Winner of the Innovation Award
Elementis PLC is a global specialty chemicals company, employing over 1,200 people at more than 30 locations worldwide,. Deuchem (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Elementis, is the principal operating Group entity in China and is a de facto ‘One-Stop Total Solution Provider’ to the coatings industry in China.
For Elementis, setting up R&D in China is crucial in order to bring new technologies and products to the markets it serves. Working closely with the company’s global R&D centres, the Chinese technical team developed a resin which “will fill the technological gap that the global coatings industry has been waiting for over the past decade,” states Dr Mark Su, Vice President & Managing Director, Asia at Elementis. Hypomer MT-2350 can be used in the production of high quality matt-finish paints for application on a range of products. For Su, this is “an excellent example of a successful global collaboration, [demonstrating] the technological capability of Elementis as a leading world-class specialty chemicals company.”
Q&A with Elementis PLC, Winner of the Innovation Award
1. Why did you enter the British Business Awards 2012?
Elementis has been diligently promoting environmental sustainability in China for the past 2 decades. By participating in the BBA 2012, we aimed to demonstrate Elementis’ efforts and capability in developing innovative environmental-friendly products in China and hoped that such endeavor would help promote UK-China partnership.
2. What were you hoping to get out of it?
We’re hoping that our efforts in innovation and sustainability could be duly recognized by the market sectors that we are serving as well as the community of British businesses that we belong to.
3. What have you learnt about your business by entering?
There are more than 30 companies in different market sectors applying the “Innovation award”. Only 5 finalists were selected and finally Elementis won this award. It illustrates that “Innovation, Commercialization capability, Team works and Persistenceare vital elements for success”.
4. What does winning the British Business Awards 2012 mean to you?
It’s the recognition for technical innovation and commercial achievements of Elementis as a leading world-class specialty chemicals company.
5. How will it affect, if at all, the way that you do business in China in the future?
Armed with this prestigious recognition, Elementis will continue to invest in R&D, manufacturing facilities and human resources in China to serve our Chinese customers with high-performance and environmental friendly products. We are striving to move closer toward being an “Innovative and Value-creative British Enterprise”.
6. No company has ever successfully defended their BBA title. Does it inspire you to be the first?
Yes, we shall try our best to defend our BBA title in 2014.