. During South Africa’s economic isolation of the apartheid years, chemical manufacturing plants in South Africa were built to satisfy only local demand. However, once the country opened up post-apartheid, its economy faced the competition of global markets. Lacking the necessary economies of scale to operate at this level, many South African chemical manufacturing operations in fine and speciality chemicals were uncompetitive, leading to a sharp decline in manufacturing.  However, the needs of global markets have changed in light of recent geopolitical developments, which have disrupted global supply chains. Industry has recognised that dependence on imports for production inputs is a major risk, which could be mitigated by re-localisation of production.

InnoVenton, Nelson Mandela University’s Institute for Chemical Technology, has engaged with local and international industry, to research their response to upscaling the development of chemical manufacturing of fine and speciality chemicals in South Africa. The country’s industrial base, raw materials, and feedstocks provide a timely opportunity to develop competitive technologies to re-industrialise its fine chemical manufacturing sub-sector, contributing to economic growth and job creation, raising aggregate domestic demand and exports, and supporting the country’s National Strategic Objectives.

Innoventon’s engagement with industry and SMEs has led to the identification of products with high potential to be commercialised through manufacture in South Africa. Given the investment in time and resources, the importance of the

initial selection of products and/or technology for further development, cannot be overstated. Engagement with the greater industry sector is essential to ensure that there is market demand to provide a business case. InnoVenton scientists review and evaluate available technologies and formulate a synthetic route which could meet the commercial objectives. The technology is ready for licensing to the most suitable, previously identified commercial partner once techno-economic criteria are met and development has progressed as far as possible at InnoVenton.

Where technologies require further development prior to commercial operations (e.g. Industrial Pilot Plant scale trials), a development license may be granted, and the necessary further external development supported by InnoVenton through Technology Transfer activities co-ordinated through the University’s Technology Transfer Office. The skills required for the successful development of process technology in the fine and speciality chemical manufacturing industry are extremely scarce. InnoVenton is actively involved in mentoring and upskilling postgraduates through work on industry and technology development projects, allowing them to apply theoretical and academic experience to innovating around commercially relevant technologies.

We offer workshops and short learning programmes to students and unemployed graduates, to broaden their understanding of chemical process technology development and to nurture skills such as the techno-economic assessment of potential technologies at appropriate levels of detail or certainty. Chemical process technology development also requires appropriate workspaces, laboratory facilities, and specialised equipment, so at InnoVenton we continue to invest in modern equipment and facilities to support chemical process technology development and re-industrialisation of fine and speciality chemical manufacturing in South Africa.

Radleys Single jacketed 1 L Process Reactor for laboratory scale up in a plant-simulated environment.