About Us
We are proud to inherit a wonderful journey, enduring peaks and shallows together with a closely knitted team.
Humble Beginning with Forward Vision
Hands Group originated in the year 1987 as the brainchild of Graetian Gunawardhana who served the Department of Police, Sri Lanka for 12 years of service. He invested the initial capital earned with foreign employment and initially formed the company by the name of Poly Gloves Lanka (Pvt) Ltd. It all started with only 10 employees in a small house in Negombo.
Exponential Growth with Partnerships
Graetian to start an exclusive Glove Industrial and manufacturing facility for an American Company by the name of Edmond with the assistance and training where the back yard of a house was converted initially for this purpose where the orders kept on increasing.
It was at this time Hands International (Pvt) Ltd was formed in the year 1996 and it was mostly with the Directors being the family members along with a close friend being a Financial Consultant at Maharajah Organization Mr Srilal Ahangama became a Director at his invitation together with an American gentleman by the name of Carl Trandburg whom he met during his tenure of work in Saudi Arabia.
Hands International amalgamated with Poly Gloves Lanka and expanded its activities from a 1 acre of land on Colombo road Seeduwa and eventually ending up with 20 acres of land employing 3000 workers with a variety of industrial gloves supplying exclusively to Ansell Inc., a company that bought over the previous buyer Edmond from 1990 to 2014 about 24 years.
In the year 2014, Hands International accepted the offer from its American buyer Ansell and sold the business of Hands International along with the 3000 workers, whilst holding on to the ownership of lands/buildings which was leased to Ansell on a renewable long term basis.
Continuous Diversification
The Investments were made on the manufacture of Samsonite luggage and on 25 acres of Coconut Estate at Miriswatte, Katana and in this location export of ornamental fish commenced in 2005.
These ventures were severely affected by the global recession during the period of 2008. The company had several challenges and was able to steer on, managing and restructuring the financials effectively with banks.
Hands Dipping Pvt Limited is one of the companies that was formed during this period for the manufacture of dipped gloves. The operations were changed from gloves at the request of Ansell and was converted to the manufacture of Lingerie thereby changing the name to Hands International Intimates (Pvt) Ltd supplying to international brands such as Victoria Secret, Marks and Spencer, Hema, George etc.
Subsequently Hands International Intimates (Pvt) Ltd operations were diverted mainly into the real estate business utilizing the lands and buildings owned by Chairman Graetian Gunawardhana and by Hands International Intimates. The Company grew in strength and diversified by working on different entrepreneurial projects on Real estate, Leisure, Food and Agriculture and Manufacturing.
