A bag of powder, snow-white and delicate - this is electronic grade barium carbonate produced by Hubei Zhanpeng New Materials Company. It seems to be the same as flour or Rice noodles. Why is it high in technology?

On the morning of May 17th, Liu Hongxiang, the chairman of Zhanpeng Company, faced a question and gave a vivid analogy: "A multi-layer ceramic capacitor is like a mini wafer biscuit, with ceramic film sheets all in the micrometer level, up to thousands of layers. Our company's products are used to make the 'batter' for that layer of biscuit

Liu Hongxiang introduced that multi-layer ceramic capacitors are one of the most widely used passive electronic components in the world, widely used in fields such as mobile phones, computers, automobiles, and military industries. Especially high-end capacitors have extremely strict requirements for the purity, particle size, granularity, and morphology of raw materials such as barium carbonate and titanium dioxide. He smiled and said, "There is actually a lot behind the ordinary and unremarkable

Previously, there were no domestic enterprises producing raw materials for multi-layer ceramic capacitors. In 2004, Liu Hongxiang, who had a background in chemical engineering and many years of experience in the new materials industry, rented a 3000 square meter workshop in Pengchang Town with more than 20 people and founded Zhanpeng Company, becoming the first person to eat crab.

Focusing on cultivating specialized fields, Zhanpeng Company produces high-purity ultrafine electronic grade barium carbonate and titanium dioxide for multi-layer ceramic capacitors. The nano material technology breaks the international monopoly and is a leading competitor in industries such as Nippon Chemical, Fuji Titanium, and Germany's Solvay. It is well-known worldwide in the industry and has the largest production scale in the country. Over 80% of its products are exported to Japan and South Korea, and once held a market share of 90% in Taiwan.

Zhanpeng has successively been awarded the title of National High tech Enterprise, Hidden Champion of Hubei Province's Pillar Industry Subdivision in Science and Technology Little Giant, and was awarded the 2020 Science and Technology Innovation Award for Small and Medium sized Enterprises at the Provincial Science and Technology Innovation Conference. Last year, the company achieved sales of 150 million yuan and paid 15.3 million yuan in taxes.

How did Zhanpeng establish a unique product moat in a small town? The person in charge of the High tech Enterprise Department of Xiantao Science and Technology Bureau introduced that the company has always focused on innovation. Liu Hongxiang led the formation of a research and development team of more than 10 people, and established long-term cooperation with Wuhan University and Wuhan University of Technology. The annual R&D investment reaches more than 4% of sales revenue. At present, the company has 3 invention patents and 27 utility model patents.

One important aspect of mastering unique skills is that Zhanpeng's technology research and development follows the market. Liu Hongxiang said that when faced with customer inquiries, the first round of communication personnel sent by Zhanpeng are often technical personnel from the R&D department. Through in-depth communication, they understand customer needs, track market trends, and then use them to guide product upgrades.

With the comprehensive promotion of 5G construction, the sharp increase in the number of high-end smartphones, and the acceleration of the "new four modernizations" of automobiles, the demand for multi-layer ceramic capacitors is rising, coupled with the acceleration of domestic substitution, bringing broader prospects to Zhanpeng. At present, Zhanpeng has partnered with leading domestic multi-layer ceramic capacitor enterprises such as Fenghua High tech to accelerate the two-way development of international and domestic markets.

Jumping in the wind, Zhanpeng has launched a relocation and expansion project, acquiring 120 acres of land in Xiantao New Materials Industrial Park, building a new factory, and planning to put one production line into operation by the end of this year. Liu Hongxiang stated that after the completion of the new project, it is expected to produce 30000 tons of various electronic and nano functional ceramic powder materials annually, with an annual output value of 700 million yuan. (Yin Liqun, all media reporter of Xiantao Daily)