Having heard much about the picturesque natural beauty of Sri Lanka, it was with an understandable mindset that I boarded my flight to Colombo, en route to the highlands of Bandarawela. By the time I reached my destination, I would realize that no amount of pictures or words could prepare me for the sheer breathtaking beauty that I would encounter on this trip.

Bandarawela is a quaint little hamlet nestled within the highlands of Sri Lanka, and close to one of the more popular tourist destinations, Nuwara Eliya. The area is resplendent with gentle rolling green hills, covered in tea plantations as far as the eye can see. The local populace is very friendly and forthcoming, and is a badge of honor on Sri Lanka’s already award-winning hospitality.

En route to the Jalaya Burhani plant, a fifteen minutes drive from downtown Bandarawela, one passes through scenery beautiful enough to possibly make Van Gogh want to stop and paint.  When the sun’s warm rays peak through the foliage and illuminate the landscape, it is enough to take your breath away. As you approach the plant you are treated to the scenes of large colorful houses that dot the road and landscape and you delight in the laughter of children playing on their patios.

The plant itself rests on a gently sloping hill, with just enough ground leveled for the machinery, and the rest being in its natural rolling state. The relative height of the location means you can see for miles with the naked eye. The plant’s land is dotted with valuable trees such as the Jaggery and a few others whose ages are greater than 75 years. The fertile red soil provides a lovely contrast with the lush natural greenery that is present.

Alongside the area reserved and built for water bottling plant, more than 50% of the land has been used for cultivation of trees, flowers and fruits like mangoes, jackfruit, pomegranate and a few other selected fruits which grown and expertly cared for by professional gardeners. Much of the land behind the plant has been specially dedicated for the growth of Sandalwood trees.  Any land not in use has been rolled with green grass and the overall look is one that is forever imprinted into my mind of nature in its raw form.

Having stayed here for more than two weeks, it is with a heavy heart that I remember that I must eventually return to my work place. My stay here has revitalized and refreshed me and I sincerely look forward to coming back here, very soon.

I am truly thankful to Fakhri Foods for providing me with this amazing opportunity to see Bandarawela’s beauty up-close and first-hand. I wish them all the best in their quest to sustainably quench the thirst of beautiful Sri Lanka’s population.

As the locals say, Stuti!

After a long and comprehensive vetting process involving many international companies, Fakhri Foods PVT Ltd. chose Blissum Machinery Co. Ltd. to be their supplier for fully automatic plant for water bottling.

The installed plant at the Bandarawala comprises of state-of-the-art components from bottle blowing, cleaning and rinsing, filling, quality check, marking to warp shrink packaging supported by hoppers, conveyor belts and electronic readers. Blissum have sent a team of engineers to oversee the process of installation and to provide technical training on the overall operation and maintenance to the local Sri Lankan team.

Each heavy-duty machine weighs a few tons and requires the services of an Industrial-grade forklift to move them to their designated positions on the factory floor. The picturesque and relatively remote location of Jalaya Burhani’s bottling plant meant that the forklift arrived all the way from Colombo and each positioning had to be perfect and done in one take. Thankfully, the first step towards installation was undertaken with little problem.

After the machines had been placed in their predetermined locations, their individual parts were installed with great alacrity. Thick glass doors for the filling machine, the air-pressure powered separator on the wrapping station, the hopper for performs at the blowing machine, and others – each were placed with extra care and secured tightly with nuts, bolts and washers. The Plant Manager and his team were hands on helping and observing throughout the process.

The uniquely designed conveyor system, that curves a few times around the factory floor, was assembled next, with plastic railings providing extra protection against wear and tear for the parts as well as the product, before the actual conveyor belts were tightly installed. Blue abrasive-free railings were installed on either side to hold the bottles steady as they pass through each individual machine.

95% of the mechanical work finished, the engineers turned their sights toward the electrical installation and power requirements. Each machine has tailored cables carrying the requisite amount of power and correct voltages as per requirements and is protected by required circuit breakers. The cables flow in cable trays and reach the machineries control panel designed for maximum ergonomic ease-of-access.

Work continues on unabated, and on schedule, and Jalaya Burhani eagerly looks forward to the inauguration of the plant.