AECI WATER
AECI Water began operating in 1961 and, in the years that followed, established itself as the leading supplier of Water Process treatment solutions in Africa.
These solutions comprise chemical products, monitoring systems and engineered equipment for industrial and potable water management, as well as process chemicals and additives for upstream and downstream hydrocarbon industries.
As a company, AECI Water takes pride in providing solutions that ensure the protection and longevity of our Customers’ assets. Our proven technologies are able to improve the efficiency of our Customers’ manufacturing processes, while preventing unplanned production downtime. A number of our technologies, like our finished fuel additives for example, directly influence and improve finished product quality. Finally, our extensive range of water treatment chemistries and engineering capabilities enables us to assist our Customers in meeting water use and wastewater minimisation targets.
We also strive to continually bring relevant technological developments to our customers. This is achieved through collaborative relationships with our key technology partners, namely SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions for state-of-the-art water and process solutions; Innospec for class–leading finished fuel additives, Palintest for world-renowned analytical instruments and reagents; Recochem for globally-approved diesel engine coolants. We also have the capability to perform in-house R&D for tailored public water and wastewater chemical products and application technologies.
Continued Growth
Through the recent acquisitions of the SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions business in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2012, as well as Clariant’s Business Line Water Treatment (Clariant BLWT) in 2014, AECI Water has expanded its footprint to include the whole of the Sub-Saharan Africa region. We are now geographically well-positioned to lead the AECI Group’s development of the Water and Process strategic pillar on the African continent.
AECI Water’s main focus will be on assisting our Customers to maximise their water utilisation efficiencies, by delivering high quality water treatment chemistries and mechanical solutions for potable and process water preparation, as well as optimising industrial water usage.
Water is a key strategic resource on the African continent. Thus, engineered solutions for wastewater management is also critical for reducing potential contamination of key natural water resources and maximising wastewater reuse and recycling opportunities.
Oil and gas exploration and production will continue to be key activities driving economic growth on the African continent. AECI Water will ensure that it is well-positioned to become a supplier of choice to the Upstream Oil and Gas industry though the provision of world-class oilfield chemicals, equipment and associated technical services.
The Growth Strategy
AECI Water’s growth strategy is driven by the following strategic elements:
- Investing in key growth markets in Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands.
- Continue to bring new technologies to our key water and process markets to ensure global competitiveness for our customers.
- Being recognised as the regional leader in water and process technologies
- Being a committed and responsible corporate citizen on the African continent
The aim of our strategy is to significantly enhance our footprint in Africa in targeted market segments. Each element of the strategy has both a specific technology and geographic focus that will enable us to deliver appropriate product and service offerings in these areas of operation. We will also continue with local investment and distributor development initiatives to meet country-specific localisation and independence targets, as well as improve service delivery to our international customers.
New Technologies and Innovation
We are proud to be associated with SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions, a global industry leader in the water and hydrocarbon processing solutions markets. SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions, awarded 2014 Water Treatment Company of the Year by Global Water Intelligence, is continually researching and developing new technologies that will allow us to bring cutting-edge solutions to the Sub-Saharan African market place.
Innospec, Palintest and Recochem also continue to research and develop ground-breaking new technologies in their respective fields of technical excellence, thus providing AECI Water with a unique basket of technologies that is hard to match.
In order improve service delivery to our Customers, AECI Water invested in the development of a web-based communication platform, namely im-PROSERV TrueView, to ensure that system management information is communicated in a user-friendly format, anywhere and anytime it is required.
Safety, Health & Environmental Responsibility
Safety, health and environmental responsibility and regulatory compliance are always at the forefront of our business activities. We are committed to a clean, safe and healthy environment for our employees, contractors, customers and surrounding communities. Safety remains a key performance indicator for management and sustained efforts in this regard are having positive results.
Continuous progress and improvement is being made at AECI Water’s manufacturing sites with the roll-out and implementation of the AECI group-wide Process Safety Management initiative. This 18 element initiative commenced in 2012 and has, to date, made significant headway in mitigating process safety risks at our manufacturing sites by upgrading instrumentation and equipment, as well as improving engineering protocols and aligning with global best operating practices.
At AECI Water, we believe that a healthy employee is a productive employee. We therefore encourage voluntary participation in group-wide wellness campaigns, with a view to bolstering long-term employee wellness by encouraging small but important lifestyle changes which reduce the risk of chronic illnesses.
Green Gauge, the AECI Group’s environmental initiative, is a key focus for AECI Water in ensuring that our business activities are conducted in a sustainable manner. The initiative aims to reduce environmental impact by setting and monitoring improvement goals in three critical areas; namely, resource conservation, energy conservation and pollution prevention.
Corporate Governance
At AECI Water, we recognise that compliance with applicable legislation, financial & material risk management, and ethical business practices are fundamental underpins for sustainable growth and the protection of the AECI Group’s standing as a corporate citizen. The AECI Board remains committed to sound corporate governance principles and to ensuring that all companies within the Group are compliant with both the spirit and the letter of the law in all countries where they operate.
On an on-going basis, regulatory compliance risks associated with Group business activities are assessed, challenged, managed and reported to stakeholders as warranted. Awareness and training programmes for employees emphasise the importance of maintaining honest, transparent and trustworthy relationships with stakeholders. The conduct expected of employees is detailed in the Group’s Code of Ethics and Business Conduct and in compliance related policies.
Employment Equity, B-BBEE and Transformation
AECI Water is committed to creating an environment that embraces race and gender equality, diversity and transformation. We recognise the importance of achieving a sustainable economic environment in SA through meaningful participation of previously disadvantaged groups in the mainstream economy. AECI and its subsidiary companies support the SA government B-BBEE and EE initiatives and transformation goals. We will continue to invest in the development of our personnel to take up key management roles within the organisation, as well as enterprise development opportunities.
