Ravi Industries helps revitalise coir extraction

A new wholly locally-designed and fabricated semi-automated fibre processing mill that integrates several stages of the process of extracting fibre from coconut husks has been unveiled in Sri Lanka, significantly enhancing efficiency, product quality, safety and earning potential.
Researched, developed and fabricated by Engineer A. P. S. Luxman Wijesinghe, the new machine has been installed at a Gal Amuna Fibre Mill at Nattandiya, following an intervention by the Hayleys Group’s Fibre sector subsidiary Ravi Industries, which supported its inventor by purchasing and leasing out the new machine.

The Hayleys Group’s Fibre sector has also pledged to support the manufacture and roll-out of the new machine for the benefit of the local fibre industry, by purchasing five machines and leasing them out to fibre suppliers.

In acknowledgement of the importance of this new machine to the industry, the formal commissioning of the first machine at the Gal Amuna Fibre Mill was attended by two ministers -- Coconut Development & Janata Estates Development Minister Jagath Pushpakumara and the Minister of State Resources & Enterprise Development Dayashritha Tissera, the Chairman of the Coconut Development Authority (CDA) Sudath Handunge, other senior government officials and local government representatives.

Minister Jagath Pushpakumara at the controls of the new machine, the machine in operation, and Minister Pushpakumara presenting Engineer Luxman Wijesinghe with a plaque in appreciation of his invention.

Commenting on this milestone development for the coir products industry, Prasanna de Silva, Head of the Fibre sector of Hayleys said: “As a business group that had its origins in value addition to coir 133 years ago, Hayleys and its Fibre sector companies have played a pioneering and enduring role in the development and mechanization of the industry. This latest innovation, which enhances incomes and working conditions of fibre industry employees, and improves the quality of their output, is further evidence of the Group’s commitment to the industry.” Chief Executive Officer of Ravi Industries Limited, Anuruddha Dias said the company had undertaken to promote the new machine as a community project under the aegis of the Ravi Foundation for Community Development because it addresses several serious issues facing the bristle fibre industry, including the scarcity and high cost of bristle fibre, the inferior quality of fibre extracted by existing machines and the lack of skilled labour due to safety concerns associated with the operation of traditional hand-fed fibre extractors.

Designed to be operated by semi-skilled labour, the new machine has an automated conveyor type husk feeding mechanism and a secondary cleaning process that reduces labour hours, extraction costs and the quality of the bristle fibre, he said.

In the manual fibre extraction process still prevalent in some areas, coconuts are husked by hand or split open with machetes, retted in fresh water tanks or in wet soil, beaten on stone with wooden bars or pounded with mallets, spread in the sun to dry and are beaten again with long sticks to separate the fibres from husk particles. The traditional fibre extracting machine known colloquially as the ‘Petti Kuttama’ requires the husks to be fed by hand to the spikes on a spinning wheel, a process that carries a high risk of injury to the operator’s fingers.

Coconut coir fiber is relatively water-proof and is the only natural fiber resistant to damage by salt water and microbial degradation. It is used in the manufacture of floor mats, mattresses, ropes, brushes, brooms, nets and carpets.

A Presidential Export Award winner, Ravi Industries Ltd., has been one of Asia’s leading brush and broom manufacturers since 1962. The first brush manufacturer in Sri Lanka to obtain ISO 9001, 14001 and FSC certifications, the company has over four decades of combined experience in the industry, together with its partner, B.V Borstelfabriek VERO of Holland. It currently exports an extensive portfolio of brushes and brush blocks to customers in the U.K, Japan, Europe, Middle East, Netherlands, Australia, the USA and Canada.

News released on 01.11.2011.

Ravi Industries wins Presidential Export Awards

Nationally significant export contributions by companies in Sri Lanka have been acknowledged with Awards and Certificates at the recently concluded Presidential Export Awards. The 19th edition of the Presidential Export Awards organised by the Export Development Board (EDB) was held under the patronage of President Mahinda Rajapaksa to honour exporters who played a significant role in the economic development of Sri Lanka in 2007, 2008 and 2009.

Chairman of Ravi Industries and Hayleys Group Mr. Mohan Pandithage, receiving the award from His Excellency Mahinda Rajapakse, President of Sri Lanka.


Ravi Industries Ltd. -- one of the region’s largest brush manufacturers -- was presented with a Presidential Export Award for Outstanding Export Performance in the Non–Traditional Products and Services category – Fibre Products Sector for 2008. The company also received a Certificate of Merit in the same category for 2007.

Ravi Industries is the first brush manufacturer in Sri Lanka to obtain ISO 9001, 14001 and FSC certifications and has been the premier producer in the sector since 1962. It has over four decades of combined experience in the industry, together with its partner, B.V Borstelfabriek VERO of Holland. Its products are sold to customers in the U.K, Japan, Europe, Middle East, Netherlands, Australia, the USA and Canada. The company has been previously acknowledged with a Presidential Export Award for Outstanding Export Performance in the Non–Traditional Products and Services Category – Coconut and Coconut Based Products for 2006.

Ravi Industries expresses its gratitude towards its long standing clients and share this moment of recognition and appreciation with them. The Company has now strengthened client services with overseas offices established in the UK, Germany, North America and Japan. Please refer www.ravibrush.com for more information.

Ravi Brushes and Brooms

Filling Materials used in the Brush Manufacturing Process

Filling Materials used in the brush construction
The company makes use of a wide variety of filling materials in manufacturing brushes and brooms. They mainly fall into two categories, namely vegetable fibres & synthetic fibres. In addition animal hair is being used in the construction of finer brushes such as paint brushes. Depending on the suitability for the application the company also uses mixture of these fibres in brush construction.
Vegetable Fibres
Vegetable fibres are obtained from naturally grown plants
	Natural Coco Fibre (COIR) - Coir fibre is obtained from the outer layer (husk) of the fruit of Coconut tree grown in Sri Lanka. Coco fibre is inexpensive and has average wearing and sweeping properties and is liable to crush and distort, and is used mainly in the cheaper household and industrial brooms.
	Black Coco Fibre (DYED COCO) Black dyed coco is obtained dying natural coco has exactly the same properties as natural coco, but is more expensive. Flagged Black Fibre is specially treated dyed coco fibre where the ends have been flagged or split. It sweeps better than plain coco fibre, especially in drier dusty conditions, looks much more attractive and has a softer feel.
	Palmyra (BASSINE) Palmyra is taken from the stalks of the Palmyra palm in Southern India. The Plamyra is inexpensive and durable, and its sweeping qualities are fair, but it is not resilient and may distort in use especially when wet. As with most of the other vegetable fibres it has good resistance to heat and most chemicals. It is mainly used in warehouse brooms, in mixtures for scrubbing brushes and in household brushes and brooms.
	Bahia Piassava (BASS) Bahia is from the state of Bahia in Brazil.The fibre is a leaf stalk fiber & harvested from the tree. The water absorption is high & does not rot when damp & is very resilient to distortion. Bahia is widely used in semi-stiff yard brooms, diary & industrial platform brooms, chimney sweeps' brushes and also in stiffer hand brushes.
	Arenga (GUMATI ) Arenga fiber is harvested from the Arenga Pinnata Palm in Indonesia. Arenga is softer and finer than Bahia Paissava. However, wearing and sweeping qualities are similar to Bahia Piassava. It does not crush easily or rot, and is very hard wearing and resilient. Brushes made using Arenga are excellent for sweeping dry concrete and smooth floors.
	Tampico Fibre This is a leaf fiber obtained from lecheguilla plant which grows in Mexico. This material has good wearing and reasonable sweeping qualities, but is liable to crush. It is also very water absorbent, and non-electrostatic, so that the brushes remain dust free.
Synthetic Monofilaments
Synthetic Monofilaments are made by humans and therefore artificial in nature. But these have variety of properties.
	Polypropylen (PPN) PPN is very light and has good wearing properties. However, it is a little “dead” in use and has poor recovery from crushing. It has a reasonably high temperature resistance and a good resistance to acids. It is used in many bass and platform brooms and household brushes. Brushes made using PPN can be used in hot water.
	Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) has excellent wearing and sweeping properties, but has a tendency to “flick” in use. It can be used in a similar manner to Polypropylene, but should never be used in temperatures greater than 65°C.
	Flagged PVC/PPN Fibre end of the fibres are split and therefore enables smooth clearing.
Animal Hair
Animal hairs are mainly used in constructing finer brushes.
	Horse Hair. Obtained from tail of the horses. This is an expensive fibre therefore, usually mixed with PVC to reduce cost.
	Hankow Bristle. Hankow bristle from China is mostly used in paint brushes.