AECI: 100 Years of Industrial Innovation

“To mark 100 years in business is rare. To be able to do so with relevant purpose and momentum is still rare” Holger Riemensperger CEO of AECI.

AECI is one of the oldest listed industrial companies in Africa and one of only a handful with a direct through-line from South Africa’s early mining era to its current global innovation movement.

From Dynamite to Diversification in Chemical Development

The story of AECI is one of many corporate challenges, innovations and many milestones. But today, as it marked the passing of a century of innovation growth and global expansion, it was an affirmation of a bold, evolving and living legacy of one of South Africa’s  industrial legacy companies.

Launched when South Africa was but a colonial outpost, and originally called AE&I (African Explosivesand Industries Limited, the company has been part of South Africa’s complex but rich history, going back to an era when the Witwatersrand gold built the future of the “City of Gold”, Johannesburg, and the start of the major industrial economy of Africa.

A Century Ignited

AECI, as part of their centenary celebration, commissioned the writing of a book, “A Century Ignited”, that encapsulates their journey as a company, which was launched during an exceptional 100-year commemorative event is Sandton this morning.

The book, that was researched for a period of over a year, was co-authored by Jeremy Maggs and Cheryl Hunter and is a fascinating look at the journey of a company that started out as a producer of explosives to later become a global chemical giant.

Ethical Leadership Foundational to Future Growth

At the launch celebration, outgoing Chair of AECI, Dr-Khotso-Mokhele, who had previously been the  founding president and CEO of the National Research Foundation, bid AECI farewell.

Speaking of his nine-year journey with AECI, Dr Mokhele said, “Our 100-year story is one of capital, of resilience, and of great imagination, born out of necessity, built with boldness, and shaped by innovation”. “But our story has always transcended industrial achievement. Today, we’re not just looking back to one of the achievements of the past; we’re celebrating the people, the spirit, and the principles that carried us here, which will undoubtedly carry us far into the future.

He went on to say that “As we reflect on the past 100 years, we must keep reminding ourselves that the leadership that we’ve enjoyed, the leadership that we’ve displayed, is part of the general construct of leadership,….Especially not here, on the African continent, where the past bleeds into the present, and where the private sector must account not only for its power, but for its purpose”.

Leadership an Act of Courage

“Leadership now, and in the future, must be an act of courage and of conscience”. “We are called to do more than just to perform or to produce, we are called to reflect, to interrogate, and to lead with intent”.

“Our actions and our silences shape not only our organisation, but the societies in which we operate”. We may have started on the African continent, but we now found ourselves on five continents. As we embark on our next chapter, I believe that our most urgent responsibility is our collective duty to speak truth to power.

“If we in the private sector do not challenge corruption and inequity, we forfeit the right to claim moral liberty –  Yes, speaking out may be uncomfortable, because silence in the face of injustice is complicity”.

Global Future Under new Leadership

AECI has expanded it’s products from only explosives, developed predominantly for the mining industry, expanding into chemical production, water management and water purification, as well as contributed significantly to the agricultural sector in terms of creating fertilisers.

The company were global pioneers in their oils to chemical conversion processes that are today providing the base for the growth of the group that now spans twenty two countries across six continents.

Incoming Chair Philisiwe Sibiya, has been widely recognised among Africa’s most influential businesswomen, and is globally connected and poseses a deeply committed to impact: “AECI has never stood still. It has always found opportunity in complexity and forged ahead with purpose”, says Sibiya. “As we enter our next century, we do so with a renewed commitment to sustainable growth, to creating value for all stakeholders and to being a truly future-facing African company with an accelerated globalisation strategy.”