Rohan De Lanerolle

Rohan De Lanerolle was born in Galle, Sri Lanka, on July 27, 1945, to Malcolm and Edith De Lanerolle. He is the third son in a family of six children, including three sisters. His primary education took place at St. Thomas’s Matara and St. Servatius College in Matara. When his father was transferred to Moratuwa as the Urban Council Secretary, Rohan continued his education at St. Sebastian’s College, where he excelled in sports and completed his Ordinary Level examinations.
==Career Beginnings==
Rohan De Lanerolle began his career at St. Anthony’s Jig and Tool Engineers as an apprentice. After two years, he was sent abroad for further training in workshop engineering, traveling to Czechoslovakia, Germany, and England for a year. He was awarded a diploma in workshop engineering and continued working at St. Anthony’s for nearly nine and a half years, eventually becoming an Engineer Workshop Manager.
==Professional Journey==
In 1972, De Lanerolle joined Lever Brothers as an Engineering Supervisor. His expertise and dedication led to his promotion to Front Line Manager, a position he held for nine years. In 1981, he moved to MJF Exports (now Dilmah) as their Plant Engineer.
In 1987, De Lanerolle took on a significant project with Naghi International in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where he led a team of technicians to install and commission 22 Constanta Tea Bag machines. He returned to Sri Lanka in 1989 and began working as a freelance engineer, servicing and upgrading tea bag machines.
==Leadership and Consultancy==
Rohan De Lanerolle has held prominent positions as Chairman, Chief Engineer, and Technical Advisor for various leading companies in the tea industry. Some of the notable companies he has consulted for include:
* Liptons (Unilever Sri Lanka)
* Akbar Brothers
* Mlesna
* Eswaran Brothers
* Sekem (Egypt)
* Damron Corporation (USA)
* Stuarts (USA)
* Quali Tea
* Regency Teas (Sri Lanka)
* Unilever Pakistan
* Unilever South Africa
* JV Gokal (India, Russia, Sri Lanka)
* Ahuja Group (India)
* Challenger Manufacturing INC (USA)
* DPH International (Germany)
In 1999, he was headhunted by Hindustan Lever in Pune for a build-operate-transfer project. He overhauled machines sent by various Unilever units, starting with two machines and expanding to 73, all managed by De Lanerolle. Following this, he undertook another significant project with Driemollen in the Netherlands, overhauling and upgrading 20 machines.
==Major Projects and Inventions==
In 2008, De Lanerolle found two second-hand Constanta tea bag machines and, with his sons Rohan Jr. and Ishan, established Abacus Tea Pvt Ltd in Ratmalana, Sri Lanka. The company provided employment for over 50 people and operated 25 machines.
In 2015, recognizing the need to convert stapled tea bag machines to staple-free versions, De Lanerolle began working on a solution. Despite numerous global attempts since 2000, a breakthrough had not been achieved until De Lanerolle succeeded in 2018 with his invention, the C2S machine (Convert to Staple Less). This innovation was hailed as a revolutionary step in the tea industry.
==Recognition and Awards==
Rohan De Lanerolle’s invention, the C2S machine, received international acclaim. The Patent Cooperation Treaty recognized his work, and he received praise from various Heads of State. His company, Abacus, supplied tea for the Diamond Jubilee luncheon of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
In 2023, De Lanerolle received two awards for his global invention at the South Asian Business Excellence Awards. He was honored with the Best Business Response to the Crisis Award under the Special Category at the Individual level.
Category:1945 births
Category:People from Galle
Category:Sri Lankan people
Category:Inventors
Category:Engineering