Walker Sons and Company
A historic Sri Lankan engineering and construction enterprise founded in Kandy in 1854 that later became part of the MTD Walkers investment group.
Last updated August 26, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Walker Sons and Company is a historic Sri Lankan engineering, construction and industrial-services business whose origins date to 1854, when Scottish engineer John Walker established John Walker and Co. in Kandy. The company initially supplied and manufactured machinery for Ceylon's expanding coffee industry. One of its notable early engineering developments was a disc pulping machine, patented in 1860 and exported to other coffee-producing countries. As the island's plantation economy changed, the business shifted from coffee-related machinery toward tea-processing equipment and broader engineering work. The company expanded geographically during the nineteenth century, opening branches in Badulla and Haldummulla in 1870 and later in Dikoya and Dimbula. In 1873, John Walker founded Walker and Greig to serve the emerging tea industry after coffee plantations were severely damaged by blight. Walker Sons subsequently diversified into marine engineering, construction, mechanical services and the supply of industrial equipment. In 1880 it manufactured an early tea-rolling machine and developed the Colombo Pressure Dryer, equipment that remained in use on some tea estates for many years. That year the principal office moved from Kandy to Colombo, while John Walker retired to Scotland but retained business interests in Ceylon until his death in 1888. After Walker's death, his son John assumed control. The firm was incorporated as Walker Sons and Company in 1891 and registered on the London Stock Exchange. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, its construction activities contributed to the development of Colombo. The company's documented projects included the Galle Face Hotel, Cargills Building, Australia Buildings, the Whiteaway, Laidlaw & Co. Building, the P&O Building, the former Parliament Building, the National Bank of India Building, the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank Building, the Times of Ceylon Building, the Colombo Racecourse grandstand and the Chartered Bank Building. It also constructed private residences and, in the 1950s, the Ceylinco House building. Walker Sons was also associated with several important introductions of technology and transport services in Ceylon. In 1902 its motor division imported twenty Austin cars, described in the historical account as the first cars brought into the country by the company. The same year, it installed Ceylon's first passenger lift at the Galle Face Hotel. In 1911 it installed an early air-conditioning system in a ten-room Colombo office. Its marine facilities became particularly important during the Second World War, when the firm repaired and refitted a large number of naval and merchant vessels, including major warships, aircraft carriers, cruisers and ocean liners. The Walker family continued to control the enterprise until the 1970s, when it was sold to the Tata Group. In 1977, the motor-vehicle division was closed in response to competition from inexpensive Japanese cars entering the Sri Lankan market. Kapila Heavy Equipment acquired the company in 1990 for Rs. 11 million. The business later expanded its construction interests by acquiring CML Edwards Construction Ltd. in 2006 and restructuring the operation as Walkers CML. In 2009, Malaysian investment company MTD Capital Berhad acquired the Walkers group from Kapila Heavy Equipment and rebranded the group as MTD Walkers PLC. The original Walker Sons operating company ceased functioning in its historic form during the 1980s, but the name continued through corporate and investment structures associated with MTD Walkers. The group subsequently experienced financial difficulties and was delisted from the Colombo Stock Exchange on 1 December 2022. Walker Sons and Company is therefore best understood as both a historic Sri Lankan engineering brand and a legacy corporate name within a broader investment and infrastructure group.
History
John Walker, a Scottish engineer who had worked in Ceylon and trained in the engineering environment of a Scottish cotton mill, founded John Walker and Co. in Kandy in 1854. The business was established at a time when Ceylon's coffee plantations required imported and locally produced machinery. Walker's firm manufactured equipment for the coffee trade and developed a disc pulping machine that received a patent in 1860. The machine was exported to other coffee-producing regions, giving the young company a role beyond the local market. Walker's brother William joined the enterprise as a partner in 1862. The firm built a regional network serving plantation districts, with branches in Badulla and Haldummulla opened in 1870 and additional branches in Dikoya and Dimbula established in 1873. Coffee's dominance was disrupted by disease, and Walker responded by creating Walker and Greig in 1873 to supply machinery to the rapidly expanding tea industry. This transition became a defining turning point in the company's history. The business broadened its engineering capabilities during the late nineteenth century. It entered tea-processing equipment, marine engineering, construction and general mechanical work. In 1880 it produced a tea-rolling machine and developed the Colombo Pressure Dryer. The headquarters moved from Kandy to Colombo in the same year, reflecting the growing importance of the capital as a commercial and administrative centre. John Walker retired to Scotland but continued to hold business interests in Ceylon until his death in 1888. His son subsequently travelled to Ceylon and assumed responsibility for the enterprise. In 1891 the firm was incorporated as Walker Sons and Company and registered on the London Stock Exchange. Its Colombo presence included offices, retail facilities and engineering works. A large three-storey building completed in 1911 replaced an earlier smaller premises at the northern end of Prince Street, now Sir Baron Jayathilaka Mawatha. The building became a visible expression of the company's commercial and engineering status. Construction became one of the company's most consequential activities. Walker Sons was associated with the construction of numerous Colombo landmarks and commercial buildings, including the Galle Face Hotel, Cargills Building, Australia Buildings, the Whiteaway, Laidlaw & Co. Building, the P&O Building, the former Parliament Building, the National Bank of India Building, the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank Building, the Times of Ceylon Building, the Colombo Racecourse grandstand and the Chartered Bank Building. The company also undertook private building work and later participated in the construction of Ceylinco House during the 1950s. The enterprise introduced or installed several technologies in Ceylon. In 1902 it created a motor division and imported twenty Austin cars. It also installed the country's first passenger lift at the Galle Face Hotel. In 1911, it installed an air-conditioning system in a ten-room Colombo office. These activities positioned Walker Sons not only as a contractor but also as an intermediary for emerging transport and building technologies. Marine engineering became especially significant during the Second World War. The company is credited in the cited historical account with repairing and refitting 167 major warships, 322 minor warships and 1,932 merchant vessels. The vessels listed include HMS Eagle, several Royal Navy cruisers and the ocean liners RMS Queen Elizabeth and RMS Queen Mary. This wartime work demonstrated the scale of the company's engineering facilities and its importance to maritime operations in the Indian Ocean. The Walker family retained control until the 1970s, when the company was sold to the Tata Group. The company's motor division was closed in 1977 as low-priced Japanese vehicles changed the competitive conditions of the Sri Lankan market. Kapila Heavy Equipment acquired the company in 1990 for Rs. 11 million. In 2006, the acquisition of CML Edwards Construction Ltd. led to a restructuring under the Walkers CML name. MTD Capital Berhad acquired the Walkers group from Kapila Heavy Equipment in 2009 and rebranded the group as MTD Walkers PLC. Although the original engineering operation had ceased in its historic form by the 1980s, the Walker Sons name continued through successor corporate structures. The later group encountered financial difficulties and was delisted from the Colombo Stock Exchange on 1 December 2022. The surviving identity is consequently a legacy brand and corporate name associated with Sri Lankan engineering, construction and investment holding rather than a continuation of the original nineteenth-century operating model.
- 2022
Delisting from the Colombo Stock Exchange
[1]The company was delisted from the Colombo Stock Exchange on 1 December after a period of financial difficulties.
- 2009
MTD Capital acquires the Walkers group
[1]MTD Capital Berhad acquired the Walkers group and rebranded it as MTD Walkers PLC.
- 2006
CML Edwards Construction acquired
[1]The company acquired CML Edwards Construction Ltd. and was restructured as Walkers CML.
- 1990
Acquisition by Kapila Heavy Equipment
[1]Kapila Heavy Equipment acquired the company for Rs. 11 million.
- 1977
Motor division closed
[1]The motor vehicle department was closed amid competition from inexpensive Japanese cars entering the Sri Lankan market.
- 1911
New Colombo premises and air-conditioning installation
[1]A new three-storey company building was completed in Colombo, and the firm installed an early air-conditioning system in a ten-room office.
- 1902
Motor division and first passenger lift
[1]The company established a motor division, imported twenty Austin cars and installed Ceylon's first passenger lift at the Galle Face Hotel.
- 1891
Incorporation and London listing
[1]The firm was incorporated as Walker Sons and Company and registered on the London Stock Exchange.
- 1880
Headquarters move to Colombo
[1]The headquarters moved from Kandy to Colombo, and the company developed a tea-rolling machine and the Colombo Pressure Dryer.
- 1873
Expansion into tea machinery
[1]Walker and Greig was established to supply machinery to the developing tea plantations after coffee production was damaged by blight.
Products and positioning
A pioneering Sri Lankan engineering and industrial-services enterprise that evolved from plantation machinery into tea technology, marine engineering, construction, automotive distribution and later investment holding.
Agricultural and plantation machinery · 1854
Coffee-processing machinery
Walker Sons began by manufacturing machinery for Ceylon's coffee plantations. Its early equipment addressed the processing needs of a rapidly expanding plantation economy and established the company's reputation as a local engineering supplier.
Coffee-processing equipment · 1860
Disc pulping machine
The disc pulping machine was an early signature engineering development. Patented in 1860, it was manufactured for coffee processing and exported to other coffee-producing countries, extending the company's reach beyond Ceylon.
Tea-processing equipment · 1880
Tea-rolling machine
Developed as Walker Sons shifted toward the tea economy, the tea-rolling machine supported the processing requirements of Ceylon's expanding tea estates. The company manufactured an early example in 1880.
Tea-processing equipment · 1880
Colombo Pressure Dryer
The Colombo Pressure Dryer was developed in 1880 for plantation processing. The equipment remained in use at some tea estates long after its introduction, making it one of the company's longest-lived documented engineering products.
Marine engineering
Marine engineering services
Walker Sons operated marine engineering capabilities that included vessel repair and refitting. During the Second World War, its facilities handled naval and merchant vessels on a substantial scale.
Construction
Construction and building works
The construction arm delivered commercial, civic, hospitality and residential projects, especially in Colombo. Documented work includes the Galle Face Hotel, several major office and bank buildings, the Colombo Racecourse grandstand and later Ceylinco House.
Automotive · 1902
Austin motor-vehicle distribution
The motor division was established in 1902 and imported twenty Austin cars. It was later closed in 1977 as cheaper Japanese vehicles intensified competition in the local market.
Brand decisions
2022
Delisting from the Colombo Stock ExchangeStrategyBackground
The group had experienced financial difficulties.
Action taken
MTD Walkers was delisted from the Colombo Stock Exchange on 1 December 2022.
Aftermath
The group ceased to have a Colombo Stock Exchange listing, while the historic Walker Sons name remained associated with the wider MTD Walkers corporate structure.
2009
MTD Capital acquires the Walkers groupM&ABackground
Kapila Heavy Equipment owned the Walkers group before the transaction.
Action taken
MTD Capital Berhad acquired the group and rebranded it as MTD Walkers PLC.
Aftermath
The Walker name continued within a Malaysian investment and infrastructure group.
2006
Acquire CML Edwards ConstructionM&ABackground
The company sought to consolidate and expand its construction activities.
Action taken
Walker Sons acquired CML Edwards Construction Ltd. and restructured as Walkers CML.
Aftermath
The transaction expanded the successor group's construction identity and preceded the later MTD Walkers rebranding.
1977
Close the motor vehicle departmentStrategyBackground
The local automotive market was affected by the influx of inexpensive Japanese cars.
Action taken
Walker Sons closed its motor vehicle department.
Aftermath
The decision ended the company's documented motor-vehicle operation and reflected a shift away from automotive distribution.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/walker-sons-and-company · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled