What are the stealth champions in China's chemical industry?

China's chemical industry is undergoing an important transformation from scale expansion to fine development. In this process, a group of companies that focus on subdividing the track have made "huge" achievements in the "niche" field through continuous technological innovation and deep market cultivation, and have become invisible champions with global competitiveness. This paper combs through 26 representative enterprises, covering a number of segments from basic chemicals to high-end new materials, showing the remarkable progress of China's chemical industry in technological breakthroughs and domestic substitution.

New energy materials: seize the commanding heights of the future

significant breakthrough in the field of battery materials

driven by the rapid development of new energy vehicles, battery materials companies have performed outstandingly:

* * Xinzhoubang (Shenzhen) * * As the world's largest electrolyte additive manufacturer, the global market share exceeds 18%. It cooperates with Ningde Times and LG New Energy to develop new additives suitable for silicon-based negative electrodes. The market share is expected to further increase in 2025.

* * Pan Rui Yi Hui (Gongyi, Henan) * * has a market share of more than 35% in the field of fire prevention and heat insulation for new energy vehicle battery packs. Its aerogel products have a weight reduction of 70% compared with traditional materials, and its temperature resistance has exceeded 1100 ℃. It is supplied to Ningde Times, BYD and other leading enterprises in batch.

**Jiangtian Chemical (Nantong, Jiangsu)** Achieved a technological breakthrough in the field of high-absorbent resin for solid-state batteries, with a water absorption rate of 2000 times, and has passed the supplier certification of Ningde Times. Its development of lithium lanthanum zirconium oxygen solid electrolyte powder purity of 99.99, technical indicators beyond the Japanese Toyota.

Hydrogen energy industry chain layout accelerated

**Jiping New Energy (Foshan, Guangdong)** As an invisible champion in the field of fuel cell catalysts in China, it has reached the international advanced level and has passed the certification tests of Ningde Times and Weichai Power. In 2025, the production capacity will reach 200 tons/year, covering 80% of the domestic hydrogen fuel cell reactor manufacturers.

Electronic chemicals and semiconductor materials: domestic substitution accelerated.

Breakthrough of foreign technology monopoly

the rapid development of the semiconductor industry has spawned a huge demand for electronic chemicals:

**Xingfu Electronics (Yichang, Hubei)** As China's largest electronic-grade phosphoric acid manufacturer, the purity of the product reaches SEMIG5 grade, stable supply of TSMC, SMIC, etc., breaking the monopoly of BASF of Germany and Kanto Chemical of Japan. Listed on the board in January 2025.

* * Walter Gas (Foshan, Guangdong) * * Outstanding performance in the field of localization of electronic special gas, germane product purity of 99.9995, successfully breaking the monopoly of Voltaix companies in the United States and entering Samsung's 5 nanometer chip production line. In the field of photolithography gas, its Ar/F/Ne mixture and other products have a domestic market share of more than 60%.

* * Tianyue Advanced (Jinan, Shandong) * * As the world's second largest silicon carbide substrate manufacturer, the global market share exceeds 14%, mass-producing 8-inch substrates and breaking through 12-inch technology. The products are used in 800V high-voltage platforms and 5G base stations for new energy vehicles.

PCB Industry Chain Technology Upgrade

* * Yan Mo Technology (Dongguan, Guangdong) * * As China's largest PCB solder resist ink manufacturer, its independently developed IC package substrate ink breaks the monopoly of Japanese enterprises, and its technical indicators reach the international advanced level. Its customers include Huawei, ZTE and other head electronics enterprises.

The company (Shenzhen, Guangdong) covers 120 PCB production lines in the field of chemical nickel gold materials, the market share ranks first among local manufacturers, and the products are used in AI chips and power device packaging. Its cyanide-free gold plating technology fills the domestic gap and has been used in HPC chip packaging.

High-performance specialty materials: supporting high-end manufacturing upgrades

aerospace Materials Breakthrough

**Shengquan Group (Jinan, Shandong)** As a single invisible champion in China's special phenolic resin industry, the annual output of phenolic resin reaches 650000 tons, and the production scale ranks among the top in the world. Successfully developed the domestic large aircraft brake pads special resin, breaking the foreign monopoly. Phenolic hollow microspheres have been continuously used in aerospace vehicles such as the return capsule of the "Shenzhou" spacecraft.

* * Jiangsu Junhua (Changzhou, Jiangsu) * * As the leader of domestic PEEK materials, China's market share exceeds 43%. Its products are used in high-end fields such as aerospace and medical implantation, breaking the long-term monopoly of British Wiggs. It has been used in the key components of the Long March 5 B launch vehicle, and has led the development of national standards for polyetheretherketone (PEEK) resin.

* * Qingdao Tianbang Wire Industry (Qingdao, Shandong) * * As China's largest aramid-impregnated wire rope manufacturer, it accounts for more than 50% of the global market scale. Its products are used in aircraft carrier flexible nozzles, high-end automobile timing belts, etc. Its original flexible carbon fiber composite materials fill the domestic gap.

Innovation of Special Functional Materials

* * Henghui Security (Nantong, Jiangsu) * * is one of the few enterprises in the world that has mastered 3000 tons of UHMWPE fiber production capacity. It is applied to humanoid robot tendon transmission system to solve the contradiction between light weight and high load. Tesla Optimus has adopted its bionic tendon rope scheme. It is also the world's largest manufacturer of protective gloves, with a global market share of more than 80%.

* * Jin Sanjiang (Zhaoqing, Guangdong) * * is the largest producer of silica for toothpaste in China, accounting for 60% or more of China's total market size and more than 30% of the global market. Products through the international ECOCERT certification, technical indicators to achieve nano-dispersion, breaking the German Evonik long-term monopoly.

Bio-based and environmentally friendly materials: a new engine for green transformation

breakthrough in the Industrialization of Bio-based Materials

* * Fengyuan Biology (Bengbu, Anhui) * * As the only enterprise in the world to realize the industrial fermentation of straw cellulose mixed sugar, its PLA products have a bio-based content of over 95%, and its mechanical properties are comparable to petroleum-based plastics, which are supplied with degradable tableware for the Beijing Winter Olympics. The developed straw-based bio-aviation coal has passed the certification of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, and the technology has won the first prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award. It is planned to expand to 300000 tons/year in 2025.

* * Jiangsu Xinrebe (Wuxi, Jiangsu) * * As the world's only supplier of a full range of bio-based textile auxiliaries, its products have passed the certification of EU ECOCERT and USDA of the United States, and its market share in the field of reactive dye fixing agent exceeds 30%, breaking the monopoly of BASF of Germany and Colijn of Switzerland.

Environmental protection packaging material innovation

* * Zhuhai Dingsheng (Zhuhai, Guangdong) * * As an invisible champion in the field of biodegradable express bags in China, the products are completely degraded within 100 days under industrial composting conditions and are supplied to China Post, Shunfeng and other enterprises, with a production capacity of 0.8 billion/year in 2024. The tensile strength of the bio-based film with high tensile strength exceeds 50MPa, which solves the problem of insufficient mechanical properties of the degraded film.

Other important segments

consolidation of advantages of basic chemicals

* * Zhongchuang Chemical (Yueyang, Hunan) * * As a leading global environmental protection solvent enterprise, sec-butyl acetate and isopropyl acetate account for 28% and 48% of the world's total respectively, with product purity exceeding 99% and exported to more than 40 countries.

* * Hualu Hengsheng (Dezhou, Shandong) * * As China's largest dimethylformamide producer, it has a production capacity of 750000 tons/year and a global market share of more than 30%. Its products are used in the production of hydrogen energy storage and transportation materials.

* * Sully shares (Jiangyin, Jiangsu) * * as the world's leading enterprise of chlorothalonil, with a production capacity of 15000 tons/year and a domestic market share of more than 50%, the products are used for agricultural sterilization and flame retardant new energy batteries.

Leading in the field of pharmaceutical intermediates

**United Chemical Technology (Taizhou, Zhejiang)** As the world's largest manufacturer of anti-AIDS drug intermediates, with a global market share of more than 50%, it has established CDMO cooperation with Gilead Science.

* * Shandong Huimeng (Heze, Shandong) * * As the world's largest manufacturer of 2,3-dichloro -5-trifluoromethylpyridine (DCTF), China's market share exceeds 70%, and its products are used to synthesize high-efficiency herbicides. Its customers include international giants such as Bayer and Fumeishi.

Development Prospects and Investment Opportunities

technical Barriers to Build Competitive Advantage

these invisible champions have the following common characteristics:

1. high technical barriers most enterprises master the core technology, product purity, performance indicators reached the international advanced level
2. strong market monopoly: Leadership in segment with market share typically over 30%
3. full enjoyment of policy dividends: In line with national policy guidance such as domestic substitution and green transformation.

future development trend

as domestic substitution accelerates and green transformation advances, these companies are expected to further expand their global share and influence in their respective segments. Especially in strategic emerging industries such as new energy, semiconductors, and bio-based materials, Chinese companies are expected to realize the transformation from following to running and even leading.

Implications for industry practitioners

for chemical traders and supply chain practitioners, focusing on capacity expansion and technology iterations by leading companies in these segments will help:

1. seize supply chain opportunities: Layout high-quality supplier resources in advance
2. identify market trends: Judging the development direction of the industry through the trend of leading enterprises.
3. Optimize product mix: Focus on subdivided products with high technical content and good market prospects

china's chemical industry is transforming from "big and comprehensive" to "specialized and refined". The rise of these invisible champion enterprises not only represents the transformation from made in China to created in China, but also injects new impetus into the reshaping of the global chemical industry pattern.