you get the best deal and no longer miss the office chair!