Luoyang, Henan – Liming Research Institute of Chemical Industry earlier in January reported a 36% increase on revenue from PU systems to RMB191m ($31m) in 2013. This was because of sales to China’s booming automotive industry, according to its website.
The volume of PU systems sold during this period soared 46% compared to 2012 to 10,786 tonnes.
In 2013 Liming supplied PU systems to several automotive companies in China including: Chery, BYD and SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile, a joint-venture which GM China has stakes in. Liming, claims to supply over half of these companies’ polyurethane needs. Liming was founded in 1965 in Qinghai province and relocated to north China’s Luoyang city in 1984. It transformed into a technology firm in 1999 but kept the name, and is currently an affiliate of state-owned China National Chemical Corporation (ChemChina), the country’s largest manufacturer of basic chemicals.
Today Liming has more than 800 employees, over 60% of which are technicians. Its business scope covers PU new materials, and rocket propellant products. These have been used in China’s most recent manned space craft Shenzhou 10 launched in June 2013.
According to Liming’s website, is an industry leader in China’s PU new materials and fluoride gas markets, holding 87 patents for invention with 55 more pending.
It claims to be the first Chinese company to have developed technology for continuous addition of low molecular weight initiators to make polyether polyols. Its 20kT/year production line using this method had a successful trial run in December 2012.
Liming is also the current chair of the China Polyurethane Industry Association. In 2013, the company was entrusted by the Polyurethane Division of China’s National Standardization Technical Committee for Plastics to redraft nationwide standards. Last November, the division approved eight national standards proposals by Liming on TDI (toluene diisocyanate), MDI (methylene diphenyl diisocyanate), PAPI (polyaryl polymethylene isocyanate) and five testing methods for PU related indices in plastics, and the standards will be officially promulgated within 2014.
