Sasol: industry on the ground
The Sasol 1 site began commissioning in 1954, Sasol 2 was completed in 1980 and Sasol 3 came on stream in 1982, so the Secunda and Sasolburg complexes combine plant of very different ages.
Sasol is a South African chemicals and energy company producing fuel components, chemicals and co-products such as ammonia, methanol and sulphur. Most gasifiers at Sasolburg have been replaced by autothermal reformers fed with natural gas piped from Mozambique, which shifts feedstock handling from coal to gas pipelines and process gas. Buyers searching for an ATEX and IECEx smartphone supplier for Sasol can take the datasheet and the certification schedule for the IS-04Z1 now; supply follows certification.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. An ATEX and IECEx smartphone for Sasol cannot be bought yet: the SAMS IS-04Z1 is pre-launch (certification in progress, no certificate issued), and the datasheet, certification schedule and safe-area evaluation units are available now.
Status: pre-launch. IECEx, ATEX, UKEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress and no certificate has been issued; launch is planned for Q4 2026. An operator's own vendor approval is a separate step. Certification status. Place facts reviewed October 2026.
| Check | What to look for | IS-04Z1 today |
|---|---|---|
| Marking | II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4 on the rating plate | Design target; not yet marked |
| EU-type examination certificate | Notified body number and certificate ID | In progress with TÜV; not issued |
| IECEx certificate of conformity | Number listed on the IECEx online register | In progress; not issued |
| Where it applies | Sasol: Gas processing, Coal mining operations, Synthetic fuels and chemical plants | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in South Africa. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
The main sites and the hazardous-area types a portable device is likely to meet at this organisation.
Sasol runs supplier applications through the Supplier Information Management (SIM) module on Ariba for suppliers working with it in South Africa and Mozambique; confirm current requirements with Sasol Supplier Management. The Ex certificate and an organisation's own vendor or engineering approval are two separate timelines; SAMS is working towards both and holds neither today.
The Sasol 1 site began commissioning in 1954, Sasol 2 was completed in 1980 and Sasol 3 came on stream in 1982, so the Secunda and Sasolburg complexes combine plant of very different ages.
Sasol Mining operates six coal mines that supply the Secunda synfuels and Sasolburg complexes, so underground coal-mine conditions sit next to chemical plant conditions inside one company.
Sasol employs over 27,000 people and has operations in 33 countries, and it was a founding member of the Fuels Industry Association of South Africa when that body launched in 1994.
Sasol mines more than 40 million tonnes of saleable coal a year, mostly as gasification feedstock for Secunda, and its Secunda collieries are described as the world's largest underground coal operation.
ATEX is the European legal framework for equipment used in explosive atmospheres (Directive 2014/34/EU). IECEx is the international certification scheme built on the IEC 60079 standards. Buyers outside Europe often ask for both: an IECEx certificate is the technical evidence most national regimes build on, while ATEX is the legal route into the European market.
For the IS-04Z1 both routes are in progress with TÜV in Germany and neither certificate has been issued. The marking target is II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4: equipment Group II (surface industry), Category 2 (Zone 1 gas), protection concept ib (intrinsic safety), gas group IIC and temperature class T4.
In Sasol. A Sasol reviewer at Secunda or Sasolburg would expect certificate evidence naming the model, marking and area, given the range of synthetic fuel, chemical and gas plants. International contractors on shutdown work may carry ATEX or IECEx papers, so a dual route helps. The IS-04Z1 programme is in progress.
Nothing can be bought for Sasol today: the IS-04Z1 is pre-launch, and SAMS will supply end users through authorised distributors once certificates exist. What a buyer can do now is take the specification, ask for the written certification schedule and arrange a safe-area evaluation, so that the right local channel contacts you at launch.
The technical specification, marking target and conditions of use, sent by email.
Which certificates are in progress, in what order, and what is still to be confirmed.
Evaluation units can be used for connectivity, MDM enrolment and workflow testing outside classified areas.
Tell us the site, zone, gas group and quantity so the right authorised distributor can contact you.
Not today. Until the certificates are issued the IS-04Z1 stays out of classified areas, and until launch there is nothing to purchase. You can ask for the datasheet and the certification schedule, or book a safe-area evaluation unit.
No price is published. While certification is in progress there is no list price and no committed lead time, and a supplier quoting a firm figure for an uncertified Ex handset is promising something it cannot stand behind. Indicative pre-launch pricing is issued in writing against a stated quantity and site.
Not yet. Both routes are in progress with TÜV in Germany and no certificate has been issued. Any listing that says otherwise is wrong.
Sasol runs supplier applications through the Supplier Information Management (SIM) module on Ariba for suppliers working with it in South Africa and Mozambique; confirm current requirements with Sasol Supplier Management.
Through authorised distributors once certificates exist. Until then SAMS can send the datasheet and certification schedule and arrange safe-area evaluation units.
Not necessarily. Underground coal mines in South Africa fall under mining safety legislation with its own approval routes, while chemical plants work to industrial classified-area practice. Confirm with Sasol Mining and with each plant which approvals and certificates it expects for portable equipment.
Both sites are on South Africa's inland Highveld, where days can be warm and winter nights cold with frost, and dust is common near mines and stockpiles. Check the device's operating temperature range, dust ingress rating and battery behaviour in cold, and ask the site about its limits.
The IS-04Z1 has IP68 protection and a 4,000 mAh battery, but cold-weather battery behaviour and the permitted temperature range will come from the final certificate and datasheet. Check them for Highveld winters. IP68 is not explosion protection, and certification is still in progress.
Related guides for Sasol and for South Africa.
Send the site, zone and gas group and roughly how many handsets. We reply by email with the datasheet and the certification schedule.
Tell us the zone, gas group and operator. We will send the datasheet and the certification schedule.