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Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals News

Tribunal to consider Sinopec's $900m deal to acquire 75% of Chevron South Africa

By: Simone Liedtke 7th February 2018 The Competition Tribunal will, on Thursday, consider the proposed $900-million buyout by China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) subsidiary SOIHL HK of a 75% interest in Chevron South Africa (CSA). Sinopec is a significant Chinese manufacturer and supplier of petroleum and... →

Sasol successfully commissions Phase 2 of wax expansion plant

By: Simone Liedtke 6th February 2018 Phase 2 of petrochemicals company Sasol’s Fischer-Tropsch Wax Expansion Plant (FTWEP) has successfully been commissioned at its Sasolburg operation. Valued at R13.6-billion, the plant has successfully started in its entirety and has been running stably for six months. →

Industry body authorised as verification authority

2nd February 2018 The Department of Labour has authorised industry body the Southern African Gas Association (Saga) to be the verification authority for the natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) industrial equipment industry for South Africa. All industrial equipment needs to conform to the SANS 329 and... →

DoL mandates committee to ensure practitioners are certified

2nd February 2018 The Department of Labour (DoL) has mandated the South African Qualification and Certification Committee for Gas (SAQCC Gas) to ensure that all gas practitioners are trained and certified through the four different gas associations. These associations are the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Safety... →

Showcase of SA's manufacturing prowess to debut in 2019

By: Dylan Slater 2nd February 2018 To showcase the best South Africa has to offer in terms of local manufacturing and South African-produced capital equipment, capital equipment manufactures lobby group the South African Capital Equipment Exporters Council (Saceec) has partnered with exhibition organisers Specialised Exhibitions... →

Aspen to start review of infant milk formula unit

By: Reuters 29th January 2018 Aspen Pharmacare will review its infant milk formula business with options including a sale to a strategic partner, Africa's biggest generic drugmaker said on Monday. The unit, which has factories in New Zealand, South Africa and Mexico, follows the approval by the China Food and Drug... →

Sasol says higher oil price, if sustained, bodes well for H2

By: Terence Creamer 23rd January 2018 Chemicals and energy group Sasol indicated on Tuesday that its second-half results would be positively affected should the recent rise in oil prices to levels approaching $70/bbl be sustained for the remainder of its financial year, which runs to June 30. In a trading statement for the six months... →

Industry demand sets high targets for company

By: Simone Liedtke 19th January 2018 Activated carbon manufacturer Rotocarb aims to become the biggest activated carbon producer in Africa by 2019, owing to increasing demand and dependence on activated carbon in the wastewater treatment, purification and desalination industry. →

PROUDLY SOUTH AFRICAN The company’s water-intensive processing and wastewater treatment operations use local raw materials, technology and deployment

National nanotechnology centre developing prototypes, commercialising technologies

By: Keith Campbell 19th January 2018 The National Centre for Nanostructured Materials (NCNSM) at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research plans to commission its third pilot plant during the course of this year (2018). The centre’s current two pilot plants were both brought into operation in the middle of 2016. One of... →

Adcock expects higher H1 earnings

By: Natasha Odendaal 16th January 2018 JSE-listed Adcock Ingram expects double-digit increases in its earnings for the six months ended December 31, the healthcare company announced on Tuesday. Headline earnings a share for the half-year under review is expected to be at least 27%, or 40c apiece, higher than the 148.6c achieved in the... →

Aspen Pharmacare to start selling its infant formula milk Alula in China

By: African News Agency 15th January 2018 South African multinational pharmaceutical drug maker, Aspen Pharmacare, said on Monday that it would start distributing its infant formula milk in China. This comes after the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) announced on Friday that it had approved the registration of Aspen's infant... →

South African regulator reviewing volatile share trading

By: Reuters 12th January 2018 A South African market regulator said on Friday it was reviewing volatile trading activity sparked by market speculation that a research group would release a negative report on a listed firm. The regulator confirmed in an emailed response to questions that it was reviewing unusual activity in... →

Aspen denies knowledge of probe by US research group

By: African News Agency 9th January 2018 South African drug maker Aspen Pharmacare on Tuesday dismissed reports that its books were under scrutiny by an independent US research group, Viceroy Research, for possible accounting irregularities in its 2017 financial year. This comes after market speculation regarding a possible report into... →

Local pharma firm targets cost drivers to ensure competitiveness

By: Keith Campbell 15th December 2017 Cost-competitiveness is the key element in the market strategy of local pharmaceuticals company CPT Pharma (CPT standing for Chemical Process Technologies). The company opened its R50-million generic active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) pilot plant in Pretoria in early November. This is a joint... →

Mobile lab for polymer powders launched

By: Dylan Slater 15th December 2017 Munich-based chemical company Wacker launched a mobile containerised laboratory – MyLab – together with their long-term distributor IMCD in Randburg at the end of November. →

MYLAB LAUNCH Wacker’s MyLab officially opened at its new South African home at IMCD

Omnia files contempt of court case at Foskor over contentious phosphoric acid pricing

By: Dylan Slater 8th December 2017 Diversified chemicals producer Omnia has filed a contempt of court case against phosphates and phosphoric acid producer Foskor over the alleged breaching of a court order by the Competition Tribunal →

Container supplier sees opportunities despite market slump

By: Nica Schreuder 1st December 2017 The chemicals, power generation, oil and gas, and petrochemicals sectors have created a significant demand for tanktainers, says container industry provider Container World. Tanktainers, or tank containers, are intermodal containers used to transport liquids, gases and powders as bulk cargo. →

TANKTAINER Container World’s tanktainers can store nonhazardous, semi-hazardous and hazardous materials and products

Heat exchangers made compact

1st December 2017 Wisconsin-based shell and tube heat exchangers company Enerquip has added a new line of compact heat exchangers to meet growing demands from customers with low flow-rate applications. Enerquip is one of the leading providers of heating and cooling equipment for production plants and... →

U-TUBE Heat exchangers are available in U-tube and straight tube designs, and save a significant amount of space due to their size

Necsa shuts down key unit because of compliance failure

By: Keith Campbell 1st December 2017 The South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa) has executed an immediate shut down of its NTP Radiochemical Facility, because of non-compliance with licensing conditions. NTP produces radioisotopes for both industrial and an especially medical purposes, and many cancer and other patients in... →

Municipalities to reduce emissions by diverting waste

By: Simone Liedtke 1st December 2017 Consulting engineering company JG Afrika and international specialist waste consultancy RWA have developed a strategy to help South African municipalities reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by diverting biodegradable waste from their landfills. →

WASTE-DIVERSION STRATEGY The strategy entails waste disposal and the beneficial use for business development

Green cleaning products can pack a punch

By: Simone Liedtke 1st December 2017 Midrand-based cleaning solutions provider Blendwell Chemicals has completed the development of the company’s Enviro Waterless Car Wash, and is aiming to officially launch the product early next year. →

JUDY SUNASKY Companies are constantly developing products, but consumers are still hesitant to use green cleaning products

Large companies driving increase in land contamination assessments

By: Simone Liedtke 1st December 2017 With there being an increase in land-contamination assessments among large companies owing to recently promulgated environmental legislation, sustainability services and consultancy Environmental Resources Management (ERM) partner Steve McKeown says this will hold companies accountable for the... →

STEVE MCKEOWN Companies that have a global footprint are more committed to assessing their impact on the environment

Omnia delivers double-digit H1 growth

By: Natasha Odendaal 28th November 2017 JSE-listed Omnia on Tuesday posted double-digit growth in earnings for the first half of the 2018 financial year as the agriculture segment normalised after harsh drought conditions ended and the mining segment started to show signs of improvement. Profit after tax increased by 27% to... →

Active pharmaceutical ingredients pilot plant marks important step for SA industry

By: Keith Campbell 24th November 2017 A pilot plant for the manufacture of generic active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) has been officially opened in Pretoria. A R50-million joint project between local company CPT Pharma (CPT standing for Chemical Process Technologies), the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and the... →

Sasol’s new strategy shuns GTL as specialty chemicals emerge as key growth driver

By: Terence Creamer 23rd November 2017 Chemicals and energy group Sasol is preparing to sell several assets, including its Canadian shale gas assets, following an overhaul of its corporate strategy, which eschews any further greenfield gas-to-liquids (GTL) investments in favour of smaller acquisitions and projects of between... →

Photo by Duane Daws
Sasol joint CEOs Bongani Nqwababa and Stephen Cornell

South African nuclear body shuts down key unit because of compliance failure

By: Keith Campbell 22nd November 2017 The South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa) has executed an immediate shut down of its NTP Radiochemical Facility, because of non-compliance with licensing conditions. NTP produces radioisotopes for both industrial and an especially medical purposes, and many cancer and other patients in... →

Photo by Duane Daws/Creamer Media
An aerial view of Necsa’s complex at Pelindaba

Omnia expects higher interim earnings

By: Megan van Wyngaardt 20th November 2017 Local chemicals company Omnia expects to report a 26.1% to 31.1% year-on-year increase in earnings a share to between 414.78c and 431.23c, for the six months to September 30. Headline earnings a share are forecast to increase by 28.8% to 33.8% to between 412c and 428c. →

Foskor still contesting Competition Tribunal price findings

By: Megan van Wyngaardt 14th November 2017 In response to earlier reports that Foskor had been prevented from setting the domestic phosphoric acid price at a level higher than the international price by the Competition Tribunal, the phosphates and phosphoric acid producer tells Engineering News Online that it is still in talks to contest... →

IEA lists South Africa as possible hub for production of ‘green’ hydrogen-rich chemicals, fuels

By: Terence Creamer 14th November 2017 A new International Energy Agency (IEA) report lists South Africa, together with a handful of other territories, as having the potential to tap its abundant solar and wind resources to produce “green” hydrogen-rich chemicals and fuels, such as ammonia and methanol. The insight paper, titled... →

Important step for local pharmaceutical industry as key pilot plant launched

By: Keith Campbell 10th November 2017 A pilot plant for the manufacture of generic active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) was officially opened in Pretoria on Friday. A R50-million joint project between local company CPT Pharma (CPT standing for Chemical Process Technologies), the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and the... →

Omnia welcomes High Court finding on Foskor litigation

By: Megan van Wyngaardt 8th November 2017 The Pretoria High Court has dismissed phosphates and phosphoric acid producer Foskor’s appeal against chemical manufacturing company Omnia, with costs. Omnia on Wednesday said that the ongoing legal dispute, which started in 2014, was based on Foskor’s position as the sole producer of phosphoric... →

AECI acquires Imperial’s Schirm in R1.8bn deal

By: Natasha Odendaal 8th November 2017 AECI’s wholly-owned subsidiary AECI Mauritius has reached agreement to acquire Imperial Chemical Logistics’ (ICL’s) wholly-owned contract agrochemical and fine chemical manufacturing subsidiary Schirm for €110.5-million, or R1.8-billion. The deal forms part of AECI’s international expansion... →

Photo by Duane Daws
AECI CEO Mark Dytor

Financial results exhibit value-based growth

27th October 2017 In the 2017 financial year, energy and chemicals company Sasol’s results portrayed value-based growth on a robust foundation owing to a strong business performance across most of the value chain. →

STRONG PERFORMANCE The company’s strong cost performance was achieved by the sustainable delivery of its Business Performance Enhancement Programme and Response Plan

Initiatives aim to reduce carbon footprint and production costs

By: Simone Liedtke 27th October 2017 Current initiatives in the global synthetic fuels (synfuels) industry are focussing on using coal feedstock more efficiently to reduce operational and capital costs of production, states chemicals process engineering company Holland and Hausberger CEO Dr Brendon Hausberger. →

GENERAL PUBLIC PERCEPTION The general public perception is that coal is a dirty and undesirable environment-costly option

First synthetic Blue Crude plant to start operation in 2020

27th October 2017 The mass production of the environment-friendly synthetic crude oil substitute Blue Crude will become a reality from 2020, says research and development company Sunfire. →

GOING BLUE Refineries can use Blue Crude as a raw material for waxes, and petrol, diesel, kerosene and even rocket fuel

Positive prospects for synfuels sector with focus on efficient maintenance

By: Simone Liedtke 27th October 2017 Welding and construction equipment-related supplier Renttech South Africa (SA) sees prospects for the synfuels industry improving, as the recent depressed period - owing to the decline globally in hydrocarbon fuel prices - has seen the petrochemicals industry focusing on efficient maintenance,... →

TO GROW AND PROSPER The country needs to have an efficient, cost-competitive local petrochemicals industry

Rolfes appoints new CEO

By: Anine Kilian 16th October 2017 Lizette Lynch has resigned as CEO of JSE-listed Rolfes and will be succeeded by current acting CFO Richard Buttle. The process of appointing a new permanent CFO has commenced. Buttle will retain the role of acting group CFO while a suitable successor is identified. →

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