Sri Lankan marine industry association, the Boat Building Technology Improvement Institute, joins ICOMIA as its 36th national member

The Sri Lankan marine industry association, the Boat Building Technology Improvement Institute (BTI) has been approved as a full member of ICOMIA. The decision was made by the ICOMIA Executive Committee on Sunday 13 November 2016 at their meeting in Brussels.

BTI is leading the Sri Lankan boat and ship building industry towards achieving international standards. The association is made up of 32 members representing boat, ship and other craft manufacturers, service providers and traders in boat and ship building, engine and allied trades.
Since inception in 2006, BTI has developed many initiatives to benefit the industry and its membership, including launching the country’s first ever boat exhibition in 2008 – an event that continues to takes place every two years – to provide a forum for its manufacturers, service providers and traders in the boat building sector wishing to display their manufacturing and supply capabilities as well as negotiate local sales and exports. BTI’s efforts have ensured the industry’s exports have increased from 2.4 Mn USD in 2008 to around 80 Mn USD in 2014.
Other initiatives include providing high quality training and consultancy, which conform to German standards in boat building technology, to existing boat builders as well as to newcomers. “Being a fully equipped, well structured, self-sustained professional centre, we continue to promote superior quality boat building technology in Sri Lanka, ensuring significantly improved profitability of the industry” said Gamini B Herath, BTI’s Managing Director.
To meet the requirements of full membership in ICOMIA, applicants must be a national marine industry association and legally incorporated. After meeting the criteria, BTI brings the number of full ICOMIA members to 36, spanning across 34 countries globally. ICOMIA’s members include marine industry associations from the vast majority of industrialised countries from North America across to Japan and from Finland down to New Zealand.
Udo Kleinitz, ICOMIA Secretary General, welcomed BTI to the global ICOMIA family and highlighted the importance of further strengthening the association’s partnerships in Asia, “We very much look forward to working with BTI in the development of the Sri Lankan market. By working with our members in Asia, we can help them influence national and local industry and authorities in order to create recommendations on how to develop and grow recreational boating in the region”.
For more information on the Boat Building Technology Improvement Institute visit www.btilanka.com and for more information on ICOMIA’s work in Asia, click here or contact info@icomia.org