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Sixty industry leaders gathered in Anhui to discuss common development and cooperation.
Nov.06.2025
In today’s sluggish coating industry, collaboration is more important than ever.
On November 5th, over 60 company CEOs gathered at the Honor International Hotel in Tianchang City, Anhui Province, for the 2025 Jiangsu-Shandong-Anhui Coating Industry Presidents Summit. They came to brainstorm ways to break through fierce competition, find paths to stand out, and push the industry from pure rivalry toward competitive cooperation.
The summit, themed “Unleash Wisdom, Light Up the Future,” was co-hosted by the coating associations of Anhui, Jiangsu, and Shandong, with the Anhui Coating Association taking charge of organization. It was hosted by Gao Yehang, Secretary-General of the Anhui Coating Association.
As the host, Wang Qi, president of the Anhui Provincial Coatings Industry Association, delivered the opening speech.
In his address, President Wang Qi emphasized that the gathering of industry elites from Jiangsu, Shandong, and Anhui provinces for open and in-depth interaction is crucial for the current state of the industry. The coatings industries of the three provinces are highly complementary. Last year's summit resulted in several cooperation agreements. This year, through in-depth discussions and the exchange of ideas, we are confident that we will be able to build more consensus, achieve more cooperation, and jointly promote the coatings industry in the three provinces towards higher-quality development.
Jiang Yue, Vice Mayor of Tianchang City, delivered a speech on behalf of the local government. He stated that Tianchang City possesses a complete industrial chain and strong innovative and entrepreneurial capabilities, making it fertile ground for enterprise development. Tianchang has over 10,000 industrial enterprises and 780 listed companies, ranking first among county-level administrative units in Anhui Province. The Jiangsu-Shandong-Anhui CEO Summit has built a major platform for industrial collaboration among the three provinces, and Tianchang is willing to serve as the strongest support for this platform, welcoming entrepreneurs to invest and develop businesses in Tianchang.
Ding Yanmei, Executive Vice President of the China Coatings Industry Association (CCIA), stated that our country's coatings industry is at a crucial stage of transformation and upgrading towards high-quality development. Faced with the current complex industry environment, CCIA will continue to play its role as a bridge, promoting smooth communication between upstream and downstream sectors of the industry chain, helping the industry move from infighting to win-win cooperation, and contributing new strength to the high-quality development of the coatings industry.
In the speech, Yang Hanzhou, President of the Jiangsu Coating Industry Association, stated that Jiangsu, Shandong, and Anhui lie at the intersection of the Yangtze River Delta and the Central Plains Economic Zone, and form the backbone of China's coating industry. With a solid foundation for cooperation among the three provinces, Jiangsu, as a major coating province, is willing to work with all parties to fully advance differentiated, green, and digital development. Together, we will build a high-end innovation ecosystem, foster new drivers for green growth, upgrade traditional industries, expand emerging industries, and jointly write a new chapter in the high-quality development of the coating industry in Jiangsu, Shandong, and Anhui. 
In his speech, Liu Wengang, Vice President of the Shandong Coating Industry Association, noted that Jiangsu, Shandong, and Anhui are important parts of the Yangtze River Delta. As a major player in China's coating industry, Shandong Province has been actively integrating into the Yangtze River Delta integration drive. It has deepened cooperation particularly in areas such as sci-tech innovation corridors, industrial chain collaboration, and joint environmental governance, working continuously to build a globally competitive highland for the coating industry.
During the keynote speech session of the conference, several experts and business leaders from the coating industry shared insightful views.
Ding Yanmei, Standing Vice President of the China Coatings Industry Association, provided a detailed analysis of the 2025 operation of China’s coating industry. She stated that from January to September 2025, the real estate sector continued to decline, and various regions had begun levying consumption tax on architectural coatings, which had a significant impact on coating enterprises.
According to statistics, from January to September, China's total coating output reached 27.683 million tons, a year-on-year decrease of 5.12%; main business revenue stood at 290.25 billion yuan, down 1.79% year-on-year; and total profits reached 21.97 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 19.71%.
Fields such as quality housing, urban renewal, industrial plant renovation, old residential community transformation, new energy, and home appliances still bring significant development opportunities to the coating industry, which has maintained an overall stable operation.
Affected by international anti-dumping measures, the total export volume of titanium dioxide from January to September was 1.3464 million tons, a year-on-year decrease of 6.38%, with export value dropping 15.62% year-on-year to 2.698 billion US dollars.
In the long run, the coating industry is poised for strong performance, but in the short term, the architectural coatings segment is declining while the industrial coatings segment is growing.
Future growth drivers for the coating industry will include container coatings, automotive coatings, marine coatings, protective coatings, home appliance coatings, electric bicycle coatings, and packaging coatings.
For the architectural coatings segment, future growth points will come from booming demands in urban renewal, elderly-friendly renovation, rural improved housing, energy-efficient housing, smart housing, and repainting projects.
There are no permanently successful enterprises, only those that keep up with trends. Li Xuelin, Chairman of McKinsey Management Consulting (Foshan) Co., Ltd., delivered a keynote speech titled "AI and Digital Intelligence: Strategic Positioning of Small and Medium-Sized Coating Enterprises in the Next Three Years," pointing out the direction for the transformation and upgrading of small and medium-sized enterprises.
Dong Wei, Deputy Chief Engineer of Jiangsu Shuangle Pigment Co., Ltd., shared insights on the topic "Building a Green Supply Chain: Environmentally Friendly Yellow Pigments Drive High-Quality Development," emphasizing the importance of green supply chain construction for the industry's sustainable development.
Wang Ang, President of the Intelligent Promotion Association of Shandong Society of Automation, conducted an in-depth interpretation of the "Safety Management Specifications for Fine Chemical Enterprises" and industrial practices. Combining recent major safety accidents, he reminded the industry that "a single safety incident can set a company back decades," emphasizing the crucial importance of safety management.
Wang Xinzheng, Technical Director of Shandong Benteng Coatings Technology Co., Ltd., delivered a speech titled "Internal Drag-Reducing Coatings: Making Pipeline Transportation More Efficient," demonstrating how technological innovation solves practical application challenges.
Zhang Kai, Chairman of Anhui United Coatings Co., Ltd., delivered a project cooperation promotion speech, facilitating cooperation opportunities among enterprises from the three provinces.
Shi Qinglin, Senior Strategic Consultant of Budweiser Coatings Group, delivered a keynote speech titled "Look Beyond Difficulties, See Through Chaos – Local Coating Enterprises Enter a Period of Long-Term Stable Development" based on the current industry situation.
Tariff wars, rare earth controls, China-US talks, tariff truces. The September 3rd Military Parade, the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee, foreign capital returning, and the stock market soaring. The speed of changes is breathtaking. The fundamental reason to "look beyond difficulties" is that there’s no easy fix for them. To "look beyond" means to stop feeling anxious and keep focusing on what needs to be done. The common strategy to break through fierce competition is to compete on value rather than price – taking the path of differentiation, going global, and becoming specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative. No matter how turbulent the times are, we must keep moving forward steadily.
Rong Haojie, Manager of Anhui Songshun Building Materials Co., Ltd., shared insights on the topic "Combined Application of Foamed Ceramic Decorative Components and Coatings: Solutions to Practical Challenges," noting that foamed ceramics are widely used from exterior wall decoration to interior modeling, demonstrating the potential of cross-industry collaborative innovation.
As a key session of the summit, the roundtable discussion salon served as a platform for ideological exchanges and was hosted by Gao Yehang, Secretary-General of the Anhui Coating Association.
Enterprise representatives held in-depth and lively discussions on topics such as technological upgrading in the coating industry, industry trends, and corporate operation and management experience.
Ding Zhi, Executive Vice President and Secretary-General of the Jiangsu Coating Industry Association, stated that current production capacity far exceeds market demand, which has become the root cause of price wars. There is still a significant gap between domestic enterprises and international major brands in areas such as core resin innovation, service innovation, and application innovation.
Lu Xudong, President of Fangxin Resin Group, stated: "Faced with fierce internal competition (involution), an enterprise’s way to break through should not be 'joining the rat race' but 'moving upward.' The core strategy is: externally, achieve differentiation through market focus and brand services; internally, strengthen core capabilities through technological innovation and excellent operations. These four elements are interlocking and ultimately form a powerful collaborative system, helping the company maintain an invincible position in the intense market competition."
Miao Guoyuan, Chairman of Jiangsu Chenguang Coatings, put forward his viewpoint of "strengthening first, then expanding," which was widely recognized by the participants.
Currently, the coating industry is "large but not strong, small but not refined." Many outstanding foreign enterprises, though not large in scale, have a centuries-old legacy. Instead of pursuing expansion first and then strength, we should prioritize strengthening the enterprise before scaling up. Expanding without strengthening is like planting a big tree in the desert—it cannot withstand storms.
An enterprise does not necessarily need to be large, but it must have strong profitability. Chenguang is willing to be a pioneer in innovation: we insist on high-level innovation, strive for tangible results from innovation, and ensure our products are profitable. We adhere to original innovation, which grants us pricing power. Our dichroic dyes sell for 8,000 yuan per gram—ten times the price of gold. Our anti-icing coatings lead the industry, attracting initiatives from leading photovoltaic and wind power companies. Our back adhesive has solved the problem of building hollowing and remains a bestseller after 21 years on the market.
Liu Wengang, Chairman of Rizhao Deli Chemical Co., Ltd., stated that the downturn in the coating industry is an inevitable stage of industry development. He hoped that enterprises would engage in more horizontal integration. Before small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) scale up, they should focus on product implementation, concentrate resources, and maintain local advantages.
Zhou Xianlin, Chairman of Anhui Kechuangmei Coatings, stated that the market has entered a deep-water zone. He hoped that all enterprises would enhance innovation, increase cooperation, and break through the predicament. Looking ahead, he expressed the wish that in ten years, all of us would become leading enterprises in the coating industry.
关键说明
Li Funian, Editor-in-Chief of China Coatings Network (Domestic & International), stated: "The three philosophical questions are: Who am I? Where do I come from? Where am I going? Entrepreneurs also have three operational questions: Why do we make this product or category? How can we do it well? Why am I the one who can do this product well? Just like Chenguang’s developed dichroic dyes that can be sold at 8,000 yuan per gram."
Lu Xudong, Chairman of Fangxin Resin, stated that the company has a 30-year history and owns three factories in Nantong, Changzhou, and Suzhou. Focusing primarily on resin production, its new 500,000-ton capacity factory will open this year. In today’s era, no enterprise can eliminate another—those that truly vanish are the ones that bring about their own downfall. 
Wei Zhihua, Deputy General Manager of Judong New Materials, stated that the company has achieved excellent profitability this year because it has maintained close ties with customers and developed distinctive products that address customers' pain points—products that others cannot replicate.
Cheng Hao, Director of Budweiser Coatings Group's Southeast Region, stated that amid economic downturn and enterprises facing difficulties, Budweiser has the willingness, capability, and mission to empower everyone in terms of operations.
Ding Yanmei, Standing Vice President of the China Coatings Industry Association, stated that the more difficult the industry becomes, the more enterprises should unite as a group. As long as we get through this period, the future of coating enterprises will be better and better.
The roundtable meeting not only enhanced understanding and cooperation among participating coating enterprises but also gained valuable industry information and operational wisdom. The 2026 Jiangsu-Shandong-Anhui Coating Industry Presidents Summit will be held in Shandong Province.
