Heben P & C: Rapid Development of Science and Technology      

Zhejiang Heben Pesticide & Chemical Co., Ltd. (Heben P & C) is located in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, and mainly produces pesticides and intermediates, including more than 20 kinds of technicals like high-purity metalaxyl, triphenyltin acetate and fentin hydroxide, as well as over 40 kinds of preparations such as thiram + tolcofos, fentin acetate and metalaxyl. At present, it has a total capacity of producing 8 000 tons of pesticide technicals per year.

Science and technology take-off

Technology innovation lends the company with wings to fly up high. It successfully developed metalaxyl 98% technical which sells well with its high efficiency, low toxicity, low residue and other characteristics. Later, it adopted new techniques to raise the purity of triphenyltin acetate, fentin hydroxide and several other new products, and also built a 500 t/a organotin technical project. The company quickly established partnerships with pesticide vendors worldwide. As of now, it has built over 400 sales outlets in China and registered its pesticides in more than 10 countries like the United States and Spain. Seventy percent of its products are sold to more than 40 countries and regions in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe and America. The company asserts that in 2008 the production and sales of its major self-developed products were among top three in the domestic industry.  
    In 2008, the company developed a new process for manufacturing triflumizole (a low-toxic fungicide) technical and preparation, and completed a pilot-scale experiment. The purity of the technical obtained by this process can reach 95%, while the triflumizole 30% WP (wettable powder) it produces can effectively control powdery mildew of cucumber and do no harm to crops, making it an ideal pesticide substitute with broad application prospects.
    That same year, Heben P & C also built a bromopropylate production line (300 t/a technical and 500 t/a preparation). The project started in early 2006. Its production process was independently developed by Heben P & C, and features easy access to raw materials, simple operation as well as good quality of products. It has applied for a national invention patent. In August 2008, the company's self-developed clean synthesis process for hexythiazox completed a pilot-scale experiment. Upon evaluation, this process is world-class. Hexythiazox technical and preparation both have low toxicity and can control citrus red mites effectively without doing any harm to crops. At present, the company has built an 80 t/a production line for mass production. In addition, the company also developed low toxicity and high efficiency flufenzine (an acaricide) technical. In April 2009, the generic green synthesis technology for cyanophenyl halide (a herbicide) series pesticides developed by the company also passed an acceptance check by experts.
    In Heben P & C, technology R&D personnel accounts for nearly one-third of the total number of the staff. The new pesticide products developed here can reduce pesticide usage and speed up the degradation process, thus protecting the environment.

Flexible strategic decision    

Usually, seventy percent of Heben P & C's total products are oriented for export, however, in 2008, the global economic recession, China's macro controls on economy and RMBexchange rate changes had great impacts on the company. To deal with these setbacks, Heben P & C came up with several new tactics. From 2008, the company began to reduce exports through agencies and increase direct exports by its own sale department, so as to reduce commission. The company said that, from January to August in 2008, Heben P & C exported altogether RMB190 million worth of products independently, which is up 42% over the same period of 2007 and accounted for more than 80% of the total export value in that period. In response to changes in international exchange rates, the company adopted the method of processing with supplied materials. A manager of Heben P & C said that, during the first eight months of 2008, the company imported more than US$2 million of materials from abroad for processing. In this way, Heben P & C can both accelerate cash flow and reduce production costs and operational risk, thus enhancing its competitiveness to some extent. The company posted a total turnover of US$60 million in 2008.  

New construction

Heben P & C recently started to construct a new pesticide factory in Nantong, Jiangsu province with an area of 13.5 ha, slated for production at the end of 2009. The new factory will manufacture some pesticides technical such as bromoxynil, defenoconazole, hexythiazox, triflumizole, and some key intermediates and raw materials. The new facility will enable Heben P & C to become one of the top pesticide technical manufacturers.