Editorial: We have to be on top of our game to survive
Sasol is one of two great SA companies founded on proprietary technology or intellectual property. In Sasol’s case it was the adoption of the liquid-fuel-from-coal process. The other company, Discovery, was founded on the simple yet profound insight that it would be better to reward people for being well rather than being sick.Both companies expanded to the US and ran into difficulties. In the mid-2000s, Discovery’s Destiny never really worked and, having placed a time limit on the project, it withdrew to consider the lessons learnt. It remains determined to grow globally and there is much potential in Europe and China.Sasol has to be as agile in handling its huge Louisiana investment. This was conceived when it seemed that gas-to-liquid from fracking was a great idea. The assumption was that the global economy would begin to recover from around 2013 and that the oil price would not only remain above US$100/bbl but would keep rising on growing demand.Instead growth proved elusive an...
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