The company's primary purpose was to provide blasting explosives and detonators to South African gold and diamond mines but AE&I was also the only South African producer of phosphatic fertilizer. In 1944 the company was renamed as African Explosives and Chemical Industries  (AECI).
The company's initial purpose was to provide blasting explosives and detonators for South African gold and diamond mines, but it also manufactured phosphatic fertilizer in South Africa. In 1944, the company changed its name to African Explosives and Chemical Industries (AECI).