A two-day workshop on “Modern Approach to Rubber and Latex Technology” was conducted at Horizon Campus, Malabe, on 29th and 30th May 2023 in association with TechnoBiz Lanka (Pvt) Ltd. Fifty eight high caliber participants representing 27 leading rubber manufacturing companies in Sri Lanka attended the workshop. Dr. Kulatunga Rajapakshe, an eminent personality in the rubber sector and the former Chairman of DSI Group of Companies attended the workshop as the Chief Guest and delivered the Keynote Speech. Two eminent rubber technologists, Prof. Rani Joseph and Prof. Sunil Narayanan Kutty from Cochin University of Science and Technology, Cochin, India, served as the resource persons of the workshop.

Dr. Kulathunga Rajapaksha in his speech, highlighted the adoption of cost-effective modern technologies and stream lining of process operations, implementing semi-robotic operations of rubber product manufacturing process operations, inadequate local rubber supply within the country, and expansion of rubber plantations in non-traditional areas in the country. He further emphasized the inadequacy of qualified and trained rubber technologists in the industry and highly welcomed and thanked the Chairman of Horizon Campus Mr. Upul Daranagama for organizing this workshop at Horizon Campus and for his recent approach in initiating a degree program in polymer engineering, a program which has not been introduced by any other public or private university in Sri Lanka, before.

Mr. Upul Daranagama in his speech, emphasized that the Horizon Campus will also take a new approach in future to train and impart the knowledge, skills and latest technological developments among industry personnel in identified areas of their specializations. This workshop is one of his such attempts, he emphasized.
During the workshop the participants were able to gain a thorough knowledge and experience in several areas of rubber and latex technology, such as, Structure & property relations of materials: Elastomers for specialty product applications, Developments in Rubber Blends and composites in Product Manufacture, Trends in rubber composites, use of advanced & smart polymers, Rubber Product Designs: Tyres and industrial products, New developments in Latex compounding and curing methodologies, Dry Rubber Product testing including appropriate vulcanizates, and Latex Product testing including appropriate vulcanizates.