The "EVA Wax Emulsion for Directed Alignment in Waterborne Industrial Paints" won the "Innovation Technology Award" at the 2025 "Coatings Industry" Hongtu Awards, a testament to Nanjing Tianshi's technological strength. Talking about this breakthrough, Director Zheng Xiaoping admitted: "Initially, we faced technical barriers from international brands. We broke down our R&D into three steps: 'raw material control - process optimization - application verification', gradually moving from 'catching up' to 'running alongside'." Nanjing Tianshi, relying on its independent production advantages in upstream wax raw materials, first screened the basic formula by adjusting the viscosity and saponification value of the wax. Then, it achieved a breakthrough in stability with a mature emulsification process. Finally, it repeatedly verified the targeted effect in scenarios such as baking varnish and air-drying varnish. "The addition amount of this product in water-based industrial paint reaches 4%-6%. Previously, it relied on imports for a long time, which not only resulted in unstable supply but also high costs." Zheng Xiaoping said that after localization, the product's performance is on par with imported brands, while costs are reduced by 15%-20%. This not only provides customers with a reliable alternative, but also provides key support for improving the metallic texture of water-based industrial paints and replacing imports.

2. Green Practice: Full Life Cycle Management, Preemptive Planning for Environmental Protection Needs

As a pioneer in green coatings additives, Nanjing Tianshi initiated its product transformation toward water-based and biodegradable products over a decade ago. Today, it has established a large-scale water-based wax production line, forming a comprehensive product portfolio covering water-based coatings and inks. Zheng Xiaoping shared, "Our environmental strategy is driven in part by forward-thinking European customers' needs and in part by anticipating domestic market trends." European customer demand for "fluorinated-free, high-solids wax slurry" enabled Nanjing Tianshi to pre-stock environmental protection technologies two to three years in advance. In response to domestic demand for VOC reduction, the team continuously optimizes the formulations of water-based wax emulsions and biodegradable wax micropowders, driving downstream industry upgrades through a combination of customer customization and application-specific adaptation. For example, to address the issue of antimicrobial agent precipitation in UV coatings, Nanjing Tianshi introduced powder antimicrobial technology from the plastics industry into the coatings industry. By precisely controlling the scraper particle size, they achieve a uniform and stable antimicrobial effect, meeting the antimicrobial needs of floor coatings while avoiding the pain point of traditional products with partial compliance and partial failure.

3. Digital Empowerment: From “Experience-Driven” to “Data-Driven”

On the R&D and production side, Nanjing Tianshi is using digital tools to improve efficiency and consistency. In the production process, the DCS automated control system is used to match process parameters with quality inspection indicators in real time, which not only enables product quality traceability but also accumulates data for AI analysis. In the R&D process, a structured experimental database is established, and engineers can access formula records within 3 years at any time, significantly shortening the R&D cycle of new projects. "AI is not a 'one-step' project. We start with data accumulation." Zheng Xiaoping gave an example. By analyzing production data, the team can quickly identify "which parameters have the greatest impact on the stability of the wax emulsion" and then optimize the process. In the future, production and management data will be connected, and more accurate parameter control plans will be formulated based on the differences between intermittent and continuous processes, so as to promote the implementation of intelligent manufacturing through digitalization.

4. Transformation and Upgrading: From “Material Supplier” to “Solution Service Provider”

From simply selling wax additives to providing green solutions of "products + application services", Nanjing Tianshi's transformation path revolves around "customer needs". "Although the amount of additives added is small, it has a huge impact on the performance of the coating, and we must deeply understand the customer's pain points." Zheng Xiaoping said that the team has built a professional application laboratory that can measure key indicators such as directional effect, sparkle value, and rheological properties. At the same time, for the two core customer groups of coatings and inks, it plans a 3-5 year product layout in advance. For example, in order to adapt to the diversified processes of water-based industrial paints, the team not only provides customized wax emulsions, but also provides "formula adjustment suggestions + construction guidance" to help customers quickly solve problems such as fluctuations in directional effects and poor storage stability. "Only by understanding downstream demand and industry trends can we come up with truly valuable solutions."

5. Future Plans: Deepen Local Roots and Expand Globally

When talking about the future, Zheng Xiaoping clarified the strategy of "focusing on the main business and expanding overseas": "China is a major producer of coatings and inks. We will first deepen and penetrate the domestic market, complete the wax product matrix in the subdivided fields, and increase production capacity and market share; then take the 'Belt and Road' as an opportunity to promote our products overseas." He pointed out that most small and medium-sized countries overseas lack a mature auxiliary agent industry chain. Nanjing Tianshi's wax emulsion and wax micropowder products can fill this gap, which will not only help Chinese coatings technology "go global", but also contribute Chinese solutions to the development of global green coatings.

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