Can domestic honeycomb ceramic companies that started late can break the oligopoly trend of Corning HGK?

Preface

Since the implementation of the US Exhaust Emissions Regulations in 1972, Corning Incorporated of the United States has been the first company to produce high-performance cordierite honeycomb ceramics using extrusion molding technology. NGK also started producing honeycomb ceramics after obtaining authorization from Corning. The honeycomb ceramic products of Corning, NGK, and Denso, which are the three companies in the industry, account for more than 90% of the global market share, and Denso is only used by Toyota. Although China's honeycomb ceramic industry started relatively late, except for Corning and NGK, a few companies have also achieved large-scale production and sales of honeycomb ceramics. This article introduces the relevant companies.

Foreign Companies:

(1) Corning Incorporated

As early as the 1970s, Corning began to get involved in clean air technology and developed honeycomb ceramic carriers to help car manufacturers comply with the US Clean Air Act. In recent years, global warming has caused countries to begin implementing carbon emission restrictions, which have to some extent promoted the development of honeycomb ceramics.

As an American company, Corning's production bases are located all over the world. Its environmental technology business is located in the factory in Kaiserlautern, Germany, which has achieved an important milestone of producing one million Corning DuraTrap® GC gasoline particulate filters (GPF).

Changan Automobile, one of China's largest car manufacturers, has selected Corning Incorporated as its supplier of gasoline particulate filters (GPF). It is reported that since 2015, Corning and Changan have jointly conducted R&D work on gasoline particulate filter technology, established project groups, and experimental bases to fully prepare for the implementation of China's National VI standard.

On May 28, 2019, the world's first GPF (Gasoline Particulate Filter) project in the Asia-Pacific region was put into production at Corning Environmental Technologies' factory in Xinzhan District, Hefei, Anhui Province. The total investment of the first phase of the project is nearly 500 million US dollars, and the initial products are mainly supplied to the domestic market.

(2) NGK (NGK Insulators, Ltd.)

Corning invented honeycomb carriers in the 1970s and then transferred the technology to NGK in Japan. In 1971, an order from a US Ford factory opened the curtain on NGK's honeycomb ceramic industry. Since then, NGK has accumulated production and sales of more than 1.5 billion honeycomb ceramic carriers at its factories in Japan, the United States, Belgium, Poland, South Africa, Indonesia, Thailand, and China (NGK Suzhou).

Domestic Companies:

(1) Aofu Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd.:

Shandong Aofu Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd. was established in 2009 and is a science and technology board listed company as a leading enterprise in the domestic honeycomb ceramic carrier industry. Its main products include honeycomb ceramic catalyst carriers, diesel particulate filters (DPF), gasoline particulate filters (GPF), VOCs exhaust gas treatment equipment, and other thousands of varieties. The company focuses on the research and development and industrialization of the core components of diesel vehicle exhaust gas treatment, large-size honeycomb ceramic carriers, breaking the monopoly of foreign manufacturers on the manufacturing technology of large-size honeycomb ceramic carriers for many years and filling the domestic gap. The main sales markets are original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of vehicles and ships, catalyst companies, and the after-market of upgraded and modified vehicles and ships. Products are widely used in energy conservation, environmental protection, and other fields.

During the 11th Five-Year Plan, 12th Five-Year Plan, and 13th Five-Year Plan periods, the company participated in many national "863" plan projects, national science and technology support plan projects, and national key research and development plan projects. It has achieved many major technological breakthroughs in the construction of large-size honeycomb ceramic carrier manufacturing technology, overall honeycomb ceramic manufacturing technology, etc. The "R&D and Industrialization of High-efficiency SCR Technology for Diesel Vehicle Pollution Control" project participated in by the company in 2014 was awarded the second prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award.

As a domestic independent brand enterprise specializing in the research and development and industrialization of atmospheric pollution control products, Aofu Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd. has advanced technology in the key links of honeycomb ceramic carrier manufacturing, such as formula, mold, and firing, forming a relatively complete technical system. The construction and layout of the honeycomb ceramic formula technology system have laid a solid foundation for the company to fully implement the National VI standard for vehicles.

(2) Yixing Huajing Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.:

Jiangsu Yixing Non-Metallic Chemical Machinery Factory Co., Ltd. was established in 1957 and was transformed into a joint-stock enterprise in 2001. It is a technology enterprise with micro-porous ceramics and structural ceramics as its core. The company covers an area of 150,000 square meters and has a research institute, a new material research room, a new material experimental factory, and three branch factories. It has more than 500 employees.

At present, the company's products mainly include acid-resistant ceramic pumps, acid-resistant vacuum pumps, engineering plastic pumps, honeycomb ceramics, fully automatic ceramic filters, inorganic ceramic membranes and liquid-solid separation devices, high-temperature ceramic membranes and gas-solid separation devices, sulfuric acid absorption tower load-bearing beams, and large-scale high-temperature ceramic airflow pulverizers.

The honeycomb ceramic products include honeycomb ceramic carriers for gasoline engine particulate filters (GPF), honeycomb ceramic carriers for gasoline engine exhaust gas purification (TWC), honeycomb ceramic carriers for diesel engine exhaust gas purification (DOC.SCR), honeycomb ceramic carriers for diesel engine soot particle filters (DPF), and honeycomb ceramic carriers for industrial waste gas catalytic purification.

(3) Wangzi Ceramics Co., Ltd.:

Yixing Wangzi Ceramics Co., Ltd. was established in 2004. It is a professional manufacturer of honeycomb ceramic carriers for automotive catalytic converters, integrating research and development, production, and sales. The total factory area is 95 acres, with a production workshop area of 40,000 square meters and 250 employees. The maximum annual output is 12 million liters. The products mainly include honeycomb ceramic carriers for gasoline engine three-way catalytic converters, gasoline particulate filters, diesel engine DOC/SCR carriers, diesel particulate filters, industrial waste gas catalytic carriers, and other series. It is one of the most important honeycomb ceramic suppliers in China, and its products are also exported to Europe, North America, and other regions.

In 2017, Shandong Guoci Functional Materials Co., Ltd. completed the acquisition of 100% equity of Yixing Wangzi Ceramics Co., Ltd. and established a new honeycomb ceramic factory and R&D center in Dongying City. The Dongying factory covers an area of 50 acres, with a workshop area of 20,000 square meters and 65 employees. The maximum annual output is 12 million liters.

Wangzi Ceramics' honeycomb ceramic products have more than 500 specifications. Through the R&D efforts of the technical team for many years, the company has successfully independently developed product formulas for gasoline engine carriers, through-type diesel engine DOC and SCR carriers, DPF diesel engine soot particle traps, and other products. The company's technical research and development can cover 70% of the mainstream products of Corning and NGK. According to the different product forms and downstream applications, Wangzi's honeycomb ceramics can be roughly divided into through-type (ceramic carriers for gasoline engine three-way catalytic converters) and wall-flow type (particle traps). Currently, 60% of Wangzi Ceramics' honeycomb ceramic products are sold to domestic customers, and Weifu Lida is the largest customer, accounting for more than 50% of the domestic market sales revenue. At the same time, Wangzi's products are also exported to foreign countries and have been recognized by foreign customers in Europe, North America, the Middle East, and other regions.

(4) Anhui Zhongdu Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd.:

Anhui Zhongdu Huanyu New Material Technology Co., Ltd. is a technology-based enterprise specializing in the production of honeycomb ceramic series products.

The company has domestic first-class production technology and leading technical equipment, implements modern scientific management, and relies on multiple well-known scientific research institutes. It has fully formed six series of honeycomb ceramic carriers for gasoline engine exhaust gas purification, honeycomb ceramic carriers for diesel engine exhaust gas purification (DOC, SCR), honeycomb ceramic carriers for diesel particulate filters (DPF), honeycomb ceramic carriers for industrial waste gas catalytic purification, honeycomb ceramic heat storage for metallurgy, building materials, and chemical industries, and special large honeycomb ceramic carriers for ships. The company has more than 70 varieties and specifications; annual production of 6 million liters of honeycomb ceramic carriers and 3000 cubic meters of heat storage materials; superior product performance, stable quality, and all physical and chemical indicators meet national standards (GB/T25994-2010), ranking among the top domestic suppliers. Some indicators are comparable to those of similar advanced international products. It has become one of the outstanding honeycomb ceramic suppliers with leading technology, advanced production processes, and the largest production scale in China.

(5)Kelowna Blue Flame New Material Technology Co., Ltd.

Kelowna Blue Flame New Material Technology Co., Ltd. was established in 2011 and is a national high-tech enterprise specializing in honeycomb ceramic carriers and catalytic converters for motor vehicle exhaust gas purification. The company mainly produces honeycomb ceramic carriers, diesel engine exhaust gas purification catalysts (DOC, SCR, CDPF), gas engine catalysts, gasoline engine exhaust gas purification catalysts, and stationary source catalysts. Its produced honeycomb ceramic carriers mainly include through-type honeycomb ceramic carriers and wall-flow honeycomb ceramic carriers (referred to as DPF carriers). Among them, DPF carriers are divided into cordierite DPF carriers and silicon carbide DPF carriers according to different materials.

Kelowna Blue Flame is an innovative enterprise in China's internal combustion engine exhaust gas pollution control industry. It has original innovation ability and core technology with independent intellectual property rights, and is generally at the forefront in China. The company has many core technologies, such as "catalytic conversion technology for diesel engine SCR system" and "injection control and comprehensive integration technology for diesel engine SCR system". Among them, core technologies such as "key technology for diesel engine SCR injection system", "development and application of diesel engine SCR system", and "key technology and engineering application of DPF particle capture system for diesel engine exhaust aftertreatment" have been certified by the China Association of Machinery Industry's "Certificate of Scientific and Technological Achievements Appraisal" and are at the international advanced level.

The above information is integrated from the official websites of various companies.