The premier local cement manufacturer INSEE Cement Sri Lanka together with the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka (IESL), successfully hosted the first large two-part Webinar forum recently, on ‘Overview of International Cement Standards for Performance-based specifications’.

The Webinar organised by INSEE i2i (innovation to industry) Collaboration space marked the first time in which industry experts led an online knowledge sharing session to promote open innovation and collaboration in the local construction industry. The keynote presentation  conducted by Dr. Moussa Baalbaki Head of Products and Solutions Portfolio, Siam City Cement (Lanka) Ltd, focusing on creating a virtual collaboration space, saw over 200 online participants comprising  university students, academics, engineers, contractors, local cement and concrete manufacturers, and members from government and other professional institutions, from across 9 countries such as Switzerland, Germany, United Kingdom, Bangladesh, India, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam, including Sri Lanka. Contrary to the popular norm in the construction industry, the highlight of the webinar was seeing eighteen percent of female participation at the active knowledge sharing session.

The keynote program was followed by an interactive panel discussion with guest panelists in the likes of Prof. Anura Nanayakkara - Senior Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering, University of Moratuwa; Prof. Ranjith Dissanayake - Senior Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering, University of Peradeniya and Chairman of Civil Engineering Sectional Committee of IESL; Jan Kunigk - Executive Vice President, Marketing, Sales and Innovation of INSEE Cement Sri Lanka and the keynote presenter Dr. Moussa Baalbaki.

Speaking at the webinar, Dr. Moussa Baalbaki said, “It is all about creating shared knowledge space for developing sustainable cement and concrete based product solutions. At a time of need, leveraging on our digital capabilities - INSEE i2i Collaboration space swiftly transformed its monthly knowledge sharing sessions to a virtual collaborative platform, to be productive during Covid-19 pandemic. We are committed to reshaping the local construction industry to international standards by continuously engaging with the young students, industry experts, academics, designers, masons, contractors, engineers and members from private and public institutions.”

The knowledge-sharing sessions are held on the last Thursday of every month. Introduced by INSEE in collaboration with IESL, since June 2018, every session has benefitted about 150 persons of the ‘industry community’. The space allows to share experience and knowledge transfer to the Sri Lankan construction industry and seamlessly connect to different stakeholders through an informal environment that now has transformed into a digital platform.

Jan Kunigk addressing the online participants stated, “Leading through innovation and sustainability, at INSEE, we are focused in shaping a smarter future for Sri Lanka’s Construction industry. Every day we challenge our own concepts and ideas on new product solutions, research and development to become the best version of ourselves. Our people have been the biggest asset to our success of the company and in producing Sri Lanka’s most-loved cement brands such as INSEE Sanstha and Mahaweli Marine plus. This is why, we invest in people’s knowledge and skills today, to build a better economy and life for our people tomorrow. At INSEE, we believe in ‘Build for Life’ – building a life worth living”.

Photo captions: Dr. Moussa Baalbaki, Head of Products and Solutions Portfolio - INSEE Cement Sri Lanka