The Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Rob Davies will officially launch the Durban branch of the South African Chemical Technology Incubator (Chemin) at the Westville Campus of the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) in Durban tomorrow, 16 April 2014 from 9H00. The media is invited to attend and cover the event.
 
The business Incubation centre will assist a number of chemical technology businesses in the region by offering free support services to small business owners. Chemin's focus is on developing the downstream chemicals manufacturing industry in South Africa. These sectors include relatively high value pure chemicals that are typically used as active ingredients in  formulated speciality chemicals used in industrial and non-consumer applications (e.g. paints, mining chemicals, textile specialities, paper chemicals), but does not exclude the production of other downstream chemicals.
 
Incubated enterprises will also be able to access market information in the Chemical sector and external clients at a negotiated fee as well as a state-of-the-art laboratory containing specialised analytical equipment.
 
 The branch is established in partnership with the Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda) Eskom Foundation, Department of Economic Development and Tourism (DEDEAT) and the University of KwaZulu Natal.  It was set up in December 2012 to develop entrepreneurs in the chemical business in Durban and the surrounding areas.
 
The manufacturing pilot plant, which forms part of the incubation centre, is based on a process of recycling bulbs.  The aim of the project is to recover heavy metals by removing mercury, yuttrium and europium. This technology has already been patented, furthermore millions of households are now using CFL bulbs, which were distributed by Eskom as an endeavour to reduce power consumption in the country.
 
We are on course to see these incubators increasing as more small enterprises go the technology incubation route. In the year ahead Seda expects to support more incubators through the dti’s Incubation Support Programme and currently more incubators are considered for support for the 2014/15 period.  This can only bode well for our government’s drive to create employment,” said Seda Acting CEO Mr Sipho Zikode