1. Industry Status:Low industry concentration, single product structure, and incomplete varieties
2. Solutions
2.1. Attach importance to R&D investment and expand market space
(1) Improve technical strength based on industrial chain synergy. The color masterbatch market is relatively small compared to other industries, but it is crucial, testing a country’s technology and overall strength. Its industrial chain includes upstream related fields such as pigments, additives, carriers, and other related fields. Its downstream industries mainly focus on plastics and fibers, including building materials, automobiles, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and other industries. The demand for color masterbatches is increasing, and the technical requirements are becoming higher and higher. Domestic color masterbatches have a history of nearly 30 years of development and application, but the proportion of high-quality products is small, with huge development space and potential. However, this requires coordination across the entire industrial chain, and emphasis on research and development investment, Upstream research and development of raw materials such as pigments, dispersants, and carriers, while downstream applications continue to expand. Emphasis is placed on the research, development, and application of technical means in the preparation of color masterbatches.
As early as 2002, a collaborative project between a university and scientific research institute in Dalian made three major breakthroughs in improving the preparation technology of color masterbatches: designing and manufacturing the world’s smallest and multi-functional spinning formula testing machine at that time, providing excellent means for product production and new product development, with lower test costs; Successfully applied computer color matching technology to the production of masterbatches, established a database and recipe library with complete chromatograms, and reached over 10000 product varieties, enabling the production of color masterbatches of all colors within the visible light range, effectively meeting customers’ needs for high-end, differentiated and characteristic products; It solves the crushing problem of polyester chips in normal temperature environment, creating conditions for producing high-quality color masterbatches. Due to various reasons, the production and application of this project failed to form a scale, but research and development is very important in this field. Industrial chain collaboration requires all-round cooperation among governments, universities, research institutes, and enterprises, increasing investment in research and development, incorporating and using advanced technologies and means at home and abroad, constantly broadening ideas, improving the technological level of the entire industrial chain, avoiding vicious competition in the low-end market, and meeting the diverse needs of the market.
(2) Master cutting-edge technology and develop characteristic products. There are still technical aspects that need to be followed up and improved in areas such as the development of multi-functional color masterbatches, the coloring of some functional plastic products, and the development of special brand and large batch color masterbatches. Timely follow-up of research in these innovative application fields will broaden the survival space of the enterprise. For example, the development of multi-functional color masterbatches refers to masterbatches that have both coloring properties and other functions. Plastic and chemical fiber products often require the integration of coloring and other functions into masterbatches to improve the performance of plastic or chemical fiber products and simplify their production processes. Such as coloring, flame retardant, and antistatic masterbatches for coal mining products, coloring, antibacterial, thermal insulation, and conductive masterbatches for chemical fiber fabrics, and coloring, toughening masterbatches for plastic products. Integrating these functions into one, the preparation of master batches must involve corresponding technical challenges, such as the compatibility and dispersion between additives used, which are different from those of single function master batches. If enterprises can master these technologies, they will form a broader market space.
2.2 Focus on product quality and establish a good industry reputation and brand image
Color masterbatch products are in the middle of the value chain system, serving various plastic and fiber products manufacturers. Good industry reputation and brand influence are crucial. Good reputation comes from leading technology, trustworthy product quality, high cost performance, and professional and timely service.
(1) Enterprises must prioritize quality, increase efforts to control raw material procurement and production processes, and further improve product quality. One of the key links is to control the procurement of raw materials, especially the procurement of certain key raw materials, such as pigments and additives, which is directly related to product quality; Second, strict quality inspection to eliminate quality accidents; Third, cost control. Formulation selection should appropriately reduce costs while ensuring quality. Packaging, storage and transportation should also strive to be advanced, reasonable, and low-cost.
(2) Promote brand image with technology and talent advantages. First, strengthen talent training and cultivate qualified engineers and technicians; The second is to attach importance to laboratory construction and establish an integrated laboratory for research and development and production services; Third, actively research and develop high-end and functional masterbatch products to improve the technical content of the products.
(3) Form a competitive advantage based on the value chain, strive to form a positive interaction and mutual benefit between upstream raw material supply, midstream product production, and downstream customer demand, In particular, the cooperation in upstream product research and development (such as cooperative research and development between color masterbatch manufacturers and raw material suppliers such as pigments and additives, as well as technical breakthroughs) and downstream supply (such as docking with downstream masterbatch users such as chemical fiber and plastics, and using various marketing methods to win over users) will achieve a win-win situation.
