The Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Quality and Productivity (SLAAQP) successfully concluded the National Convention on Quality and Productivity (NCQP) 2026, attracting more than 2,000 delegates from over 100 organisations and recognising over 450 improvement teams in the largest edition of the convention to date.

Held on 17 June at the Mount Lavinia Hotel, Colombo, under the theme “People-Driven Quality and Productivity for a Resilient Sri Lanka,” the convention highlighted the vital role of employees in driving innovation, operational excellence and sustainable organisational growth.

The event honoured outstanding improvement initiatives through Gold, Silver and Bronze awards across multiple categories, including Quality Control Circles, Lean Six Sigma, Quality Improvement Teams, Cross-Functional Teams and Kaizen. The prestigious Sunil G. Wijesinha QC Circle Excellence Award was presented to Team ThreadX of MAS Bodywear Casual Line Division and the Saviya Team of Elastomeric Engineering Ltd. for the year’s best improvement projects.

Export Development Board Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mangala Wijesinghe attended as Chief Guest, while Dr. Sanjaya Rathnayake, Group Chief Executive Officer of Lanka Hospitals PLC, and Prof. Theekshana Suraweera, Chairman of the Sri Lanka Standards Institution, graced the occasion as Guests of Honour.

SLAAQP President Sajeewa Ranasinghe said the record participation reflected the growing commitment of Sri Lankan organisations to continuous improvement, productivity and business excellence. NCQP 2026 Chairperson Sakunthala Goonethilleke emphasised that empowering people remains fundamental to building resilient, competitive organisations.

Supported by leading corporate partners, the convention reaffirmed SLAAQP’s long-standing commitment to promoting internationally recognised quality management practices and strengthening Sri Lanka’s competitiveness through continuous improvement and innovation.