Quality partners found at import expo for specialty chemicals leader Evonik

Evonik is one of the world leaders in specialty chemicals. We participated in the first CIIE in 2018 and showcased a number of innovative and sustainable material solutions.

CIIE provides an ideal platform through which we can build connections with existing and potential customers. I have been impressed by the quality of participating companies and the efficiency of business communication at the high-level expo.

Thanks to CIIE, we struck up partnerships with several customers. One is a domestic auto parts company which signed a strategic partnership and purchase agreement with us for automotive lightweight materials.

It is the fifth year for CIIE as well as our fifth anniversary of cooperation with this auto customer. Over the past five years, our partnership has strengthened, and our cooperation expanded from material application and technical support to joint innovation.

The company has now become our global key customer in the automotive segment. It has also grown into a world-class automotive parts manufacturer.

Meanwhile, we have witnessed the evolution and upgrading of the Chinese auto industry, especially the development of new energy vehicle markets.

Through CIIE, we gained a better insight into the potential of the Chinese market. To seize the opportunities, we are continuously enhancing local innovation and production capacity.

We are also strengthening our product offerings in China and reducing time-to-market, especially to local markets to better serve customers and drive innovations based on local needs.

China has released its goal to peak carbon emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. Green, low-carbon transformation has become a core concept of the country's high-quality development. This is also reflected in the business development of our customers.

For example, more customers demand products with a good balance of economic, ecological and social factors and focus more on topics such as green manufacturing and carbon footprint reduction.

As "low-carbon development and green recovery" became one of the focuses of the fourth CIIE, it thus presented an ideal opportunity for companies to showcase their latest innovative solutions in related areas and connect with customers.

Joining the fifth CIIE, Evonik plans to present a series of innovative, environmentally friendly and sustainable material solutions on the topic of sustainability. We will also introduce several forward-looking projects.

These innovations are more tailored for local market needs and will support green development and contribute to China's dual carbon goals.

We also look forward to strengthening strategic cooperation with the Chinese authorities, customers and business partners as well as meet new friends at CIIE.

(The author is president of Evonik in China and head of Smart Materials Asia.)