Sasol: who works there
The group is organised into two upstream business units, three regional operating hubs and several market-facing strategic business units, so site procurement usually follows the relevant hub or unit.
Sasol is a South African chemicals and energy company producing fuel components, chemicals and co-products such as ammonia, methanol and sulphur. Sasol was formed in 1950 at Sasolburg around coal liquefaction, and today it develops synthetic fuel technologies and produces liquid fuels, chemicals, coal tar and electricity. If you are specifying an explosion proof mobile phone for Sasol, this page covers the markings, the approvals and the current certification status of the IS-04Z1.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. The SAMS IS-04Z1 is the intrinsically safe smartphone covered here for Sasol: pre-launch, designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), with certification in progress and no certificate issued.
Where things stand: the IS-04Z1 has not launched, and none of its four certification routes has produced a certificate yet. A buyer's engineering review is separate from the certificate. Certification status. Place facts reviewed October 2026.
| Check | What to look for | IS-04Z1 today |
|---|---|---|
| Protection concept | Flameproof (Ex d) or intrinsic safety (Ex i) | Intrinsic safety, level ib |
| Zone suitability | Zone 1 gas and Zone 21 dust | Design target for Zone 1 and 21 |
| Certificate | Number, issuing body and schedule of conditions | In progress; not issued |
| Where it applies | Sasol: Synthetic fuels and chemical plants, Refinery process units, Gas processing | 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 group is organised into two upstream business units, three regional operating hubs and several market-facing strategic business units, so site procurement usually follows the relevant hub or unit.
The company is headquartered in Sandton, with its main plants at Secunda and Sasolburg and retail garages around Johannesburg, so site contacts may sit in different places from head office.
Beyond fuels, Sasol sells over 200 chemical products worldwide, including ammonia-based fertilizers and explosives, which adds dust, ammonia and solvent hazards to the plant mix.
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.
“Explosion proof” is the phrase most buyers use for equipment that may be taken into a classified hazardous area. Strictly, it covers several protection concepts: a flameproof enclosure (Ex d) contains an internal explosion, while intrinsic safety (Ex i) limits electrical energy so that an ignition cannot start. Phones are normally intrinsically safe, because a flameproof handset would be too heavy to carry all shift.
The IS-04Z1 uses intrinsic safety, with a marking target of Ex ib IIC T4, and is designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21. It is pre-launch, certification is in progress and no certificate has been issued.
In Sasol. Synthetic fuels, chemical plants and refinery units show that explosion-proof is shorthand for several concepts. Flameproof Ex d covers fixed motors and enclosures, and intrinsic safety suits handhelds. A phone relies on the second. The IS-04Z1 target marking is II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4, subject to certification.
A short checklist for anyone writing or reviewing the specification, with the IS-04Z1 status against each point.
No. Nothing can be bought or taken into a classified area today: certification is in progress and launch is planned for Q4 2026. What is available now is the datasheet, the written certification schedule and evaluation units for safe-area use.
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.
It is intrinsically safe (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), which is the usual way to make a phone for hazardous areas. It is not a flameproof (Ex d) design, and certification is still in progress.
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.
Not exactly. Explosion proof is a broad everyday term; intrinsic safety is one protection concept, which limits energy so ignition cannot occur. Flameproof (Ex d) is a different concept that contains an explosion. The IS-04Z1 is intrinsically safe by design.
Sasol is a large multi-site buyer, but supplier approval is run by the company and its units. Typically a new supplier needs to register, pass technical and HSE review and often start with a pilot. Confirm the current route with Sasol's procurement and the relevant site engineering group.
Typical candidates are gas and liquid process units, tank farms and loading areas at Secunda and Sasolburg, plus underground coal mines where methane and coal dust create their own classification rules. Zoning is decided per installation, so ask each site's HSE team for classification drawings.
The sheet says 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 IS-04Z1 is pre-launch and has no certificate.
More on Sasol, and on other places in South Africa.
Tell us what you need to equip and where. The SAMS team answers by email with the datasheet and where each certification route stands.
Tell us the zone, gas group and operator. We will send the datasheet and the certification schedule.