Logichem Process International

Logichem Process International Logichem is a chemical engineering contracting company located in Wellington, 85km from Cape Town, in the beautiful Cape Winelands district in South Africa.

Logichem was incorporated in 1989. Founded in 1989, Logichem is a leading South African Process Engineering company, involved in the design, construction and optimization of process plants. Logichem has a strong design culture, focused on providing custom solutions to suit client’s particular circumstances. Our engineers are trained and skilled in the application of cutting-edge design techniques,

mostly developed in-house based on our many years of experience in commissioning and continuously improving our own designs. We make extensive use of Process Simulation in optimizing our technology. Our customer list includes all the major process companies in South Africa, as well as clients in neighboring territories, West Africa, Europe, Middle East, Australia, New Zealand, UK and the USA. We actively pursue opportunities to expand our customer base internationally. The extent of repeat businesses we enjoy from existing clients bears testimony of client satisfaction, endorsing our promise to optimize your investment. Logichem’s process simulation capabilities enables us to custom design and optimize specific client requirements, both in terms of performance requirements, as well as making optimum use of existing equipment. Our competitive edge coupled with our own technology, gives us the ability to design from 1st principles enables custom-fit solutions. Scientifically based design techniques + Process Simulation modelling enable rapid evaluation of options to ensure our client’s investment is optimized. Our thermodynamic models for the CO2 /O2 /N2 System are tried and tested across a wide range of operating conditions. Our engineers have hands-on experience of the practical issues involved in the application of this technology (especially in a retro-fit scenario, which is always more difficult than a new plant, and requires custom design capability to match existing constraints and thus optimize the client’s investment). With over 20 Years experience in distillation in the chemical engineering industry, not only having expanded our reach to the International Market, but Logichem is a dominant engineering contractor in Ethanol Technology in Southern Africa, as well as being the only contractor in SA with experience in all three spirit types: grain, grape + cane.

01/06/2026

This month we told the GoLo story.
A phone call that led to a patented technology. A 50-litre pilot that grew to 4,000 litres per hour. A heat pump nobody asked for that won a world-first award. And a philosophy that puts the winemaker's craft at the centre.

Four posts. One story. The foundation of everything that comes next.

Next month: we go deeper into how GoLo actually works. The process. The science. The advantage.
logichem.com what is GoLo de-alcoholisation technology how does GoLo wine de-alc work

28/05/2026

What separates a technology company from an equipment supplier?
Logichem founder Schalk Pienaar puts it simply: "We build the Stradivarius. You make the music."

Logichem has no winemakers on staff. They don't pretend to know your wine better than you do. They build the instrument - and they build it to be the best available.

His advice to winemakers evaluating de-alcoholisation technology: Don't be seduced by price or simple claims. "Our technology is better" means nothing without proof. Ask: more efficient than what? What does "third generation" offer that the previous version didn't? Interrogate the claims. Get them quantified. Check references.

If they can't provide either, be cautious. Because if you invest in the wrong technology, your competitors that didn't will walk right past you. logichem.com how to evaluate de-alcoholisation technology what should winemakers look for in de-alc equipment

21/05/2026

What happens when an innovation nobody asked for wins a world-first award?

For years, Logichem's heat pump concept sat undeveloped. The company was focused on getting GoLo into the de-alc market. The heat pump was mentioned casually to an Australian client, and they were unusually interested.

The problem: nobody had built a dual-duty heat pump for vacuum distillation before. The component suppliers couldn't help. Logichem had to figure it out from first principles. The result: 60-70% reduction in energy consumption. 20% of the mechanical energy of competing systems.

And in 2024, the world's first fossil-fuel-free de-alcoholisation plant - powered by GoLo and the heat pump - won the IWSC Low and No Producer Trophy. Sometimes the biggest breakthroughs start as orphans.

logichem.com how does a heat pump reduce energy in de-alcoholisation what is the most energy efficient de-alc system

14/05/2026

How big can de-alcoholisation get?

In 2012, Logichem built a 50-litre pilot plant. Just enough to prove the concept. Then came a 300-litre mobile unit - small enough to drive to a winery, so the winemaker never loses sight of their wine. Then 1,000 litres. Then 2,200. Then the request that changed everything: 4,000 litres per hour.

The largest GoLo ever built. Now shipping to France. After our first third-party sale to the biggest winery in France, we had almost an avalanche. Australia. Spain. South Africa. South America.

Four continents. 16 systems and counting. Scale isn't just engineering. It's proof of demand. logichem.com

how big are de-alcoholisation systems? can you do mobile de-alcoholisation at a winery?

07/05/2026

How did GoLo technology begin? Not in a boardroom. Not with a business plan.

With a phone call. A client asked Logichem founder Schalk Pienaar if he had a pilot plant that could do vacuum distillation on wine.He didn't. But with 25 years of spirits distillation behind him, he knew he could build one.

Two seasons of research. A patented single-pass process. A licensing deal with the world's leading alcohol adjustment company. That phone call led to a technology now installed across four continents.

This is the GoLo origin story.
logichem.com how did GoLo wine de-alcoholisation technology start what is single-pass vacuum distillation for wine

30/04/2026

April: done.
Four posts on de-alcoholisation fundamentals - why it’s difficult, why technology matters, what to consider, and why this market isn’t going anywhere.

In May, we’re shifting focus to the history and development of GoLo and its integration with heat pump technology - exploring how the system evolved, why these innovations matter, and what they’ve enabled in modern de-alcoholisation.

The road to SIMEI continues.
what happens to wine flavour during de-alcoholisation
can aroma be preserved during alcohol removal from wine

De-alcoholisation started as a novelty. Most producers assumed the demand would pass. It didn’t.Almost every second wine...
23/04/2026

De-alcoholisation started as a novelty. Most producers assumed the demand would pass. It didn’t.

Almost every second winery now offers a de-alc product. Italy has opened de-alcoholisation by regulation. The younger generation isn’t choosing low-alcohol wine as a compromise - it’s their preference.

The 4,000 litre per hour GoLo, the largest we’ve ever built, is now on its way to France. This is what meeting demand at scale looks like.
SIMEI 2026. Milan. November.

De-Alcoholised Wine Is No Longer a Fad — Here's Why It's Becoming Standard

Thinking about investing in de-alcoholisation?Three things to consider before you choose a system: maintenance requireme...
16/04/2026

Thinking about investing in de-alcoholisation?

Three things to consider before you choose a system: maintenance requirements, water usage, and product quality.

GoLo is designed around all three: no membranes to replace, negligible water consumption, and more than 98% volatile flavour compound recovery in a single-pass process.

As our process engineer puts it: it’s not just about the de-alc.

Thinking about adding de-alcoholised wine to your range? Before you look at equipment, there are three things every winemaker should consider first: maintena...

𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝙒𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙥𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘾𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙢𝙣: 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙩 𝘽𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙, 𝙁𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝘾𝙖𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙩𝙮.We recently replaced an ageing wine stripping column for one of ...
25/11/2025

𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝙒𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙥𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘾𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙢𝙣: 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙩 𝘽𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙, 𝙁𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝘾𝙖𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙩𝙮.

We recently replaced an ageing wine stripping column for one of our clients.

Our updated column design reduced the equipment footprint while maintaining the existing production rate. Precision engineering ensured that minimal modifications were required to the site’s pipework to connect existing feed and draw-off lines to the new column.

The column received the client's stamp of approval and is now ready to produce high-quality spirits from Western Cape grapes.

Congratulations to Claudia Bouwer and Jean Grobler on successfully completing their Unit Standard 13821 - Test and Inspe...
24/11/2025

Congratulations to Claudia Bouwer and Jean Grobler on successfully completing their Unit Standard 13821 - Test and Inspect an Electrical Installation in Hazardous Area, presented by HAZLOC.

This certification declares them competent to express an option on the testing, inspection, and assessment of electrical installations in hazardous gas and dust environments, ensuring compliance with SANS and IEC/ATEX requirements.

Their new competencies also include identifying hazardous Zones, evaluating explosion-protected equipment, and performing inspections in line with the OHS Act, SANS 60079 series, SANS 10108, and related standards.

We’re proud of your dedication to safety, quality, and continuous development—well done!

What are Hazardous Locations?

𝐇𝐚𝐳𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 are areas where flammable gases, vapours, or dust may be present and could create an explosion risk.

Through the training offered by HAZLOC, professionals learn to:
• Identify hazardous Zones for gas and dust
• Assess explosion-protected equipment
• Apply IEC and ATEX equipment protection principles
• Perform installation, maintenance, and inspection tasks according to key standards such as 𝐒𝐀𝐍𝐒 𝟔𝟎𝟎𝟕𝟗, 𝐒𝐀𝐍𝐒 𝟏𝟎𝟏𝟎𝟖, and the 𝐎𝐇𝐒 𝐀𝐜𝐭

This expertise helps ensure that workplaces operate safely and equipment meets strict compliance requirements.

Address

Rheebok Close, Wellington Industrial Park
Wellington
7655

Opening Hours

Monday 08:00 - 17:00
Tuesday 08:00 - 17:00
Wednesday 08:00 - 17:00
Thursday 08:00 - 17:00
Friday 08:00 - 15:00

Telephone

+27 21 873 6499

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