Ecologika
Thermostat in Umbogintwini

Ecologika is a recently formed division of Chemical Initiatives (Pty) Ltd, a subsidiary of AECI Ltd which is listed on the Johannesburg Securities Exchange.

With over 100 years of proud service to the mining, agricultural and industrial sectors in Africa and Internationally, AECI Ltd continues to spawn businesses able to meet the challenges and relevant to the times. Study of circular DNA comes full circle with use of old technique. Scientists track the brain-skull transition from dinosaurs to birds. Chemical Initiatives was established in 1907 when Arthur Chamberlain, chairman of Kynoch in England, visited the Transvaal to obtain contracts to supply explosives to South Africa. Finding that the two existing explosives factories were selling explosives at prices lower than he could hope to, he set his sights further south, to a 1400-acre site at Umbogintwini, Natal. At the end of World War 1, a worldwide surplus of military explosives unfit for commercial purposes necessitated the formation of Explosives Trade Limited. The manufacture of super-phosphates started at Umbogintwini in 1919 with a second plant being built in With the formation of African Explosives and Industries (AECI) in 1924, Umbogintwini developed into a world-scale industrial chemical complex, manufacturing a wide range of chemical products. AECI is a specialty product and services group of companies that provides value-adding solutions to customers through science, technology and industry knowledge. A cluster of specialty chemicals business units forms part of its stable of core businesses, all of which serve global and regional markets. These 15 business units, including Chemical Initiatives, supply specialty chemicals, raw materials and related services for industrial use in the manufacturing sector. More specifically, Chemical Initiatives is a subsidiary of AECI, which is listed on the JSE. The plant, which has a nameplate capacity of 500 tons of sulphuric acid per day, is a double-absorption four-pass convertor plant. This plant is also configured into integrated production plants that allow it to produce high-quality sulphur trioxide, sulphur dioxide, aluminium sulphate, plant nutrient sulphur and oleum. Approach Safety To achieve its mission, Chemical Initiatives prioritises safety, service and integrity. To begin with, the company believes that all occupational illnesses and injuries are preventable and will not deliver hazardous products nor operate in unsafe or substandard installations. It is the responsibility of each Chemical Initiatives employee to make safety his or her number one priority. Service & Integrity Service is defined by the fact that customers are the foundation for the company’s success.