In a recent interview with Trevor Johnston, divisional managing director, and Susan Roodt, sales manager, the latest developments within Zetachem and the challenges currently facing the water industry in South Africa were discussed. Maryke Foulds reports.

What are the current developments within Zetachem?
TJ Zetachem is part of the Omnia Group, which includes Protea Chemicals Division, and as a group we are looking at expanding our services to meet the needs of the market. In the past, Zetachem has traditionally focused on supplying product to the major water boards; however the latest group strategy includes the smaller water treatment entities via the Protea distribution network.

Zetachem operates in the area of liquid-solid separation processes and its vision and values include excelling in the provision of products and In a recent interview with Trevor Johnston, divisional managing director, and Susan Roodt, sales manager, the latest developments within Zetachem and the challenges currently facing the water industry in South Africa were discussed. Maryke Foulds reports. services through innovative problem solving and tailor-made chemical formulations. The Zetachem plant in Mobeni, Durban, manufactures the widest range of products used in the water treatment industry and we have a philosophy of continuous improvement in efficiency and productivity. We are currently increasing levels of automation and are planning on expanding capacity in our DADMAC monomer, poly- DADMAC, aluminium chlorohydrate and polyamine plants. In addition, we are backward integrating in ACH production to improve throughput and reduce costs. In our Cape Town operation, home of our ferric sulphate production, we are rebuilding the entire plant, with the aim of reducing maintenance costs.

As a major player in the South African water industry, what do you consider to be the biggest challenges that our country faces?
SR There are a number of challenges in the industry. Many municipalities are battling with resource challenges i.e. finding the right people with the right skills to run the water plants. This results in suppliers, such as ourselves, being called on to supply technical as well as product support. There are also water source challenges where increased levels of pollution have to be dealt with by these smaller, less sophisticated plants. The Blue and Green Drop programmes which were initiated a number of years ago, have, however, gone a long way in improving the quality of water in certain areas of the country, from a holistic perspective.

Many South African companies are looking north for expansion, is Zetachem following this trend?
TJ Yes, definitely. We have enjoyed good growth into Africa, we have a footprint in Botswana and Namibia and our products are found in Swaziland and Mozambique via resellers. We have made significant inroads into East Africa, particularly Uganda and Tanzania.

With such global competition, why do Uganda and Tanzania choose South African products?
SR Historically East Africa and India/China have strong trading ties and we see that we are often competing with these players are well as South African competitors. Geographically, however, South Africa is a lot closer and this offers benefits.

TJ Also the East African countries are looking at increased service levels due to the change from aluminium sulphate to more sophisticated polymer-type products; we can supply both the chemicals and the support. Realistically South Africa isn’t terribly far away, so we can respond quickly to their needs. Service is very important in this industry. We believe that major growth in this market is more than possible and we are taking advantage of the opportunities and doing everything we can to ensure that Zetachem continues to be a major role player. The need for clean water in Africa is growing and many of the countries we serve have a deep and growing desire to run their water plants efficiently and well. They are keen to learn what they can from us and are very enthusiastic.

The biggest challenge in working in Africa is ensuring payment. Managing the balance between supplying the customer and maintaining a healthy revenue stream constantly stretches our commercial and logistical skills. It’s part of the landscape.

We also hear that ISO 14001 is in the pipeline. What does that mean for your customers?
SR ISO 14001 is very much about reassuring our customers that the environment is not negatively impacted during the production of our products.

TJ Zetachem has always been concerned about environmental issues, as stated in our mission statement, but to date we haven’t had a formal rating for this commitment. Historically we were leaders with respect to ISO 9001 and Zetachem pioneered NSF accreditation in South Africa. ISO 14001 is a formally documented environmental management system that will ensure the manufacturing processes are carried out in a manner that minimises the impact on the environment. We are aiming for certification during this calendar year.

We are very much in line with Omnia’s environmental policy. The Omnia Group is a voluntary signatory to the Global Responsible Care Charter and as such we pledge to conduct our operations in a manner that minimises adverse environmental impacts and protects the health and safety of our employees and the public.

What is the most important message that your customers need to hear at the moment?
TJ Zetachem has always produced quality products. We are now expanding our capacity to meet the needs of an ever-growing market and continuing to backward integrate to ensure that we manufacture at the lowest cost.

If you look at Zetachem’s product sales spread, it is extremely diverse. Our products reach a very wide market through both direct sales to major water boards and indirect sales to resellers to the balance of the market. Resellers are important to our strategy as it enables our high-quality, responsibly manufactured chemicals to be made available to all levels of the industry. Most of our resellers are highly skilled, entrepreneurial water technicians and engineers who can provide both product and technical support to a smaller customer.