The 322-strong fleet of ambulances operated by the Suwa Seriya Foundation will continue to fulfil its humanitarian mission in Sri Lanka with tyres supplied by CEAT Kelani Holdings as the preferred tyre supplier.

CEAT Kelani recently renewed its commitment to Suwa Seriya, undertaking to provide tyres for five ambulances free of charge and to provide the others at a special price that is marginally above the cost of production.

Suwa Seriya runs a minimum of 25,000 kms a day to save lives. CEAT Kelani has undertaken to produce customised ‘Rhino Plus’ tyres with the Suwa Seriya number 1990 on the side walls of the tyres to identify them as belonging to the ambulance service.

“The Suwa Seriya ambulance service has saved many lives, and we are happy to be able to help the Foundation make a substantial saving on the price of tyres, thereby ensuring that the service is not curtailed due to escalating costs,” CEAT Kelani Chief Operating Officer Mr Shamal Gunawardene said. “These tyres are designed and built for reliability and excellent handling in local conditions, ensuring a safe drive for users.”

The Suwa Seriya Foundation was established in Sri Lanka in July 2016 with the support of the Government of India. It provides free pre-hospital care emergency ambulance services to any person in Sri Lanka, offering 24-hour emergency medical services with a team of nearly 1400 people. The Foundation has achieved an average response time of 14:38 minutes, rescuing and assisting people in accidents and emergencies quickly and competently.

The CEAT brand originated in Italy and is backed by German manufacturing technology and extensive research and testing facilities in India and Europe. CEAT Kelani Holdings currently manufactures half of Sri Lanka’s pneumatic tyre requirements, exports about 20 per cent of its production to 16 countries and plays a significant role in helping the national economy conserve foreign exchange by reducing dependence on imported tyres.