Chemicals

In 1905,"Primes Wire, Gate & Fence" opened its doors with the aim to manufacture woven wire screening surfaces for the developing South African mining industry. From this humble beginning the Company has developed into the largest manufacturer and distributor of screening media product range within Africa. Meshcape Trading (Pty) Ltd. supplies a full and comprehensive range of screening media to all industries that employ the process of separation operating in Africa, whilst exporting to numerous countries outside the continent. Through the years we have gained invaluable expertise in both the manufacture and application of screening media in most industries. This enables Meshcape Trading (Pty) Ltd. to provide customers with a "total differential benefit package", providing a unique mix of capabilities that bring quality manufacturing techniques, product variation, technical support and service excellence from a single supplier, i.e. The Hole Solution.In today's world of high quality plastics to replace both ferrous and non-ferrous material is a daily occurrence. High quality plastics in the form of polyurethane elastomers was introduced to the screening world during the mid-fifties and has since become recognised as one of the accepted mediums from which to manufacture screening surfaces. Polyurethane's are synthesised according to the isocyanate addition process. Polyurethane's as a screening surface can lead to certain advantages when the application is appraised correctly. However, there are also disadvantages that should not be overlooked.PRODUCTSPolyurethaneWoven Wire MeshWoven ScreensWire Conveyor BeltsPerforated Material

Sankung Sillah & Sons Limited, the major soap and plastics manufacturing company, based in Kanifing Industrial Estate, Kanifing, Banjul, The Gambia, has recently celebrated its 27th anniversary. The late Alhaji Sankung Sillah established the company in 1982. Alhaji Sankung Sillah was a seasoned businessperson in both the Gambia and the sub region. He spent two decades in the sub region namely Ivory Coast, Ghana and Nigeria prior to setting up the plants in the Gambia. After the demise of the founding father, the children assumed control of the business from 2005 to date. The lion share of the company's business is the basic laundry soap. This is a commodity that is fast moving and available throughout the country. The company has a very large share the market. It has distribution vehicles that transport the product throughout the country at the same price to those located near the company's premises. This ensures a uniform price for its product at any location in the country. Thus, it has an exceptional distribution channel throughout the country with a good and long serving customer base. Currently we are investing in a new plant for the production of detergent powder and detergent cake. This is a growing market of which, the company must have a great presence. This is an extension of the existing product line, namely, the laundry soap. This product is perhaps the biggest substitute for the laundry soap. As the market develops and, consumers become more sophisticated there is likely to be a greater preference for detergent powder and less for the basic laundry soap. In our plastics department, we have both the injection and extrusion technique and our PVC pipes , buckets, bowls and cups have been in the market for a long time. We are also investing in this department to enable us to produce more and different items and supply the sub-region as well as The Gambia. In 2006 we obtained our ETLS (ECOWAS1 Trade Liberation Scheme) trade certificate that allows us to export duty free to ECOWAS member states. We are exporting to Senegal and Guinea Bissau and are exploring other West African markets.In 2008 Sankung Sillah met its major goals and invested in new opportunities that will help us achieve constant performance in the years ahead. With great pride we announce to be selected as one of the pilot companies for the ISO 9001 certification. We further positioned the company for sustained success built on new products and distribution channels, trained staff and an excellent management team.Despite the financial global turmoil we have sustained steady income, maintained our expenses and increased our numbers of staff.In the view of global warmer and environmental damage that has been caused by industry over the years, Sankung Sillah & Sons has embarked on environmental friendly production processes, involving biomass instead of fossil fuel. The company has taken advantage of the huge amount of groundnut shells that are disposed of as a fuel for its boilers to produce steam. The company has moved to a no-wastage-policy of raw materials, which means that nothing is disposed into the environment.With this strong foundation, our company is well prepared to meet the challenges of the future.

Astra Chemical (Pvt) Ltd, owned by Astra Industries Limited, markets and distributes a wide range of chemical products within Zimbabwe and the Southern Africa region Setup up by National Chemical Products South Africa in the 1980s, Astra Chemical has grown considerably. The company’s 400 products can be found in Zimbabwe’s paints, adhesive, drinkable alcohols, foods, textiles, pharmaceuticals and plastics, to name a few.The main operations of Astra Chemical take place in Harare, with branches strategically located in Bulawayo and Chegutu.An Alcohol distillery, that produces high quality potable spirits and absolute alcohols, is jointly owned in Hippo Valley Estates.The products manufactured at this plant frequently earn gold medals for excellence at the Brussels Monde Awards in Belgium..Astra Chemical is an ISO 9001:2000 quality management certified company – through the Standards Association of Zimbabwe.Quality and KnowledgeAstra Chemical obtained the ISO 90001:2000 Quality Management Systems, through the Standards Association of Zimbabwe. Through this certification, the company continues to supply quality products to meet the client’s requirements and ensure customer satisfaction.To maintain an efficient network between the company’s staff and the outside network world, Astra Chemical has invested heavily in Information Technology. Using the electronic sourcing skills and representation, the company ensures its prices remain competitive.A dedicated procurement team deals with thousands of tons of products from every continent and continually evaluates new products and sources.Astra Chemical has an extensive network of warehouses, bulk tanks, trucks and forklifts to handle the safe storage and prompt delivery of its products to over 400 customers in ZimbabweQUALITY POLICYIt is our policy to optimize customer satisfaction through the provision of correctly specified products, delivered on time, in the right quantities, and at agreed prices.This means:1. We will allocate resources to ensure we meet customer, regulatory and environmental requirements, and develop a culture of continuous improvement and teamwork.   2. Senior management who are empowered holds regular reviews of our success in meeting customer requirements to set new quality objectives and allocate the resources required to meet these objectives.   3. Each person in the organization is responsible for the quality of her/his own work.   4. All managers have the responsibility, within their own areas, to ensure their staff understand our quality objectives and have the resources to meet these objectives.   5. Our Quality system is developed to achieve the standards set in ISO 9001:2000.

The Magadi Soda Company which is Africa's largest soda ash manufacturer is one of Kenya's leading export earners and employs over 450 people. The company recovers trona from one of the purest surface deposits in the base of the Rift Valley and converts it into sodium carbonate (soda ash).The operations at Lake Magadi are situated 120kms south west of Nairobi. Product is transported by rail to the Port of Mombasa for onward shipping to the markets.Soda ash is an essential constituent in the manufacture of glass and important in the production of detergents and industrial chemicals. Over 95% of the company product is exported to its principal markets of South East Asia, Indian sub-continent, Africa and the Middle East.The Magadi Soda Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Brunner Mond Group Ltd. The original Brunner Mond and Company was formed in 1873 and began manufacturing soda ash in the United Kingdom in 1874.The Magadi Soda company was established in 1911 and became a wholly owned subsidiary of Brunner Mond in 1924. In 1926 Brunner Mond combined with other British chemical companies to form Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd (better known by its initials ICI).In December 2005 Tata Chemicals Limited of India acquired majority shareholding of Brunner Mond Group.

In conjunction with their suppliers, Advanced Polymers offers advice on material selection, mould design, processing and product analysis. We are an owner-managed business where the Executive Team are all Directors and Shareholders. Brad Jay joined Advanced Polymers in 2002 and has brought extensive business experience and has assisted with the systems and strategy to help grow the business. Les Whittal joined Advanced Polymers in 2003 and is currently responsible for sales in the Gauteng region. Clinton McIlroy also joined Advanced Polymers in 2003 and is currently running our KZN Region where he is responsible for both Engineering and Polyolefin's sales. Rod Lowe has been with Advanced Polymers since its inception in 1992.He has a technical diploma in Civil Engineering and is responsible for the Cape Town and Eastern Cape market. Darius Agenbag joined Advanced Polymers in July 2007 and is responsible for sales in the Gauteng region. Advanced Polymers Service Commitment At Advanced Polymers we believe in delivering the best customer experience in the markets we serve and we are very proud of the excellent standard of service that we are able to offer. We have the best Technical Team in the Engineering Polymer industry in SA backed up with over 80 years of combined practical experience. We offer so much more than just delivery of our various materials technical support, material identification, trouble-shooting and expert advice on the right material and grade for the job are also available - all at no extra cost! We are committed to our customers - we believe that no other polymer distributor in South Africa can match our level of technical expertise and level of commitment to our customers. Our clients are able to benefit from the immense technical capability of our team and excellent links with our industry partners. Technical Analysis On a new project or where you are not satisfied with the performance of your existing polymer and / or supplier we offer the following: Full analysis of your needs, expectations, test methods and pricing We will prepare a proposal detailing the process going forward  Once we get a commitment to use our material on condition we meet the agreed performance and price targets we will: airfreight samples o supervise machine trials make recommendations on machine sizing and setting make recommendations on mould design changes test sample locally and internationally in terms os stress and mould performance use the expertise of our international test centres mould flow analysis o review results from your product trials adjust polymer grade where necessary work with the modular and end customer until the product has achieved the target performance levels In most cases we would work with both the moulder and end customer for at least a 6 month period. We provide regular written feedback and reports. On condition that the polymer grade is purchased from us, all of these services are provided at no extra cost, and in all of our past case histories our pricing has been more competitive in achieving quality and cost improvement for our customers.