Thoradeniya said he estimates the size of the bathware market at around 600,000 pieces a year, including the market for squatting pans which is around 175,000 pieces a year

Most sanitaryware is now imported into the island.

"Our aim is to develop a new bathroom culture in Sri Lanka," Thoradeniya told a news conference at the formal opening of the production plant at an industrial estate in Panagoda, Homagama, south of the capital Colombo.

It has a rated annual capacity of 250,000 pieces in its first phase which can be doubled later on.

Rocell Bathware is aiming at the middle and upper end of the snairatyware market.

"We're not cheap," Thoradeniya said. "We're certainly not competing with Chinese products."

The company is not affected as much by Sri Lanka's high cost of energy as the rest of the ceramics industry.

"Energy costs are always a concern for the ceramics industry in Sri Lanka. But Rocell adopted a different strategy - we're producing value-added products, tiles and bathware."

Thoradeniya said the company hopes to use the same strategy it used in becoming a big player in the ceramic floor tile business.

"Tiles were a commodity some time ago. We redefined the entire business and made it a lifestyle product. So energy is not a very big concern for us."

Rocell Bathware's production plant, which employs 200 people, cost 1.8 billion rupees to build and has a 90 cubic metre kiln, automated driers and glazing lines.

Production technology and bathware designs are from Italy.

The factory already has the infrastructure in place for the second phase expansion which would begin as soon as the first phase manufacturing capacity is reached.

Thoradeniya said that of more concern to the company than high energy costs were imports of cheaper, lower quality products from other Asian manufacturers in India, China and Thailand.

"They come from unorganised manufacturers and do not conform to any quality standards."

The company was relying on its distribution network for tiles to sell bathware as well.

"We have a very strong distribution network - we're present in almost all parts of the country," Thoradeniya said.

Royal Ceramics has 41 company-owned showrooms as well as a network of third party dealers.