Zinchem

What Zinchem does

Zinchem (formally Zimco Metals) is a South African producer of zinc-based industrial chemicals, headquartered at a single manufacturing plant in Benoni, just outside Johannesburg. Founded in 1946 by Anglo-American Corporation to produce zinc dust for gold cementation in cyanide solution at local gold mines, the company has since expanded into four core product lines: Zinc Oxide, Zinc Dust, Zinc Alloys, and Zinc Sulphate. It serves industrial B2B customers across multiple verticals, including tyre and rubber manufacturing, paint and coatings, pharmaceuticals, agriculture (animal feed trace-element supplements and fertilizer zinc supplements), and historically mining.

The underlying production technology is rooted in conventional metallurgical and chemical processes. Zinc Oxide is produced by melting and vaporising zinc metal, which combines with oxygen from air on contact to form the oxide. Zinc Dust is manufactured in a uniquely designed plant delivering high purity and controlled particle size, with output compliant with ASTM D520 for organic and inorganic primers. Zinc Sulphate is produced by leaching zinc in sulphuric acid, then purified to remove heavy metals, and is available either as a solution for resale or as spray-dried monohydrate powder. Zinc Alloys round out the product range. The company maintains ISO 9001 certification (held for over 20 years), ISO 14001:2015, and ISO 45001:2018, and its fertilizer and animal feed products are registered under South Africa's Act 36 of 1947 with the Department of Agriculture.

Zinchem operates a sales-led, direct-to-industrial-customer go-to-market model, supplying both domestic South African and international markets. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is presumed to be quote-based given the B2B industrial nature of the products. The company is a member of the International Zinc Association and the Fertilizer Society of South Africa, supporting its positioning within global and regional industry networks.

Name

Zinchem

Legal name

Zimco Metals

Website

https://zinchem.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Zinchem (formally Zimco Metals) is a South African manufacturer of zinc-based industrial chemicals — Zinc Oxide, Zinc Dust, Zinc Alloys, and Zinc Sulphate — supplying B2B customers in tyre, rubber, paint, pharmaceutical, agricultural, and mining sectors from its Benoni plant.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Zinc Chemicals

NAICS

Nonferrous Metal (except Aluminum) Smelting and Refining (33141)

SIC

Primary Smelting & Refining Of Nonferrous Metals (3330)

akta.pro primary industry

Non-Ferrous Base Metals Trading (Aluminum, Copper, Zinc, Lead, Tin, Nickel) (IMAKAJAC)

Keywords

• Zinc chemicals manufacturing
• Zinc oxide production
• Zinc dust production
• Zinc sulphate production
• Industrial zinc alloys

Headquarters

HQ city

Benoni

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Zinc Chemical Products: Sale of zinc-based chemical products including Zinc Oxide, Zinc Dust, Zinc Alloys, and Zinc Sulphate. Products are sold as industrial commodities to manufacturing companies in various sectors including tyres, rubber, paint, pharmaceuticals, and agriculture.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Core offering

Zinchem (formally known as Zimco Metals) is a South African chemical manufacturer that produces and sells zinc-based industrial chemicals, including Zinc Oxide, Zinc Dust, Zinc Alloys, and Zinc Sulphate. The company manufactures its products at a plant in Benoni near Johannesburg and supplies both local South African and international industrial customers in sectors such as tyre manufacturing, rubber, paint, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and mining.

Product overview

Zinchem (operating as Zimco Metals) is a chemical manufacturing company offering a portfolio of zinc-based industrial products. The core product portfolio consists of four main product lines: Zinc Oxide, Zinc Dust, Zinc Sulphate, and Zinc Alloys. Zinc oxide is produced through a metallurgical process of melting and vapourising zinc metal. Zinc dust is manufactured in a dedicated plant producing high-purity dust with controlled particle size meeting ASTM D520 standards. Zinc sulphate is produced via acid leaching and is available as solution or spray-dried monohydrate powder. The company supplies both local and international markets from its plant in Benoni, South Africa, serving industries including tyre manufacturing, rubber, paint, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and mining.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Zinc Oxide Zinc oxide is produced by melting and vapourising zinc metal. On contact with air, the zinc vapour combines with oxygen to form zinc oxide. Used in the tyre industry, rubber manufacturing, paint industry, pharmaceutical industry, and agricultural markets.
• Zinc Dust Zinc dust produced using a uniquely designed Zinc Dust plant that delivers the highest purity and controlled particle size. The range complies with ASTM D520 standard and is suitable for both organic and inorganic primers. Originally used for gold cementation in cyanide solution in gold mines.
• Zinc Sulphate Zinc sulphate is produced by leaching zinc in sulphuric acid. The solution is purified to remove excess heavy metals and impurities, then either stored as a solution for resale or processed by spray drying into monohydrate powder. Available in two grades for local market requirements. Used as trace element supplements for animal feeds and zinc supplements in fertilizers.
• Zinc Alloys Zinc-based alloy products manufactured by the company as part of its industrial zinc chemicals portfolio.

Quantifiable outcome

• Certified ISO 9001 for over 20 years
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• International Zinc Association (IZA)minorOthersZimco Metals is an active member of the International Zinc Association, participating in the global zinc industry community and keeping abreast of international developments in zinc chemistry applications and standards.
• Fertilizer Society of South Africa (FSSA)minorOthersZimco Metals is an active member of the Fertilizer Society of South Africa, participating in industry discussions and initiatives related to fertilizers and agricultural inputs in the South African market.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Rubamin: India-based integrated zinc chemicals and zinc oxide producer serving rubber, ceramics, paints, pharma, and agriculture. Comparable in product breadth (oxide, sulphate, dust) and emerging-market export orientation.
• HakusuiTech (Hakusui Chemical): Japanese zinc oxide producer serving rubber, paints, electronics, and pharmaceutical applications. Comparable to Zinchem in zinc oxide manufacturing and ASTM/JIS-spec industrial supply, though operating at larger scale.
• U.S. Zinc: Major North American producer of zinc oxide and zinc dust serving rubber, paints/coatings, ceramics, and chemicals. Closely comparable to Zinchem in core zinc chemistry manufacturing, with analogous ASTM-standardized zinc dust products.
• Zochem: Canadian zinc oxide manufacturer with U.S. operations producing French Process and American Process zinc oxide for rubber, tyre, paint, pharmaceutical, and agricultural markets. Direct product-line overlap with Zinchem's zinc oxide business.
• Numinor Chemical Industries: Israeli manufacturer of zinc oxide and zinc derivatives for tyre, rubber, paint, and pharmaceutical applications. Closely comparable in scale and product portfolio to Zinchem.
• Zinc Nacional: Mexico-based integrated zinc oxide and zinc chemical producer serving tyre, rubber, paint, ceramics, and agricultural markets across the Americas. Comparable in scale and product breadth to Zinchem.
• Grillo Werke: German family-owned producer of zinc oxide and zinc derivatives with a long history (founded 1842). Comparable to Zinchem in product mix (zinc oxide, zinc dust, zinc sulphate) and B2B industrial customer base across rubber, paints, pharma, and agriculture.
• EverZinc: Belgium-headquartered global producer of zinc chemicals including zinc oxide, zinc dust, and zinc powders. Most directly comparable to Zinchem across the same core product portfolio and end-market applications in rubber, paints, ceramics, and pharma.

Regional players

• Silox SA: South African-based producer of zinc chemicals and zinc oxide. The most direct regional peer to Zinchem, competing in the same domestic market with comparable end-customer industries and overlapping regulatory environment (Act 36).

Broad incumbents

• Chemetall (BASF Coatings division): BASF-owned global surface treatment and zinc dust supplier serving coatings, automotive, and industrial markets. Comparable to Zinchem's zinc dust business as a broad incumbent with deeper R&D and global customer reach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zinchem-a-division-of-zimco-group-pty-ltd

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Zinchem