AECI is a South African-based company focused on providing products and services to a broad spectrum of customers in the mining, water treatment, plant and animal health, food and beverage, infrastructure and general industrial sectors. It has regional and international businesses in Africa, Europe, South East Asia, North America and Australia.

The Group now comprises 17 businesses and, at 31 December 2017, it has 7 908 employees.

The Group’s strategy is to be the supplier of choice in the markets in which it operates and to continue to grow domestically as well as through ongoing expansion of its footprint in terms of the geographies and markets served. In line with this strategy the five growth pillars are Mining Solutions (AEL Mining Services, Experse and Senmin), Water & Process (ImproChem), Plant & Animal Health (Nulandis and newly acquired Schirm), Food & Beverage (Lake Foods and Southern Canned Products), and Chemicals (Chemfit, Chemical Initiatives, ChemSystems, Industrial Oleochemical Products, SANS Technical Fibers and newly acquired Much Asphalt). Also in this pillar are two joint ventures - Crest Chemicals and Specialty Minerals South Africa.

AECI was registered as a company in South Africa in 1924 and has been listed on the JSE since 1966. At the end of 2017 its market capitalisation was R12,2 billion.

Acacia Real Estate, the Group’s property division, focuses mainly on managing AECI’s leasing portfolio and on the provision of services at the Umbogintwini Industrial Complex in KwaZulu-Natal.