The chemicals division of Omnia, branded Protea Chemicals, is a long established, highly regarded, distributor of commodity, speciality, functional and effect chemicals and polymers in southern and east Africa. It is represented in all major business centres throughout the region and supplies products and services to the full range of manufacturing industries.
The Protea Chemicals growth strategy is focused on meeting the product and service needs of our customers by establishing physical distribution facilities in close proximity to our customers, stocked with world class products, and supported by leading edge systems and exceptional personal service. This value proposition requires an intimate understanding of our customer needs – a core driver in the Protea Chemicals service model and a key reason for the application specialization evident in the industry focused business unit structure of Protea Chemicals. The staffing of these business units with industry specialists enables Protea Chemicals to deliver a high level of product and technical application support consistent with our service ethic.
The operating divisions provide products and services to the following industries:
Animal feeds
Chemical compounding, manufacturing and formulating
Food and beverage processing, packaging and ingredient supply
Health, personal and home care
Metal treatment
Coatings, adhesives, and sealants
Petroleum
Polymer processing
Pulp and paper
Rubber
Textiles
Water, waste and effluent treatment
Protea Chemicals is ISO 9001:2000 certified, a standard achieved via the proven management systems and procedures which have made Protea Chemicals, and its operating divisions, industry leaders over many years.
The division is an active member of CAIA (Chemicals and Allied Industries Association of South Africa), and as such is a signatory to the worldwide Responsible Care programme – a commitment made by Protea Chemicals in recognition of its environmental responsibilities and the obligation to conduct our business activities in compliance with internationally accepted principles and practises.
As leaders in African chemical supply, distribution, and service support, Protea Chemicals is indeed ‘more than just a chemical supplier'.
Protea Chemicals – Inland/KZN/Cape
The Inland, KZN and Cape divisions of Protea Chemicals, together with their extensive branch networks, are located in all of the major business centers across South Africa – in close proximity to manufacturing industry customers throughout the country.
An extensive range of products, assured quality, timeous delivery, and experienced technical support, all contribute to making Protea Chemicals a leader in the chemical distribution industry. State-of-the-art facilities, staffed by highly qualified professional personnel, enable the division to assist customers in evaluating and addressing the many complex technical and logistical challenges that occur in today's business environment.
Protea Chemicals Inland, KZN, and Cape offer a broad range of custom services for dry and liquid product handling. From simple acid, alkaline and solvent blends to specific temperature sensitive or high viscosity products, Protea Chemicals’ customized process facilities ensure accurate blending of both dry and liquid products to suit our customer requirements.
Further, modern facilities and extensive rail car and tank truck handling capabilities allow for greater efficiency, assured quality control and reduced costs in the movement of inbound and outbound deliveries of raw materials and finished products throughout the country.
Protea Food Ingredients
Protea Chemicals has successfully been supplying food additives, ingredients and chemicals into the food market for some years however, the company was predominantly perceived as a chemical supplier.
Effective 1 April 2009, Protea Food Ingredients became operational and has the capacity to supply ingredients, services and support to the food and beverage industry in southern Africa. This exciting change has transformed our offering into a market service tailored to our customers’ food ingredient specific needs.
In line with the Omnia Group’s values, we are committed to providing exceptional standards of service in order to exceed the expectations of our customers and principals, and to interact positively with our customers and suppliers.
Moving away from being a chemical supplier, Protea Food Ingredients will be “more than just an ingredients supplier”.
Protea Speciality Chemicals
Protea Speciality Chemicals is a principal driven business which represents more than twenty of the world’s foremost chemical companies on an exclusive basis in many African markets.
Protea Speciality Chemicals concentrates its customer efforts in specialized market segments where the technical innovation and standing of its international product partners provides distinct and discernable customer benefit. This focus integrates the business aims of Protea Speciality Chemicals with those of the principals marketing ambitions and plans – effectively making Protea Speciality Chemicals an extension of the principals marketing team.
The complete range of speciality chemical raw materials and additives, which are stocked on behalf of our world class international manufacturers, has provided Protea Speciality Chemicals with a significant and established market presence in the following focused industry sectors:
- Consumer Care (covering Health, Home and Personal Care)
- Elastomers
- Coatings
- Petroleum
The highly qualified Protea Speciality Chemicals staff, all with industry specific background and experience, provides a valued service complement to the technical product differentiation of our international supply principals.
Protea Animal Feeds
Protea Animal Feeds, extends the phosphate and nitrogen expertise and manufacturing capacity of its ultimate parent, Omnia Group, into the animal feed industry in southern Africa.
This core phosphate and nitrogen product competency of Protea Animal Feeds is however complemented by a full range of supplementary additives supplied to the pre-mix sector of the feed industry. This range includes amino acids (such as Lysine and Methionine), vitamins (including Choline Chloride) and various mineral supplements.
Protea Animal Feeds is staffed by a team which brings considerable industry experience to the business. In keeping with the Protea Chemicals philosophy, the business is highly focused and offers customers a dedicated service and world class products.
Protea Bulk Resources
Protea Bulk Resources is a bulk liquid chemical trading business whose strength lies in its understanding and management of international bulk chemical trade patterns and specialized logistics, offering its customers in South Africa, a convenient, safe, and reliable bulk chemical supply solution.
The company is active in a wide range of chemical products, including ethylene and propylene oxide derivatives, aromatic solvents, monomers and urethane intermediates. The range is regularly extended as Protea Bulk Resources responds to the requirements of its growing customer base.
This specialized business once again confirms that Protea Chemicals is indeed “more than just a chemical supplier”.
Protea Polymers
Protea Polymers is a leading importer, stockist and distributor of plastic raw materials and additives for the polymer industry in South Africa. The extensive geographic footprint of the Protea Chemicals storage and distribution facilities ensures that the Protea Polymer product is conveniently available to customers in all of the major industrial areas of the country.
In keeping with the Protea Chemicals group philosophy, Protea Polymers operates as a highly focused business. It is staffed by technically qualified and industry experienced business managers resulting in a high level of customer service differentiation – a valuable resource in an environment of challenging skills shortages.
Protea Polymers has close and long-standing associations with a number of world class producers of plastic polymers and additives. These relationships result in a reliable supply of world class product by Protea Polymers, and insights for our customers into some of the worlds leading polymer processing and conversion practises.
Protea Polymers has also embraced the current market trend to environmentally products extending its product range to include a range of biopolymers and technical development services in its market offering.
ACOL Chemicals
Protea Chemicals group acquired a 50% shareholding in Acol Chemical Holdings (Pty) Ltd in 1995.
Acol is the major supplier of chemical raw materials and plastic polymers in Zimbabwe. It represents some of the world’s foremost chemical producers and acts as both agent and distributor in most cases. Relationships with principals and suppliers worldwide have been cemented over a 25 year period and are at the heart of the business.
With a team of technically qualified sales people, Acol is able to provide a first class service on behalf of its principals and to provide technical back up to its customers.
In common with other businesses in the Protea Chemicals group, Acol Chemical comprises highly focused business units whose business managers are experienced in the industries they service. Thus Acol is particularly strong in the plastics, packaging, mining, polyurethanes, glass re-inforced plastics, agricultural, paint, textile, paper, leather and rubber businesses.
Zetachem
Zetachem was acquired by Protea Chemicals in 2007. It is a flexible manufacturer of various speciality chemical products, and a supplier of chemical management systems, used in the potable and waste water and industrial effluent industries. Extensions of this manufacturing capacity and coagulation chemistry have however also provided the basis for further growth into the mining, pulp and paper and agricultural industries.
Additionally, the extensive African distribution infrastructure and capacity of the Protea Chemicals group, provides further geographic expansion opportunities for Zetachem.
The well established Zetachem focus on achieving an intimate understanding of its customer needs has provided the growth foundation for this business, facilitated the integration of Zetachem into Protea Chemicals, and supported its commitment too, to being “more than just a chemical supplier”.