In the modified plastics industry, when you mention high-performance products, the first thing that comes to mind may be foreign cutting-edge enterprises such as DuPont of the United States, Polyplastics of Japan, and Korean Engineering. Domestic manufacturers are often easily overlooked. Despite the rapid development of China's modified plastics industry in recent years, due to the late start, insufficient R & D capabilities, lack of core technology and the lagging of processing equipment, the problems of most of the modified plastics market are increasingly being eroded by foreign companies. Under this circumstance, what attitude should China's modified plastics producers stand on, survive in the fiercely competitive market, and achieve long-term development?

In response, a reporter from China Plastics Online visited Mr. Gao Daofeng, general manager of Yuyao Taiyi Plastic Chemical Co., Ltd. Mr. Gao will share his experience and views with us in light of his company situation.

Self-developed formula sales target is expected

"In fact, many foreign formulas are not mainstream, and domestic manufacturers can do it. Taiyi Plastics has already developed and produced high-end POM modified materials, and the product performance exceeds or equals the international level." Gao said.

It is understood that Yuyao Taiyi Plastic Chemical Co., Ltd. was established in April 2012. It is a Sino-Japanese joint venture specializing in the production and sale of POM modified materials. In April of this year, Taiyi Plastics established Kunshan Taiyi Plastic Technology Co., Ltd. in Kunshan City Styron Plastic City, specializing in the development and production of POM modified materials. In this way, production and sales are independent of each other, and the division of labor is clearer.

According to market demand, Kunshan Taiyi's R & D team has been continuously experimenting and independently innovating the production formula. Representative products include: weather resistance, high impact, silencer, mineral reinforcement, glass fiber reinforcement, low warpage, anti-static, graphite, disulfide Molybdenum, polytetrafluoroethylene, etc., have made great breakthroughs in high wear resistance, acid and alkali resistance, and meet the standards of environmental protection, and are widely used in agricultural machinery, auto parts, construction, electronic appliances, sanitary ware and other fields.

In terms of sales, the company is still in the development stage. The average monthly demand in Jiangsu and Zhejiang is more than 200 tons. Therefore, the current monthly capacity of its Kunshan plant is controlled at 300-500 tons, and the conventional monthly capacity is close to 1,000 tons. However, the application prospects of the POM modified material market are very broad. Mr. Gao is quite confident about the sales performance in the next few years. He said: "We strive to achieve a monthly sales plan of 3000-4000 tons within five years."

Focus on POM modification and maintenance

When the author asked why a company whose production plant is located in Kunshan, why set up a sales team in Yuyao, Mr. Gao explained as follows: First, Yuyao is the earliest plastic city in China, which has been professional and authoritative for years. Second, the downstream enterprises of POM modified materials in Zhejiang have a wide coverage, ensuring market demand, and the main customers of Taiyi Plastics are currently concentrated here.

Quality determines the price, focus on professional achievement. Although Taiyi Plastics has not been involved in the modified materials industry for a long time, and its product prices are slightly higher than the market average price, but the customer source is very stable and rarely lost. This is inseparable from the company's focus. "Maintaining customers is not a problem. We work hard on POM modified materials, and the product quality is worthy of customer trust." Gao said.

The company takes innovation as the leading direction and develops and manufactures products suitable for customers. The R & D team conducts regular inspections on products produced by customers using Taiyi Plastics' raw materials, and continuously improves and improves product performance. Technical personnel participate in the research and development of customers, help them locate, find the most suitable and cost-effective raw materials, rather than let customers blindly find and test themselves, and help customers adjust the molding process of special products for free. In addition, Taiyi Plastics pays more attention to the continuity of quality. If the customer positions the product lifespan at 5 years, after 5 years, the company's technical staff will test their products to help customers find the possibility of extending the product life.

Focus on specificity, independent research and development. Continuous self-improvement and on-demand production according to market demand will naturally enable technological breakthroughs in this field; quality first, customers first. Thinking about the needs of customers and safeguarding the interests of customers will naturally gain their trust and support.

Clear market positioning and focus on quality requirements

For now, there is no domestic company that specializes in the production of POM modified materials. Taiyi Plastics can be said to be a precedent.

Its market positioning is to develop and produce high-end POM modified materials, and its development direction is close to or even surpasses foreign high-end modified materials enterprises. In terms of technology, Taiyi Plastics also introduced testing equipment and production equipment from abroad. Mr. Gao said: "It is our goal to surpass foreign high-end enterprises, but this cannot be achieved overnight and needs to be accumulated slowly."

In recent years, the development of China's modified materials industry is on the rise, and the market prospects are worth looking forward to. However, foreign companies account for most of the market share of China's modified materials. In this regard, President Gao also expressed his own views. He pointed out that there is a certain gap in concept between domestic enterprises and foreign enterprises: domestic manufacturers use low-priced products to impact customers, and low prices often come at the expense of quality, which is not a long-term development. Over time, it will lose the trust of customers; and foreign companies attach great importance to quality, and rarely engage in price wars to occupy the market. In this regard, Taiwan Plastics will not sacrifice quality in exchange for price advantage.

President Gao ’s life creed—simple communication
　　As the saying goes, a word is more important than Jiuding ’s treasure. The enrichment of life is the enrichment of human connections, and the success of life is the success of interpersonal communication. Mr. Gao's life credo is "simple, communicate".

Communication is a science and an art. To become a successful entrepreneur, you must first forge your own communication skills. How to communicate effectively with employees and customers is a must. Communication makes our work simple and efficient; communication makes our life colorful. The sales team of Taiyi Plastics believes that "successful sales start from being rejected". In fact, successful sales are the result of successful communication.

Outside of work, calligraphy, Chinese painting, tea tasting, and fishing brought a lot of fun to Mr. Gao's life, and also made him meet many like-minded friends. Talking about these hobbies, Gao pointed out that the common ground between work and hobbies is to avoid impetuousness. To do anything, you can have the best state with peace of mind and solve problems efficiently, as is business management.

Brushing and splashing ink, the heart is happy with the painting; a cup of tea, talking about elegance; or meditation with the word, meeting friends with the word, are all in the realm of life. "Writing and painting make the state of mind more peaceful, and tasting tea and fishing makes communication easier." Gao said.

[Editor's Summary] Taiyi Plastics explores quality, pursues quality and extends quality according to industry needs; Taiyi people use the same concept to continuously strengthen independent research and development capabilities and work together to create wealth. After 5 years of continuous improvement and practice, the current product performance can be comparable to or even exceed the international level. With the accumulation of experience and technological innovation, we have reason to believe that the road of independent research and development of Taiyi Plastics will go more smoothly and the market prospects will be better.