alenkaberg

OUR PHILOSOPHY

We do not believe people are cogs in a machine. They are all individuals, with unique personalities, circumstances, hopes and dreams. Over the last 140 years, we have prided ourselves on the ability to balance the needs of the individual with the competitive nature of our businesses. The stories below are by no means unique, and represent just a taste of our company culture.

STORIES

Swee Poh

Starting as a young management trainee after graduation, she worked her way through various subsidiaries, to eventually become the group's leader. She always jokes that her C.V. looks very short, however she has worked in multiple companies & industries over her time with B.P. de Silva. "The constant learning through hard teachers, made me who I am. Opportunities to apply lessons in ways that have interested me is something I appreciate ."

Dissa

Working as a car mechanic in his teenage years, Nimal Dissanayake gained a reputation as the guy who could fix anything. After a tour of duty as an officer in the Sri Lankan army, he joined B.P. de Silva as an engineer despite no formal qualifications. "I am grateful to Mr. Sunil who saw potential in me. Working with the subsidiaries, I have been able to make technical changes that I hope benefits all people. My job is something I really enjoy."

Khek Yin

An industrial designer with no experience in jewellery making, Khek Yin was taken from the polytechnic and given a rapid prototyping machine. Together with staff from the company, she managed a transition from traditional jewellery manufacture, to one that was digital in nature. "It always surprises me, how much the company wants to innovate in what they do."

RESPONSIBILITY

Balage Porolis de Silva, our founder, believed in the value of philanthropy and the importance of appreciating success through the elevation of others. 10% of the group's profits are put into a fund that is used to benefit people at all levels. We have recently made a conscious decision to participate in the social enterprise and the impact investment space, to try and better use market mechanisms for social good. Over time, we plan to integrate these efforts more tightly with our subsidiaries.

CAREERS

If you are interested in exploring career opportunities with the B.P. de Silva group or our subsidiaries, please email us

Source

Oil demand in the US is rising at its fastest pace in more than two years, driven by buyers of industrial fuels such as gas oil and liquefied petroleum gas.

Data from the International Energy Agency show that demand for oil in the US increased in four of the first six months of the year – the strongest run since early 2011. As a result, the energy watchdog has upgraded its forecast for US demand this year from zero growth to 0.3 per cent – indicating the first year of growth since 2010.

 “Signs of recovery in the US economy have been associated with rising oil consumption in recent months,” the IEA said in its monthly oil market report. The IEA also expressed surprise that the IMF reduced its forecast for 2014 US GDP growth last month, given that “the US [oil] demand outlook for 2013 looks more upbeat”.

Demand for oil in the US fell in six of the past seven years amid moribund economic growth and a greater emphasis on fuel efficiency. But, this year, consumption of industrial fuels – such as diesel, for trucks and trains, as well as propane, as a feedstock for petrochemicals plants – has rebounded strongly.

More recently, US government figures showed strong growth in gasoline demand in July, suggesting American consumers are also driving more.

“The data have been strong enough for a sustained period to suggest a turning point has come and gone in the US, and demand is now improving on the back of industry,” said Amrita Sen, an analyst at Energy Aspects, a consultancy.

The US figures follow a return to growth in oil demand in Europe, in spite of a growing consensus that industrialised economies will gradually reduce consumption, leaving demand dependent on emerging markets.

These better than expected reports from mature economies have helped oil defy a summer sell-off in the wider commodities market, over fears of slowing growth in China. Brent crude oil, the global benchmark, has climbed from below $100 a barrel in April to around $107 a barrel today.

However, the IEA also highlighted supply outages in the Opec oil producing countries as another reason for price strength.

In Libya, production fell to 1m b/d in July – a sharp drop from June, when production was already at its lowest since the country’s civil war in 2011.

In Iraq, production dipped below 3m b/d for the first time in six months.