Durban North’s Nokukhanya is a trailblazer in the petrochemical industry
In attendance at the accelerator were SMEs from different parts of South Africa who had to battle it out on stage with a pitch of their businesses in a bid to impress the Dragons and possibly score a contract.
DURBAN North’s Nokukhanya Ngcobo was among thirteen contestants who participated at the 2022 Durban Chemicals Cluster Business Accelerator Programme which took place at The Pearls of Umhlanga on November 2.
Ngcobo, who is the Project Manager of Isihlonti Oil and Fuel Distributors (IOF), a business that supplies and delivers oil, fuel and lubricants, says she got reeled into the petrochemical sector by her father who has been in the industry for a long time.
“My dad wanted me to help him with the business, and that’s how I got introduced into this industry. I enjoy working in these kinds of projects because I think they’re interesting, and they challenge you immensely,” said Ngcobo.
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The ‘Master’s Degree in Sustainable Urban Planning and Development’ candidate says the reason they entered the Business Accelerator is because the company is looking to move into manufacturing so they can produce their own range of lubricants.
“We have a highly skilled team who have been in the petrochemical sector for years. We also have a highly skilled engineer and marketing person who has worked for giants such as Shell, BP and Castro, and so they understand the ins and outs of how lubricants work,” she said.
Asked how her journey had been at the programme, she said it was exciting and nerve-wrecking at the same time.
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“I think there’s quite a lot to benefit from programmes like these because I’ve been on some. I understand that this part of our business is highly complex and requires a lot of funding, but it is possible if we plan accordingly,” she said.
The Business Accelerator, which is a collaboration between chemical business giants and the eThekwini Municipality, saw small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from the chemical industry get a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take their business to the next level.
In attendance at the accelerator were SMEs from different parts of South Africa who had to battle it out on stage with a pitch of their businesses in a bid to impress the Dragons and possibly score a contract. In the panel of Dragons to be impressed were Andrew Canning of FFS Refineries, Ningi Khumalo from SAPREF, Daniel Souchon from NCS, David Lombard of Sherwin-Williams, and H&R general manager, Rudi van Niekerk.
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Four SMEs came out victorious in four categories. KLIA Business and Technology Solutions won the Best Business Case, API Solutions International proved supreme in the Most Promising/Innovative Supplier category, while Dilex Purification won Best Environmental Sustainability Solution and AEIM Chemicals Pty (Ltd) won the Most Diversified Business category.
Sharing some insight into the competition, regional general manager of H&R Africa and chairperson of the Durban Chemicals Cluster, Rudi van Niekerk, said they were open to any services but ideally also, down the line, looking at sustainability and future products.
“There were some guys who weren’t fully clear on what their value propositions were or even what their value generation model was. What we missed in some of the contestants was that they needed to show us they understand who their market is and what the risks in their business are,” said Van Niekerk.
