North Kite Manufacturer recognised among Best Workplaces in Asia

Great Place to Work®, a global authority on workplace culture, recently recognized North's Kite Manufacturer amongst Best Workplaces in Asia for 2021 (Large Category) and as one of the 40 Best Workplaces in Sri Lanka.

This was based on a survey carried out among over 3.3 million employees from across 16 countries and analysis of the companies' workplace programs. Confidential survey data from the largest survey of employee experiences in Asia assessed trust, innovation, company values, and leadership.

“The Best Workplaces in Asia™ set the bar for company culture by supporting employee well-being and building inclusive workplaces that are good for everyone,” said Michael C. Bush, Global CEO of Great Place to Work®. “They demonstrate how much they value their most important resource – their people. Thanks to these companies, more than 3.3 million employees benefit from the highest working conditions in a range of industries across Asia.”

Managing Director of our kite manufacturing company, Frank Ulmer, commenting on this achievement said, “We are incredibly proud to be recognized for the unique culture that we continuously strive to foster among our employees and within every aspect of our business. It is a philosophy that we live and breathe ever since we began our operations over 32 years ago.”

Since its humble beginnings in the windsurfing sector, the company has organically experienced exponential growth in the past years, expanding its portfolio to now include kite surfing, paragliding, sailing, tents, cutting, printing, and accessories.

The team is well diverse with employees from various ethnicities and backgrounds. The in-house training unit works together with all the departments to groom employees for various technical and professional skills and competencies, and today the company boasts an expansive range of skilled workmanship.

“We embrace learning and knowledge-sharing in everything we do and have some of the best training and practices in both the industry and region. Wellbeing, inclusivity, and equity are well embedded in all our approaches. This enables every employee to be heard, recognized, and feeling cared for,” added Lalindra Fernando who started off as a Management Trainee and is now the General Manager. The company uses some of the latest cutting-edge technologies and manufacturing techniques blended in all its processes, with precision and quality at the heart of all of it. It uses over 100m of zipper per day on kite surfing bags alone and annually processes over 3 million metres of lines as well as more than 1.5 million running meters of sail, spinnaker, and bag cloth being used.

Thanks to The Daily News, 13 August 2021.