This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 001694
SIPDIS
USDOC FOR 4530/IEP/ANESA/OSA
USDOC FOR 3310/USFCS/EPS/IMD
PLEASE PASS TO USDOC DISTDIR ORLANDO, FLORIDA FOR KENETH
MOURADIAN
E.O.12356: N/A
TAGS: BBSR CE ECONOMICS
SUBJECT: ICP FOR FISERV CBS WORLDWIDE
REF:(A) USDOC DISDIR ORLANDO, FLORIDA OF JULY 27,2004
1.COUNTRY: SRI LANKA
2.COUNTRY CODE: 542
3.CASE NUMBER: NA
4.REPORT DATE: October 04, 2004
5.COMPANY NAME: E-W Information Systems(EWIS)
6.ADDRESS: Methodist Central Building, 252
Galle Road, Colombo 3
7.CONTACT: Sanjeewa Wickramanayake
8.TITLE: Chairman/CEO
9.PHONE: 94-11-2338484/4520520
10.FAX.: 94-11-2447303
11.EMAIL: ewis@ewisl.net
WEBSITE: WWW.EWISL.NET
12.YEAR ESTAB.: 1986
13.SIZE: Medium
14.SALES: USD 9.5 Million
15.EMPLOYEES: 325
16.MEMBER OF LOCAL CHAMBER: Ceylon Chamber of Commerce
17.HS CODE/BUSINESS CODE/PRODUCTS AND SERVICES:
ce
17. HS CODE/BUSINESS CODE/PRODUCTS AND SERVICES:
IT Software Solutions, IT hardware Trading,
Assembling PCs, Consultancy, IT Training, Wireless
Communication, Internet Service Provider.
19.FOREIGN SALES: NA
20.FOREIGN FIRMS REPRESENTED: IBM, HP, Microsoft,
Lexmark, Computer Associates, Sony, Imation,
AutoDesk, Cannon.
21.COMPANY BACKGROUND: E-W Information Systems
commenced operations in 1986 in response to new
growth in Information Technology, and was the
pioneer IBM business partner. The company was
started by two of Sri Lanka's prominent business
persons, who also have interests in shipping,
television, bunkering and other businesses. The
company had a change of ownership in 1996, and the
present Chairman/CEO was an employee of the previous
owners. EWIS has also collaborated with the Japanese
Computer Printing Company, Toppan Forms, which now
owns a twenty percent stake in E-WIS Toppan Forms
Colombo. The company has been in the forefront of
the IT sector and is well informed about IT-related
ed
government and private sector projects/plans in the
country. The company is headquartered in one of
Colombo's premier business locations, in very close
proximity to the US Embassy. The company has also
regionalized its operations with offices and service
centers in the Western, Southern, Eastern, Northern,
Central and North Western regions of the country.
22.FINANCIAL/BANK REFERENCE: Hongkong & Shanghai
Banking Corporation, Sir Baron Jayatilake Mawatha
Colombo 1.
23.FINANCIAL DATA (2002/2003-USD): Sales 9.6 million,
Accumulated Profits 200,000.00, Paid up Capital
425,000. Total Assets 9.3 million.
KEY COMPANY OFFICIALS: Sanjeewa Wickramanayake is
the Chairman and CEO of the EWIS Group. Mr.
Wickramanayake is the major shareholder, with
Rajendram Christostam being the other shareholder in
the company. Mr. Christostam is also the Director
of Finance for the EWIS Group. At time of transfer,
Mr. Wickramanayake paid a sum of U$500,000 to obtain
n
ownership of the company. Six directors comprise
the EWIS Board and each strategic Business Unit
(SBU) is under the direction of a General Manager
who is responsible for the performance of each
respective SBU. The founders of the company no
longer have any interest in the firm.
25.TRADE/FINANCIAL REFERENCES:
a)Bank References: Hongkong & Shanghai Banking
Corporation, Sir Baron
Jayatilake Mw; Colombo 1
Tel: 94-11-2446591
Contact: Ms. Tehani Pilimatalawa
b)Trade References: Sri Lanka Telecom
Lotus Road, Colombo 1
Ministry of Education
'Isurupaya' Sri Jayawardenapura
Kotte, Battaramulla
Unilever Ceylon Ltd
258, Vincent Perera Mw;
Colombo 14
Colombo Stock Exchange
Level 4/5 West Wing
World Trade Center
Colombo 1
British American Tobacco
178 Srimath Ramanathan Mw;
Colombo 15
26.MARKET INFORMATION AND OUTLOOK: EWIS operates in
one of the most vibrant and competitive
product/service sectors in the country. Being a
pioneer in the IT industry, EWIS has cultivated
ted
strong relationships with both government and
private sector entities over the years. The company
has worked with some of the major blue chip
companies as well as government agencies in
implementing IT projects in the country. EWIS is
the first IT company in the country to be awarded
the ISO 9002 certification for marketing and
servicing, and subsequently obtained the ISO 9001
quality system. It has also been awarded numerous
performance awards from international vendors and
industry. EWIS has many new projects lined up, and
is currently negotiating with a US company for
maintenance and equipment service for an online
lottery. It is also looking at collaborating with a
renowned Indian company to offer business process
training in Sri Lanka. This is expected to have
widespread acceptance among the private sector, as
there is a dearth of trained professionals available
in the job market. Partnering with a major mobile
telecommunications service provider is another
effort the company currently is pursuing. The
potential for the IT industry in Sri Lanka is great.
Most government agencies and almost all private
sector organizations have computerized operations.
The government has initiated computer training in
approximately 600 government-owned schools and will
be looking at expanding the project to include more
schools with donor funding. The World Bank recently
allocated $53 million to the GSL for IT, which will
come under the purview of Information and
Communication Technology Agency for Sri Lanka
(ICTA). The areas for which the funds are earmarked
are E-Procurement, E-Foreign Employment, E-Pensions
and E-motoring. Industry sources disclose that 60-
70 percent of these projects will require a foreign
component, which provides scope for American IT
firms.
27.REPUTATION: Good.
POST EVALUATION: EWIS is a reputable company in the
IT sector, having secured major projects both in the
government and private sector corporations. Post
Commercial Specialist visited the company and had a
long discussion with the Chairman, Mr.
Wickramanayake who provided all required information
without hesitation and also talked in-depth about
his company's plans and the scope for the IT
industry in the country. According to the Chairman
of the Computer Society in Sri Lanka, EWIS has a
good reputation in the IT industry in the country
and is an ethical and well-run business entity. The
company also has the financial resources to
implement large government and private sector IT
projects. The company's bankers have stated that
EWIS has maintained a satisfactory banking
relationship for over 15 years and is offered credit
facilities on a secured basis, which is standard
practice in the local banking sector. EWIS also has
good GSL connections irrespective of the party in
power and maintains good relationships with the
diplomatic community including donor agencies.
There are no known adverse local, economic, industry
conditions that will affect a normal business
relationship with an overseas company.
29.RECOMMENDATION: Embassy has reason to believe EWIS
is a good business partner for U.S. companies, based
on our information, discussion with EWIS, its bank
and the President of the Computer Society of Sri
Lanka.
The information supplied in this report by Post is
intended for the sole use of the client. You are
requested to honor the trust of these sources by not
making secondary distribution of the data. While
every effort is made to supply current and accurate
information, Post holds no responsibility of
liability for any decision based on the content of
International Company Profile.
LUNSTEAD
D