The Chryso Southern Africa Group in 2013 succeeded in its drive to expand its activities into sub-Saharan Africa – a development that will be continued in 2014, says Norman Seymore, Chief Executive Officer.

The Chryso Southern Africa Group is one of 14 Chryso subsidiaries worldwide. Chryso Algeria is the newest and Seymore, in addition to being CEO for the Chryso Southern Africa Group, is also the Executive Vice-president of Chryso globally.

Seymore says during 2013 a significant upgrade was completed at the Mauritius manufacturing facilities of  a.b.e. Construction Chemicals, part of the Chryso Southern Africa Group. “Chryso sales and distribution for Mauritius are being supported by the a.b.e. Mauritius activity,” he added.

He says in 2013, the Chryso Southern Africa Group saw a continued improvement in market conditions from a demand perspective. “Our margins, however, remained under pressure, driven mainly by the weakening of the Rand vs the Euro and Dollar, which has a significant impact on the formulation costs for both a.b.e. Construction Chemicals and Chryso products due to the imported raw materials. Nevertheless, both Chryso and a.b.e. introduced new products into the market during the year to assist our customers to maintain or improve cost performance ratios in a very competitive market.”

From the industrial side, the new a.b.e. powder plant was commissioned on the Group’s Boksburg site in March 2013, and the Isipingo site has undergone a significant revamp with all asbestos being removed from the site, as well as significant investment in production and packaging upgrades. Part of the Isipingo site upgrade includes expanded laboratories and R&D facilities for a.b.e..

“For 2014, we are expecting a steady improvement in market conditions locally and we will continue to adapt our product to offer value to our customers, while also adapting our formulations to enhance our commitment to sustainable product development and sustainable construction methods. In this regard, in 2013 we launched our patented ‘dustless’ cementitious products.

“With regards to safety, we expect to meet our targets with regards to the frequency rates of accidents ‘with and without lost time’. Chryso South Africa has maintained both the ISO 9001 and OSHAS 18001 on all its sites in South Africa while ISO 9001 certification is imminent for both the a.b.e. Isipingo and Boksburg sites. All a.b.e. sites will also be audited for the OSHAS 18001 certification during the first quarter of 2014,” Seymore adds.