On March 29, the 10th China Ceramic Industry Emerging Brands Awards Ceremony was held at the Cloud Space in Foshan New Media Industrial Park. Foshan Sanshui Create-tide Inorganic Synthetic Materials Co., Ltd. was awarded the "2013 Annual Business Case of China Ceramic Industry" for its joint venture with Shandong Sinocera Functional Materials Co., Ltd., standing out as the only upstream building ceramics supplier on the list that year.

A Unique Path to the Market: Joint Venture and Restructuring

The pigment and glaze industry is characterized by its relatively small scale and low standardization. A key challenge for companies in this sector has been how to break free from scale and structural constraints to expand financing channels.

At the end of 2013, Foshan Create-tide Inorganic Chemical Co., Ltd. underwent a joint venture and restructuring with listed company Shandong Sinocera Functional Materials Co., Ltd., establishing Shandong Sinocera Create-tide New Materials High-tech Co., Ltd. This move marked the company's official transition from a traditional manufacturer to an enterprise integrating industrial manufacturing with capital operations.

"The pigment and glaze industry lacks standardization, with production that is neither refined nor intensive," said Zhang Tianjie, Deputy General Manager of Sinocera Create-tide. "As a listed company, Shandong Sinocera brings a mature operational model and strong financial capacity. Merging with Sinocera injects Create-tide with much-needed development capital and the principles of standardized management, setting a valuable example for the industry." He emphasized that achieving standardized operations and enhancing financial strength through merger with a listed company is of great significance for both the enterprise and the industry's upgrade.

"After the joint venture, leveraging the listed company's capital advantages and need for large-scale development, Sinocera Create-tide has invested heavily in building new, high-standard ink production capacity," Zhang Tianjie added. Create-tide is a leading domestic producer of ink pigments, known for excellent color development and high-temperature stability. Since 2002, its products have been exported to high-end building ceramic hubs like Italy and Spain, accumulating rich experience in producing pigments that meet European standards and establishing a robust quality assurance system. In 2005, in collaboration with Italian partners, it developed and produced rubber roller pigments, filling a domestic gap and earning the reputation as the "Rubber Roller Colorant Expert."

Excellence Through Accumulation: Internal Resource Integration

As leaders in their respective fields, Create-tide and Sinocera possess inherent product advantages. Their BOTAO Ink, for instance, is finer and more reliable than many competing products. Building on this foundation, Create-tide has established a high-level R&D team led by five Ph.D. holders, solidifying the company's R&D advantage.

"All our ink production equipment, including at the newly built Dongying Base, is from NETZSCH (Germany), guaranteeing our ability to produce high-quality ink," Zhang Tianjie stated. The stability of German production lines significantly surpasses that of domestic equipment, ensuring consistent product quality. The company implements refined production control across nine parameters: particle size, viscosity, chromaticity, pH, density, service life, printing performance, pass rate, and dielectric constant.

Sinocera Materials is the only domestic manufacturer—and the second globally—to apply the hydrothermal method for the mass production of nano-scale barium titanate. It is also the world's sole producer of a full range of MLCC (Multi-layer Ceramic Capacitor) formula powder materials. Leveraging over a decade of industry experience and Sinocera's nano-scale production technology and fine chemical management, the company has transformed the traditional production model of ceramic pigments and glazes, introducing refinement into ceramic ink production and implementing strict quality control.

"Using the listed company's capital strength, Sinocera Create-tide has built a new production base in an existing 15,000-square-meter workshop in Shandong," it was reported. The base plans to add 10 new ink production lines with a total investment of 300 million yuan, aiming for a monthly capacity of 300 tons in the short term and 500-1,000 tons within the year.

Producing Highly Cost-Effective Ceramic Ink for the Global Market

"BOTAO Ink uses self-produced pigments, making its production cost significantly lower than many comparable inks. Leveraging the listed company's capital advantages, we will strengthen cooperation with upstream raw material suppliers and implement large-scale procurement to further reduce costs," Zhang Tianjie explained. "By applying Sinocera's advanced cost control experience and multi-dimensional management measures, we can effectively lower costs and pass the benefits on to our customers." The joint venture with Sinocera greatly advances Create-tide's vision of producing highly cost-effective products.

According to Zhang Tianjie, producing highly cost-effective products and delivering strong value to customers has long been Sinocera Create-tide's consistent vision. The company has made concerted efforts across all areas to this end. "This joint venture will help us break the constraints of refined and intensive production in the pigment and glaze industry, set an industry benchmark, and drive the transformation, upgrade, and healthy development of the entire sector."

It was also noted that Create-tide's service philosophy of "Intimate Service, Technology Leadership, and Knowledge Transfer" has long been highly praised in the industry. To better serve customers, the company has established marketing centers in Foshan (Guangdong) and Zibo (Shandong), and set up 15 offices across China, Indonesia, Vietnam, and other regions. Moving forward, while enhancing product cost-effectiveness, the company will further leverage and strengthen its service advantages to increase customer satisfaction.

Backed by its product and service strengths, BOTAO Ink has now been installed on hundreds of machines. Its performance and stability are among the best compared to similar domestic products, earning widespread praise from manufacturers and being recognized as a highly cost-effective ceramic ink in China.

Zhang Tianjie stated that by leveraging over a decade of in-depth industry experience, combined with Sinocera Materials' nano-material production technology and R&D platform, Sinocera Create-tide will continue to expand its existing advantages, improve product quality, and strengthen its position in the domestic ceramic ink industry.