Dyestuff Industry to Highlight the High End, Promote “Green” Products - FINE & SPECIALTY

By Liu Qiang, China National Chemical Information Centre

Ups & downs in development

China’s dyestuff output grew from 257 kt to 928 kt during 2000-2016, with a CAGR of 8.36%. Dyestuff enterprises have quickened expansion and reform. Leading enterprises are expanding. Technologies are constantly upgraded. The industry has strengthened development of key clean-production technologies. Breakthroughs have been made in a number of key technologies for making new medium/high-grade reactive dyes and in the treatment and recycling of wastewater.
The value of products is enhanced overall. The scale and influence of dyestuff supply in China have been constantly upgraded, but competitiveness is mainly concentrated in conventional products. Compared with large established companies in Europe and the United States, there is still a considerable gap in the R&D and production of differentiated products that can satisfy needs related to medium/high-end textile products and dyeing/finishing technical services and solutions. Long term, dyeing/printing enterprises in China face client requirements for higher quality and quicker delivery. Requirements for dyeing/printing varied materials in small batches have to be better satisfied. Downstream sectors’ pressures of energy conservation and environmental protection will also be higher. Dyestuff enterprises in China are developing in toward high-end products, environmental protection, service orientation and internationalization. Considerable growth space remains, along with increments of market share.

High-end market will be the top priority

   Growth of the high-end market in China is promising. During the Thirteenth Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020), dyestuff enterprises should strengthen products and technology R&D in major sectors such as new fibers, electronic liquid crystals and products for manufacturing medicines and aircraft. In the research and production of high-end products, special attention should be paid to innovation of products needed in other sectors of the national economy. Examples are as follows. Digital printing: Digital ink-jet printing will be one of sectors for major support. Output of digital printing cloth in the world will likely reach 2.1 billion m2 by 2019, when the output in China will be around 500 million m2, increasing at around 20% Annually. Ceramic ink-jet: Most of the ceramic ink used in China is imported, and domestic demand for ceramic inks will grow considerably. New energy sources: Sectors include wind power, solar power, solar battery sensitizers and color filters. Major pigments related are ε-CuPc (C.I. pigment blue 15:6), H2Pc, AlPc, CoPc and heterocyclic pigments (C.I. pigment yellow 139, C.I. pigment yellow 150, C.I. pigment red 254 and C.I. pigment purple 23). Growth potential is huge for specialty dyes and pigments in traffic/transportation, such as automobiles, high-speed trains and aerospace; life sciences, such as medicines, medical care and biology; electronic chemicals, such as screens and plastics; and new chemical materials.
   The dyestuff/pigment industry faces more severe challenges in environmental protection. Only a “green” and environment-friendly road can ensure long-term development. The “Made in China 2025” strategy will raise new requirements on the dyestuff/pigment industry during the Thirteenth Five-Year Plan period. In green manufacturing, the generation and discharge of pollutants should be reduced in the whole process through modification of design, use of clean raw materials and energy and improvement of both management and comprehensive utilization measures. The industry should adjust product design concepts, increase innovation and development and change to individualization, differentiation, high performance and ecological safety. Efforts should also be made to develop production lines of green products and clean production, and make breakthroughs in key technologies for stages of clean production, continuous equipment operation and process control automation. In pursuit of intelligent manufacturing, the design and construction of projects for new dyes and pigments should be optimized, and ecological design standards should be established for products. Efforts should also be made to achieve closed, integrated, intelligent and information-oriented reaction equipment and clean and energy-saving production processes. Examples include major renovations to continuous and automatic production processes and equipment for organic pigments, the construction of six demonstration production lines (two for azo dyes, two for phthalocyanine dyes and two for heterocyclic dyes) and upgrading the overall technical and equipment level through renovation and demonstrative promotion.
   Adjustment of the industrial structure should be accelerated, and standardization of products should be promoted. During the Thirteenth Five-Year Plan period the industry should control new capacity, eliminate outdated capacity, expand export, reform the structure of industry, investment, products, trade and consumption, and boost sustained product development. Establishing and improving the dyestuff/pigment standard system will also be one of main jobs in the next few years. Responsible departments should strengthen work to revise product standards, especially standards for high-end products, and intensify the formulation of both basic standards and method standards.
   The dyestuff/pigment industry should closely follow the dynamics of the strategic internet policy of the state, create its own special “internet+” platform and accelerate the development of enterprises. During the Thirteenth Five-Year Plan period, the industry should promote information technology in product, R&D, production and marketing, accelerate continuous and automatic control in the whole production process, fully use the demonstrative and guiding role of information-oriented management and marketing, establish complete e-commerce operation chains and urge enterprises to expand domestic and overseas markets through e-commerce.