Achievements and shortcomings in the development of resins for coatings

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The commercialization of resins for coatings refers to purchasing resins from the market and then producing coatings using them on one’s own. Before discussing this topic, some limitations need to be set: first, items such as epoxy resins are not included in the discussion. Regardless of which coating factory it is, the epoxy resin used is purchased as a commodity from the market ； Secondly, it does not rule out paint manufacturers from developing and producing certain proprietary resins for their own use ； Thirdly, the discussion actually focuses on the category of coating resins primarily consisting of acrylics, alkyds and polyesters, ureas, and melamine formaldehyde. At today’s paint factories, where resins are purchased externally to produce paint, young colleagues may think this is something entirely natural. Actually, to be precise, it used to be that way, but it is not now. Foreign colleagues who were received at the beginning of the reform and opening-up policy. At the end of the visit, when asked about his overall impression of our country’s coating industry, he replied without hesitation that in China, coating factories produce their own resins. Yes, he saw it very accurately. Is such a system right? Of course not. This is not conducive to specialization, nor to improving product quality, and even less so to development. However, under the influence of the small-scale peasant economic mindset, such a system was considered entirely natural at that time. Those who foresaw this flaw once called for action, but were powerless to do anything. For example, as early as the 1960s, colleagues at Shanghai Coatings recognized the drawbacks of relying on self-produced materials, and thus established a new Xinhua Resins factory with the aim of commercializing resins for coatings. However, aside from that company’s paint factory, which was forced to comply half-heartedly under administrative orders, few others responded – and it has been operating in a poor state for decades. At the beginning of the reform and opening-up period, some people were transferred to Beijing Dongfang Chemical Plant to help build China’s first acrylic acid and ester production facilities, as well as the downstream resin and coating production facilities. The idea at the time was to build a paint factory, which was named Dongfanghong Paint Factory according to a report published in People’s Daily. When work was temporarily halted and then resumed, a suggestion was made to cancel the construction of the painting workshop and to stop production at the resin stage only, in order to commercialize the coating resins. Fortunately, this suggestion was accepted by the **planning commission leaders at that time. Unfortunately, this suggestion faced fierce opposition and criticism from the parent company and certain individuals, as well as indifference from the entire industry. Oriental resin products had to first make a foothold in industries such as textiles and papermaking, and then achieve breakthroughs in the construction materials sector with emulsions for industrial coatings; it was not until the 1990s that they were gradually accepted by the entire coating industry. One cannot understand the hardships until they have experienced them firsthand! Today, not only emulsions for architectural coatings, but also alkyd, polyester, melamine-formaldehyde, and others have all been fully commercialized! It was impossible to commercialize coating resins in the last century – circumstances dictated this ； Achieved in the 1990s — the power of reform and opening up! The intentions and efforts of a small group can only go to waste. It should be recognized that the commercialization of coating resins represents a major achievement in the coatings industry since the reform and opening up, and it has contributed to the modernization of this industry! But amidst the joy, it is also necessary to recognize some problems. Firstly, there are tens of thousands of paint factories and numerous workshops, with counterfeits and substandard products being widespread. It cannot be said that this situation is caused by the commercialization of coating resins. Workshops that produce white paint and wall-painting materials have existed since ancient times; the building materials industry has long produced inferior paints such as 107 and 801, and this \"technology\" has given rise to countless new types of workshops. However, the emergence of commercial coating emulsions has indeed played a role in boosting the prosperity of these workshops. We are responsible for this. How to resolve problems when they arise? In the coating industry, Chinese, foreign, and private enterprises compete among themselves. Most of the tens of thousands of manufacturers are such workshops that fall under the category of private enterprises. The current situation in this industry is one where foreign companies dominate, state-owned enterprises are struggling, while private enterprises show a polarized trend. More and more private enterprises are standing out, especially in the south. It is encouraging to be in a position to compete with foreign companies on an equal footing. Amid the spread of the financial crisis and the temporary economic downturn, it is a great opportunity for relevant parties to step up their efforts to eliminate as many bad actors as possible; of course, it is not possible to achieve everything in one go. Secondly, the development of coating technology is constrained by others. It is undeniable that coating resin technology is the core issue in coating technology. Without resin technology, the development of coatings is impossible. This is also why, at the beginning of the founding of the country, our coating industry technicians all became resin experts—the circumstances forced them to do so! However, it must be admitted that the capabilities of our own resin development technology are limited, and the results are crude. I remember that at the beginning of the reform and opening-up era, Comrade Yin Minghua went to work at a joint venture factory in Shenzhen. What was the difference from working at state-owned enterprises on the mainland? He said two things—eat refined grains and enjoy services. This is an experience that those who have not experienced it firsthand cannot understand. Compared to the refined grains he consumes, the technologies we developed earlier could only be considered as cornmeal and coarse grains. But in the early days of the founding of the nation, with so much to be done, even coarse grains were precious. But now we have a rational division of labor, focusing on coating formulation technology and product development; everyone is now engaged in detailed work and enjoying high-quality services. Only to find that it is often foreigners who feed us fine food and provide us with warm service, or former colleagues who have switched jobs to work for foreigners. Over time, we also realized that this lifestyle of eating refined grains and enjoying services is not always as satisfactory as it seems. You want to eat wheat flour, and he says your rice is quite good ； You want to eat steamed buns, but he advises you to switch to bread instead. In short, I don’t really listen to you—I’m not exclusive-minded and I understand that today’s achievements stem from reform and opening up. In fact, he was also an active participant, taking part in the introduction of Romenhaus, Lian Carbon, and Wu Qingliang. It can’t be said that all foreigners have ulterior motives; in fact, many of them have become good friends. But it is precisely the things you desire based on your own needs that often remain out of reach, or cannot be obtained smoothly, or can only be achieved at an extraordinary cost. Saying this does not mean denying our own efforts and the results we have achieved. For the production of alkyds, aminotriresins, and similar products, many universities – such as Fudan University, South China University of Technology, Wuhan University of Chemical Technology, and even Anhui University – are working hard to serve us. In order to serve us better, Beijing Chemical invested heavily in advanced equipment; as a result, the water-based all-phenol wood paint it produces is of excellent quality – these are all reflections of its commitment. But overall, the feeling of being controlled by others lingers persistently. When will our mid-to-high-end sedans and ocean-going ships be able to use our coating products with independent intellectual property rights? Thirdly, we lack genuine, multi-level, and effective attention to the development of coatings. Being controlled by others stems from our own lack of ability. To acquire skills, a price must be paid, requiring the development of human resources and financial support. Skills must be learned smoothly and step by step, with overall coordination. Without sufficient attention, talk of people, money, and coordination is nothing but empty words. These days, people flock to do everything in crowds. It’s important to mention water-based wood paint; otherwise, everyone will end up doing repetitive work at a low level. It seems there is no other way but to make coatings water-based! This is due to a lack of coordination. Coordination is the key; only with an outline can things be brought under control, and coordination must have authority. In the past, ministries of chemistry and provincial departments held authority; as for the extent and correctness of their role, that is something of the past and should be left aside. Today, this authority exists in associations and societies. It goes without saying that today’s authority is gained through effective organization and meticulous service, rather than through authoritarianism. An organization needs to hold a meeting – but meetings of this kind differ greatly in nature. What will be effective are analysis seminars and brainstorming sessions, rather than product promotion events or disguised travel trips. The services should provide us with valuable information related to product development, environmental protection, and similar areas—not anything else. From this perspective, our authoritative agencies and organizations are all very busy, highly proactive, and even competitive; however, there is likely much room for debate regarding whether their organizational work is effective and whether their services are adequate. Therefore, it is also difficult to talk about effective coordination. As for talent, I don’t know much about it. Everywhere I see and hear, there are many masters and doctors; they are young and handsome—but while they may have plenty of theoretical knowledge, they likely lack practical experience and an understanding of the industry, and thus need guidance from those with more experience. Help them develop a **farsighted mindset, rather than exposing them to the influence of seeking quick success and instant benefits.** It is also important to know how to utilize talent. One must be able to recognize talent as well as make use of it. Those who are good at thinking should be given the opportunity to think (one must not indulge in random speculation) ； Those who are good at hands-on work should be given the opportunity to put it into practice (one must not let them act recklessly). During my visits abroad, I learned that among them, those at a higher level with more experience and holding what is known as a fellowship status have no fixed work targets, no specific projects, and no time limits; their task is simply to think. I think he has to come up with something valuable after all. Capitalists won’t support the elderly. Of course, we shouldn’t be too hasty when it comes to hiring people. The two scoundrels who followed Lord Mengchang – those who were good at waking people up with crowing and at committing theft – were probably kept for a long time before they became useful. Finally, let’s talk about money – it’s difficult to make big profits in our industry! And development is a very costly affair. The development of coating resins abroad is mostly funded by multinational companies such as DuPont and Bayer. Our industry is clearly not mature enough for this. Now we also have multinational companies. Moreover, Sinopec International is right upstream from us. She should be China’s equivalent of DuPont or Bayer. But in the eyes of our petrochemical industry, coatings never exist. It will likely take a lot of effort to get Sinopec to spend money on developing coating resins. When it comes to Sinopec, Haihua comes to mind. Isn’t our Changzhou branch now under Sinopec? I think the comrades in Changzhou are in an advantageous position, so they should persuade the higher-ups at Haihua to pay attention to this issue and encourage them to invest money in the development of coatings and coating resins. The money spent for this purpose is significant for us, but it’s just a drop in the bucket for them. As long as one understands and pays attention, it’s nothing complicated. Over 10 years ago, I wrote an article titled \"Thoughts on China’s coating industry in 2020\". At that time, it was envisioned that by 2020 the coating industry would reach a scale of 6 million tons. It seems that we have been too conservative – we have now reached this scale, but everyone says that we are large yet not strong – that’s the consensus. Over the past 30 years, the coating industry has grown by trial and error. Over the next 30 years, by continuing to rely on the advantages of reform and opening up, as well as on the attention and support from all levels, it will soar to new heights and become a leading power in the coatings industry. 2009/2/24/08:56 Source: China Epoxy Network