Imerys in China

Imerys has been present in China since the late 1950s. Today, the company has been developing steadily in China where it employs around 1,400 people spread across 11 processing plants, one Technology Center and sales offices.
Jade site in China

Our Chinese commercial teams provide customers from all over Asia Pacific with solutions and technical support leveraging a vast portfolio of minerals including diatomite, perlite, talc, kaolin, calcium carbonates, mica, wollastonite, zeolite, zirconia, fused alumina and calcium aluminate binders, which are prized ingredients in a wide array of industries, ranging from automotive plastics to filtration, refractories to abrasives.

1,400
employees
11
processing plants
1
Tech Center

Performance minerals for automotive plastics, coatings, filtration, agriculture, cosmetics, pharma and much, much more

Our Chinese manufacting operations produce a wide portfolio of multi-functional performance mineral solutions derived from talc, diatomite, perlite and calcium carbonates

Our performance minerals sales teams in Shanghai can also supply a broad array of kaolins, micas, precipitated calcium carbonates, talcs and wollastonites, sourced within the Group, and destined for plastics, adhesives and sealants, pharmaceuticals and coatings markets - among others. These include world-renowned names such as Polestar®, Polwhite®, Winnofil®, Socal®, Suzorite®, Nyad® and Nyglos®.

Speciality talcs from our brand new state-of-the-art processing plant in Wuhu in Anhui Province (operated by Imerys Pigments (Wuhu) Co. Ltd), which include our high aspect ratio HAR® range, are meeting growing demand for mineral reinforcement additives for lightweight automotive plastics to feed the high-growth EV market in the region. The site also produces well-known talc brands such as Jetfine®, Steamic®, Steashield® and ImerFlex® widely used in plastic compounds, coatings, rubber and various other applications.

 

Our diatomite and perlite filter aid solutions, produced by Linjiang Imerys Diatomite Co. Ltd in Jilin Province or sourced from other Imerys’ productions sites around the world, are benchmarks worldwide for the filtration of beverages, biofuel, lubricating oils, chemicals, industrial oils and wastewater - to name a few. They include high-purity filter aids such as our Celpure® range, used for human blood fractionation and vaccine filtration, as well as other well-known brand names: Celite®, Kenite®, Harborlite®AsiaPerl® and Fibra Cel®. Our diatomites and perlites sold out of China are also key ingredients in horticulture, animal feed, mechanical insecticides, plastics films, paints and cosmetics.

Calcium carbonates from our Wuhu, Quingyang and Yueyang plants, or sourced from Imerys operations in Asia, Europe and the US, are highly valued multi-functional additives in food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, paints and coatings, plastics and rubber. They include market-leading brands such as FilmLink®, designed for breathable films used in diapers, sanitary protection products and medical gowns, as well as ImerTouch™ and ImerCarb® which are widely used in plastic compounds, sealants, rubber gloves, papermaking, coatings and other applications.

Our highly experienced Ceramics sales teams in China have in-depth knowledge of the specific properties of each of our minerals and can provide manufacturing customers in the region with technical expertise for their use in tableware, tiles, sanitaryware, catalyst supports, electrical porcelain, technical ceramics and reinforcement fiberglass.

Graphite and carbon solutions for batteries, fuel cells, conductive polymers and other engineering applications 

Supported by over a century’s expertise in carbon manufacturing, our Graphite and Carbon sales teams, based at our offices in Shanghai, have been serving customers in China for over 20 years with world-class products and technical services. 

Developed at our Technology Centers in Switzerland and Japan and produced in Europe, Canada and Japan, our product portfolio includes conductive carbon blacks and graphites (including synthetic, natural and coated graphites) to meet the needs of the lithium-ion battery, alkaline battery, fuel cell technologies and other mobile energy industries.  We also serve customers from plastics, rubber, carbon brush, brake pad and powder metallurgy markets, as well as many other business fields. 

Well known names include our C-NERGY™, Timrex® and Ensaco® brands.

  • C-NERGY carbon black solutions are prized ingredients in lithium-ion batteries used to power electric vehicles, where they improve energy density and charging time. They are particularly valued for enhancing the charging performance of ultra-thin lithium-ion batteries used in the latest touch screen tablets and mobile phones.
  • C-Sperse porous carbon blacks are essential components in fuel cells, where they are used in the gas diffusion layers. Conductive carbon blacks provide excellent catalyst support and are used in coatings for fuel cell systems using metal bipolar plates.
  • Ensaco® conductive carbon blacks are also key ingredients in plastic and rubber where they confer conductive and thermal properties to electronic device housings, rubber flooring, anti-static films, conveyor belts and fuel hoses, for example.

  • C-NERGY synthetic graphites are in strong demand as ingredients in lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, where they improve charging power and energy density. 
  • Used in advanced lead-acid batteries, Timrex® combined graphite-carbon black additives contribute to improving electrical conductivity, charge acceptance and brake-energy recovery in hybrid cars. Graphites are also ideal for the manufacture of thermally conductive automotive parts.
  • In alkaline batteries, Timrex® graphite improves the performance of cathode rings and can be used on the inside surface of the batteries to increase electrical conductivity and oxidation resistance.
  • Imerys graphites are also widely used in polymer and rubber compounds to boost the performance of electronic device housings, seals and gaskets, friction parts, heat exchangers, gas barrier membranes and high voltage cables.
  • Other applications for graphite include fuel cells, hot metal toppings, brake pads, carbon brushes, supercapacitors, heat-exchange foils, sintered ceramics, hard metals, refractories, pencil leads, lubricants and catalysts.

Specialty binders and fused minerals for refractories, advanced ceramics and abrasives

We operate six production sites in China producing a full range of products serving refractory, abrasive, advanced ceramics and construction markets, as well as a Technical Center attached to our Tianjin site. 

Our site in Tianjin provides high-performance calcium aluminate specialty binders and anticorrosive mortars, as well as technical consulting services for the refractory and construction materials markets. Our calcium aluminates operation produces such well known brand names as Secar®, Sewpercoat®,  Ternal® and Fondag®.

The Imerys Technology Center in Tianjin (ITC Tianjin), as a part of the Global R&D system, is the Group’s only Technology Center in the Asia-Pacific region. Its five R&D teams work on new product developments and fundamental research as well as serving the refractory, building and infrastructure, advanced ceramics, and performance minerals markets with technical and operational support.

Our Yingkou site, Liaoning Province, processes different types of fused zirconia, including our well-known ZIONIC® range, for refractories, investment casting,  advanced ceramics,abrasives and friction materials etc.

Jianai® high-alumina specialty binders produced in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, are one of the most popular brands on the Chinese market for refractory, building materials and advanced ceramic markets. The Jianai product range, which include both aluminate specialty binders and calcined α-alumina, are sold throughout China and service over 400 customers.

Our site in Deqing, Zhejiang Province, supplies chemical zirconia products to the pigment, automobile,and chemical industries.

A second fused mineral facility is located in Anshun, Guizhou Province, and focuses on the production of mono-crystalline fused aluminum oxide also for the abrasives market.

In 2020, Imery acquired a majority share in Shandong Mount Tai Co., Ltd. located in Zibo, Shandong Province. From this site, we are the leading producer of sol-gel and all kinds of fused alumina oxide for the high-performance abrasives market. Products sold out of the Shandong facility include our world-famous ALODUR® brand.

Lianjing plant - China
Diatomite filter aids from our Lianjing plant are references for the filtration of beer, wine, edible oil, sugar, biofuel, wastewater and machine oils.
Tianjin Tech Center
In addition to serving refractory and construction markets, the TianjinTechnology Center now features new laboratories dedicated to advanced ceramics, polymer and paint applications.
TIanjin processing center
The Tianjin processing facility supplies calcium aluminate specialty binders and mortars for refractory and building applications.
Lithium ion batteries for electric cars
Conductive carbon blacks are used as conductive additives in the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries for electric cars.
Graphite powders are used in the production of high performance, precision powder metallurgy parts.
Graphite powders are used in the production of high performance, precision powder metallurgy parts.
Safety Connect Day - Wuhu
Sustainability is deeply entrenched in our company culture in China. Here employees from our Wuhu calcium carbonates plant celebrate the annual Imerys Safety Connect Day.

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