Home Furniture Supplier to Arpico

Carpentry was probably in his genes. As a child, Milantha Dias used to potter around in the workshop adjoining his home at Poralawella in Moratuwa, started by his father. Fascinated by the sights and sounds of the trade, Milantha decided to pursue the same profession. He enrolled for a three-year full-time course in Special Woodwork at the Apprenticeship Training Institute (a Joint Sri Lankan – German project in Moratuwa).

Even before the tsunami wreaked its havoc, Milantha was on the verge of completing the course. The deadly waters damaged his father’s workshop and equipment, but failed to dampen Milantha’s entrepreneurial spirit. Milantha was happy and relieved when he fortuitously established contact with an NGO called Laksetha.

Milantha was determined to make the most of this new lease of life. To fund his requirement of working capital, Milantha joined a CBO formed by Laksetha with a membership of one hundred individuals. The CBO had Rs 700,000 (US$ 6,860) in its revolving fund, of which Milantha applied for – and obtained - an interest-free loan of Rs 65,000 (US$ 640).

Although he undertakes to fabricate all types of furniture, Milantha specialises in ornate bedroom furniture. A leading chain of department stores is his main customer. He supplies furniture to this company on a regular basis. His sales turnover averages Rs 130,000 (US$ 1,275) per month and Milantha targets a 40% margin. “When you manufacture quality products at a reasonable price,” he says, “word gets around – and business has picked up.” Consequently, Milantha has been regular in repaying his loan instalments - Rs 1,000 (US$ 9.80) every week.

Milantha has hired two assistants to help him cope with the increased workload. Unlike many others in the carpentry trade, he is safety-conscious too – probably due to the specialised training that he has undergone. He insists that his assistants wear their goggles to protect their eyes from flying wood splinters; dust filters ensure that they do not inhale the fine dust particles.

Assistant Chinthaka Fernando carves up a plank with a Black & Decker jigsaw; this piece will probably find its way into a Colombo household, as a bedstead. Displaying his Special Woodwork certificate with a look of justifiable pride on his young countenance, Milantha looks on. He would not have made it this far had it not been for the SSGF.