Chemical
Technology Incubation
Chemin is a technology business incubator specialising
in supporting the start-up and growth of small and medium
enterprises in the downstream chemical industry. Chemin's
headquarters is situated in Port Elizabeth, but operates
at various projects throughout South Africa.
Chemin's focus of developing the downstream chemicals
manufacturing industry in South Africa is predominantly
at the fine and performance chemicals sectors. These sectors
include relatively high value pure chemicals that are typically
used as active ingredients in formulated products such
as pharmaceuticals and agricultural chemicals, as well
as all formulated speciality chemicals used in industrial
and non-consumer applications (e.g. paints, mining chemicals,
textile specialities, paper chemicals, etc.), and pure
chemicals used primarily for their functional properties
(e.g. surfactants, biocides, etc.), but does not exclude
the production of other downstream chemicals.
Recognising that it is practically and financially impossible
for start-up businesses to establish and maintain all the
resources that might be required to be successful in downstream
chemical production, Chemin has established collaborative
linkages with stakeholders and institutions experienced
and willing to be service providers to incubatees.
This includes, amongst others, technology feasibility
evaluation, forecasting and audits, environmental regulatory
compliance, product registrations, analytical services,
process and product development and optimisation, process
scale-up and plant design, technical and economic evaluations
and toll manufacture for product testing.
Chemin, in addition to the provision of technology incubation
services, provides business incubation and business nurturing
services to incubator clients, as well as mentoring facilitation,
partnering and networking assistance, strategic and business
planning services, accounting and financial management
support, including tax assistance, maximising utilisation
of existing governmental industrial incentive packages
and sourcing of developmental funding, as well as seed,
venture, equity or asset finance.
Existing basic infrastructure and equipment on-site are
available to incubatees and project specific requirements
not immediately available, will be developed on-site as
needed, or sourced from competent and cost-effective service
providers. This includes office space and equipment, telecommunication
facilities, Internet and e-mail facilities, IT equipment
and software and pilot/ kilolab facilities. |
Chemin has access to state-of-the-art
chemical facilities required for technology prototyping
or proof of concept projects, which form an integral
part of the essential development stage of each project's
growth. This includes a multi-purpose chemical reactor
plant, which is fully computerised and can be purpose-specific
configured to the requirements of individual clients.
Chemin has been involved in numerous successful
projects since inception in 2002, and is also actively
pursuing selected projects from tertiary institutions
whereby the postgraduate research of doctoral student Ð which
has commercialisation potential Ð has been
taken on as an early-stage incubation project.
This has the added advantage that it provides a
career opportunity for postgraduate students not
previously readily available to them, that of entrepreneurship.
Chemin's main objective remains to be a significant
role player in the establishment of an entrepreneurial
culture leading to successful downstream chemical
production industry in South Africa, and to act as
a catalyst in making the country the most diversified
downstream chemical producer in the southern hemisphere
by 2020. |
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Contact
Chemin
Tel: (041) 503-6700
Fax: (041) 503-6712
Website: www.chemin.co.za |
