AECI

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AECI Limited is a South African chemicals group and is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.

The AECI Group operates companies in the following market segments:

Mining solutions (explosives and initiating systems)
Specialty fibres
Specialty chemicals
Decorative coatings (paint)
Real Estate

AECI's principal manufacturing sites are located in the following cities in South Africa:

Johannesburg (mining solutions)
Strand (specialty fibres)
Durban (specialty chemicals and decorative coatings).

The mining solutions and decorative coatings companies are present throughout sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, its specialty fibres business has a joint venture manufacturing facility in the United States and its mining solutions business, with its DetNet joint venture, aims to be the international leader in the design, production and sale of specialised electronic detonators.

AECI had a total of 7,260 employees as of 2006.

[edit] History

The company was registered as African Explosives and Industries (AE&I) in 1924, with its headquarters in Johannesburg. It was formed as the result of a merger between the South African interests of Nobel Industries of the United Kingdom and the manufacturing arm of De Beers Consolidated Diamond Mines of Kimberley. The company's primary purpose was to provide blasting explosives and detonators to South African gold and diamond mines but AE&I was also the only South African producer of phosphatic fertilizer.