This investigation aims to identify the impact of emerging technologies on the export performance of the textile and apparel export industry in Sri Lanka. The study conducts as a cross-sectional investigation, employs a deductive research approach, adopts positivism as a research philosophy, and utilizes the quantitative Likert-scale questionnaire research method from a methodological perspective. The study will utilize correlation and multiple linear regression models to analyze the relationships between these variables. The study found that the company’s annual investment in new technology and the budget set aside for exploring new technology abroad have a significant impact on the volume of innovative products exported by the apparel industry in Sri Lanka. Organizations that have committed engineering and scientific teams to work on technology-related innovation processes and evaluate emerging technologies have a high level of significance. Management’s willingness to take risks, an innovative mindset & seeking newness, and a supportive attitude toward subordinates are also highly influential on the export performance of the organization. This research endeavors to enhance comprehension regarding the impact of emerging technology on the textile and apparel export industry in Sri Lanka and aids organizational management in developing strategies aimed at enhancing the competencies of individual employees as well as employee cohorts within the organization. This research provides valuable insights for apparel exporters to embrace contemporary technology and how to effectively align with technological advancements, thereby enhancing their productivity and competitive edge.

Keywords :  Emerging technologies, export performance, firm size, innovation, technology management

Rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) is a plantation crop in Sri Lanka, yet faces a critical issue of topsoil erosion, which leads to fertility issues and a decline in production. The study aimed to evaluate soil properties across different slopes in immature rubber growing lands. Soil samples were collected from immature rubber growing lands in the Boralu soil series at Dartonfield estate under three slope positions: upper (US), middle (MS), and lower (LS) categorized based on their slope lengths. The sampling was done for each of the three Lands (L1, L2, and L3), all under similar conditions. Soils were analyzed for certain physical (bulk density) and chemical (soil pH, soil organic carbon (SOC), exchangeable potassium (Ex. K), exchangeable magnesium (Ex. Mg), total nitrogen (TN), and available phosphorus (Av. P)) parameters. Randomized Completely Block Design (RCBD) was practiced, and data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by mean separation using the LSD test. The kriging method was utilized to prepare spatial variability maps for all measured soil parameters. Results indicated a significantly higher SOC in MS of L1, Av. P in the US of L1 and L3 and TN in LS in L2. No significance was observed for pH, Ex. K, Ex. Mg and, bulk density across the three lands within the gradients. Results revealed that while the slope influenced certain soil properties specifically SOC, Av. P, and TN, overall soil fertility appears to be relatively stable with the gradient. Therefore, further research is needed to understand better how the gradient affects soil fertility in immature rubber plantations.

Keywords: Boralu series, Immature rubber, Slope positions, Soil erosion

Journal Title : Journal of Technology and Value Addition

Volume : 6

Issue : 2

Page  : 36 – 49

Correspondence :   ksajith@wyb.ac.lk

Quality control in the garment and apparel industry is a crucial factor that helps to maintain reliability, quality and ensure that all garments meet a specific set of standards and specifications. But currently, quality checking, recording data and analyzing those data are being done manually. It usually takes a long period of time to address the root cause of the defects. In order to give a solution to this problem, Partially IOT based automated quality checking and data analyzing system was proposed and implemented for the production line. It can be used to mark the quality of each garment which passes through the quality section. The quality information was recorded in the database and current and hourly defect rates for production were automatically calculated. Then, using navel web applet, the end results were visualized with analyzed graphs. Hence, using proposed and constructed equipment, the defect rate of the production process per operator could be reduced by identifying the rate of decline in the quality of the product due to the error of the machine or the error of the operator. Then, by considering such error occurred cases, by taking timely remedy to the root cause of the error, it was possible to decrease the defect rate up to 51.03% and increase the production quantity by 6.4 %.

Keywords: Appeal industry, data visualization, navel quality control technology, partial IOT based automation