Recognition as being an environmentally friendly player, coupled with three International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) accreditations, discerns SA Fine & Industrial Chemicals (Safic) from the rest.
Safic, which a few months ago made its retail debut with the detergent Madam & Eve, provides cleaning and hygiene solutions. In the industrial chemicals sector, it competes with Ecolab and Chemserve, among others.
"In 2004, we were finalists in the Mail & Guardian's 'Greening the Future' competition and won it the next two years running," says newly-appointed MD Eric Platt.
"We were the first African company to get three ISO accreditations and we continue to position ourselves according to government-led safety improvements."
Still, the firm hasn't fully capitalised on these factors which Platt correctly notes "give us a competitive edge and put us on a pedestal".
"Safic is doing a lot to align with global trends. We are well-placed for growth yet our market share is minute; we haven't even scratched the surface," says Platt.
He is bracing himself for fierce competition in growing market share, cognisant that "there's going to be some resistance, it is no walk in a park taking business from bigger boys in a market which promises solid growth over the next few years".
Like his fellow MDs at Centurion Glass & Aluminium and FloorworX, Platt acknowledges the benefit in the construction industry of being part of a diversified firm. This, he says, should move Safic into higher gear.
With a workforce of about 140, the subsidiary contributes about 20% to Accéntuate's balance sheet. Last year's poor run at Safic threatened to blemish Accéntuate's solid set of results. Platt is now counting on new strategy and a restructuring of management.
He has set himself high targets, starting with a branding drive to raise market awareness and lift sales.
Platt recalls his days in agriculture to highlight the importance of Safic's initiatives to improve quality and branding to break new ground and optimise output. "The maize industry was running at 60% capacity and our mill sold 100% because of quality and branding," he says. With focus on branding at his new company, Platt hopes to replicate his success story in agriculture. "When people pick up our products, they would get benefits like a guarantee that our products are environmentally friendly, for example."
For investors, the question is what effect this will have on the bottom line. Platt has set earnings targets.
"We want to double our turnover within two years. Already, we've cut a lot of costs, saving the company money while managing to keep revenue at good levels."
Platt is now building up relationships with mining and parastatal organisations and is hoping to use his connections in agriculture as he explores new opportunities. ISO accreditation, he says, will also differentiate Safic from peers.
The aim is to transform Safic from a small-customer, small-volume chemicals solutions service provider to one that turns over huge volumes, hence the bid to win over large groups and gain entry to the retail market.
Like CGA, Safic is pushing ahead with geographic expansion. The chemicals group is also working on improving the skills of its sales representatives; bolstering its distribution network and getting outlying areas on board.
"We're targeting neighbouring states and may focus on countries like Ghana in the future," Platt says.
Safic's retail division opened its doors in November last year, augmenting the flagship industrial division which has a range spanning 140 different types of product.
