SNF is the world’s leading manufacturer of water-soluble polymers and acrylamide monomer, which is the primary ingredient for polyacrylamide-based flocculants. Together with its parent company, The SNF Group, SNF has major production sites in North America, Europe, and Asia, with many smaller plants and trading offices located worldwide.
The SNF Group acquired the SNF Chemquest Group in 2016, purchasing Chemquest Africa (Pty) Ltd and its subsidiaries. SNF Chemquest serves as a trading house for the African continent with a specific focus on Sub-Saharan Africa.
SNF Chemquest was originally founded in 1996 as Chemquest (Pty) Ltd, focusing on the procurement and supply of Activated Carbon into the gold mining industry for the African continent. The company expanded its product portfolio to various other performance and commodity chemicals including polyacrylamide-based flocculants.
SNF Chemquest along with its sister company Thuthukani SNF Chemicals services the following industries:
- Mining industry
- Industrial water treatment
- Municipal water treatment
- Paper industry
- Agricultural industry
SNF is the only leading manufacturer with an extensive product line that includes:
- Cationic monomer
- Acrylamide monomer
- Solution, powder, emulsion, and mannich grade polymers
- Organic coagulants polyDADMAC and polyamine
- Dispersants
Furthermore, SNF Chemquest also supplies other chemicals for the mining industry that including:
- Activated Carbon
- Collectors including Xanthate’s and Xanthate blends
- Depressants and Activators include – Starches, Guar-and-Cellulose depressants, Copper Sulphate and NaHS.
- Flotation Frothers
- Electrowinning-and-Smoothing Reagents including – Acid mist control agent, Cobalt Sulphate and Anthracite
- Solvent Extraction Reagents
- Pyrometallurgical and Smelting Chemicals
- Ion Exchange Resins
- Various other miscellaneous chemicals
- Turnkey dissolution and dosing plants for the chemicals we supply, new or retrofitted
Along with the supply of various performance and commodity chemicals, SNF Chemquest also provides on-and-off-site technical support. All our sales staff are technically qualified in metallurgy or chemistry, with experience as plant metallurgists or chemical engineers. They have years of experience with the use of our products. We also receive technical support from the expertise of the SNF group, who ensure that we have access to the latest international technical experience with our products.
SNF Chemquest prides itself on its awareness and management of Safety, Health, and the Environment in its products and the usage thereof. We continuously strive to improve our standards. We offer training to our customers on a continuous basis to ensure the correct handling and usage of various hazardous and non-hazardous products.
Sustainable Development
SNF aims to be a key player in the water treatment sector and all related applications. The many initiatives we have undertaken in recent years to promote Sustainable Development, particularly in the environmental, social, and economic fields (energy balance sheet, carbon balance sheet, sustainable development report, social balance sheet, etc.), are closely related to our business activities
SNF is guided by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SNF Group has developed a range of over one thousand products, in keeping with its goal to promote responsible chemistry and improve the quality of life for the entire population of the world.
Products manufactured by SNF play a crucial role in protecting the environment, saving energy, and ensuring access to essential raw materials, and have gradually integrated the Ten Principles of the United Nations Global Compact into its policies.
SNF is also aiming to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and reduce carbon intensity by 30% and reduce water intensity by 20% by 2030.
Economies of Scale
SNF is better able to control costs, maintain finished product inventory, and assure that our products are of the highest quality. We manufacture key raw materials at our ISO 9001:2015 certified facilities and have multiple vendors for some of our other key raw materials.
Leveraging these advantages enables SNF to offer the following benefits:
- Lowest market pricing
- Reliable product sourcing
- Extensive product range available from a single source
- Economic polymer equipment sourcing/support
- Targeted training and support services
- Experienced field support staff
Supply Chain Reliability
SNF strives to meet the growing demands of the markets we serve – keeping sight of the needs and supply requirements of our individual customers for cost-effective solutions. In support of our global mission to be the largest and lowest-cost producer of water-soluble polymers, SNF provides stability, global purchasing power, systems integration, production assets, inventory, and logistics to help keep our costs in check, and to offer reliable supply to our valued customers – even as market conditions and environmental factors outside our control occur in the market. It is SNF’s desire to minimize any potential business or production interruptions.
Regional Regulations / Certifications
ISO Certification
ISO, the International Organization for Standardization, is an independent, non-governmental organization, the members of which are the standards organizations of the 164 member countries. It is the world’s largest developer of voluntary international standards and facilitates world trade by providing common standards between nations. Nearly twenty thousand standards have been set covering everything from manufactured products and technology to food safety, agriculture, and healthcare.
Use of the standards aids in the creation of products and services that are safe, reliable and of good quality. The standards help businesses increase productivity while minimizing errors and waste. By enabling products from different markets to be directly compared, they facilitate companies in entering new markets and assist in the development of global trade on a fair basis. The standards also serve to safeguard consumers and the end-users of products and services, ensuring that certified products conform to the minimum standards set internationally.
B-BBEE Certification
SNF Chemquest is committed to the empowerment of historically disadvantaged individuals in South Africa. We spend significantly on Socio-Economic development on companies and Skills Development on individuals. Within South Africa, SNF Chemquest operates within the confines of the Mining Charter of 2018 and remains B-BBEE compliant. Currently, SNF Chemquest is a Level 4 BEE contributor with 33% Black South African Shareholding.