Published by Economic Daily News, Hidden Champions Series, 2019/08/18


 

As for textile industry, Taiwan is renowned worldwide, producing several kinds of textiles which are full of color and varied. However, how we can image that the key material which makes these textiles can color easily and enhance vividness is produced by a company, located in Taichung industrial zone, only has 300 million capital amounts and 250 employees – Coating P. Materials Co., Ltd (CPMC).  
 
The key ingredient is called SIPEG, which will become a DNA while put it into polyurethane, having indispensable function for improving textile standard. It is especially important for the textile industries because four of the Taiwan five largest textile factories are CPMC’s customers.
 

 

In fact, besides SIPEG, CPMC has another secret weapon, TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane), which can be produced with all kinds of materials by with different temperatures by calendaring, and also be one of the specific material for making FIFA World Cup Soccer. 
 
CPMC’s president Lin Chi Tsan says, the FIFA World Cup soccer needs a film which the customer chose CPMC’ TPU to produce it. And the soccer makes the FIFA players so surprise because of its high sensitive of precision and variability.
 

Solvent-free Adhesives for Flexible Packaging

CPMC was founded in Taichung in 1988 and produced PU Resin and Polyol initially. After the company was going gradually, CPMC’s president Lin Chi Tsan realized that environmental protection topic would be considered in the world soon. He decided to research and develop environmental products due to Eco-friendly green materials would be popular in the future.
 
“Chemical manufacturing was almost equal to be an environmental pollution maker in the society. Actually, the daily necessities and chemical industries are two indissociable principles. Proactively promoting environmental protection and low carbon life are the main claims which every country concerns. ” CPMC’s president Lin Chi Tsan stresses that CPMC always insists on be a pioneer supplier of Eco-friendly Materials in the future.

Grasp the Market Trend and Develop Eco-Friendly Products

TPU which developed by CPMC is a kind of Eco-friendly material which has several great properties such as abrasion resistant, cold-resistant, tear resistance, breaking strength, flame retardant, oil resistant and also no waste production, no waste water, no VOC (volatile organic compound) emission problem while produced. TPU can combine the properties both plastic and rubber after processing, and the most important is TPU can be auto-decomposition in 5 to 10 years after buried in the ground, the decomposed substances can be completely returned to nature or recycled into other products as well, and also has the potentiality to replace PVC.

CPMC succeeded to develop and produce TPU in 1995, waterproof and breathable TPU in 2009, and TPU hot-melt adhesive in 2011. The application of products is diversified. In 2012, CPMC is the first to launch the eco-friendly TPU materials, calendaring synthetic leather and TPU eco-friendly synthetic leather, to replace PVC artificial leather and solves the serious environmental pollution problems as well.
 
To meet the trend of mount of customized, CPMC also moves toward 3D printing technology and this kind of wire materials can be used in medical devices and insoles. President Lin says that the wires will become an industry which can be formed fast and customized application through 3D print and professor designs.
 

〈Related Story: Processing technology and industrial application of polymer TPU〉
〈Related Story: Leather without pollution: TPU calendered material brings new momentum to the synthetic leather industry〉

 

Customized – Study 3D Printing Technology

For example, a footwear material manufacturer, one of the CMPC’s customers, using the wires into insoles, makes the insoles completely customized and being humanization. 

Five years ago, CPMC pushed the second time transformation, starting to co-operation with universities such as National Taiwan University, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, National Chung Hsing University and so on, from Eco-friendly products cross-vertical sector to high-tech medical area. The last developing products including polyurethane vascular graft and renal fistula, the pipe diameter from 6 mm to 3mm minimum.

President Lin says that the general artificial grafts in the market usually are multi-expanded and formed by using fluorine-based polymer materials. However, the way that CPMC produced, is using liquid-jet spinning, non-cytotoxic and biocompatible and also not easy to cause allergy.

CPMC ‘s products are widely used in all kinds of daily necessities, such as food packaging, functional textile processing, home (kitchen) building materials processing, auto parts assembly, sporting goods materials, wire and cable to medical materials applications. So it is said that CPMC is the hidden champion can hardly be overemphasized. Coating P. Materials Co., Ltd. (CMPC) got 25th Award of Outstanding SMEs in 2016 and Mittelstand Award next year. 

 

Invest in High-Tech Medical Materials, Crazy Burning the Money

“We are like chefs, although the ingredients are all the same, the test which everyone makes is totally different.” President of CPMC Mr. Lin considered himself as a chef, emphasizing the focus on R&D and moving toward the goal of being a pioneer supplier of Eco-friendly materials and that is the key point what CPMC can stand up.

President Lin points out that research and develop chemical products have to control by technical verification and accurate process, especially how to handle the variables will be a core technology because the materials might cause pollution during manufacturing.

In order to distinguish the recent market and to provide the best and suitable product for customers, CPMC has established the R&D department center early, flaunting proving one-stop service, from product development, quality detection and production quality control.

CPMC’s president Lin Chi Tsan stresses that the manufacturing must be service industries as well. A new product or material which developed, designed, and improved by CPMC not only for customer manufacturing but also technical services and assist customers to gain production through best controlling. For example, due to the color saturation of the textiles using CPMC’s SIPEG is higher 10% to 20% and the color fastness is higher 60% to 70% compare to other competitive products, the color will not be loss while yarning, so that’s why the customers trust CPMC deeply.

CPMC has also developed the Polyurethane Adhesive for Flexible Packaging Lamination in recently years. Traditional adhesive layer contains volatile organic compounds (VOC) usually which makes air pollution while lamination. There is no needing to use high temperature to seal due to CPMC use high molecular polymers, there is no VOC will be generated.

CPMC’s president Lin Chi Tsan knows that vascular graft would have bright future, so CPMC extends to high-tech medical materials area during the last years. The develop amounts accumulated more than 90 million, including design cleanrooms and purchase relative equipment.

CPMC has successfully developed vascular graft by cooperated with several universities such as National Taiwan University, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, National Chung Hsing University and so on. However, for the current technology, it only can produce a 40 cm 3mm vascular graft a day and the market price of this vascular graft are TWD 20 thousand dollars.

“It is not worth it.” President Lin disputed that, investing high-tech medical materials area is a big challenge for CPMC. However, he still continues to work hard and invest in because he deeply trusts the professional, “Our products are the best”, and this insist is the key point why CPMC standing in the market.

 

President Lin Chi Tsan Pushes Transformation to Make Chemical and Pollution De-Link

CPMC’s president Lin Chi Tsan said, my personality is to do the perfect and persevere if I think it is right. Most people think the chemical industrial was equal to environmental pollution. He wants to change this way of thinking from the transformation.

In recently years, CPMC develops eco-friendly materials actively from natural decomposition of environmentally friendly thermoplastic polyurethane pellets, can solve the problem of animals’ leather killing and PVC synthetic leather combustion hazardous substances TPU calendaring environmental protection synthetic leather, as well as non-organic solvents of flexible packaging composite polyurethane adhesives, etc., can be seen his persistence.

Lin Chi Tsan was born in a civil servant family. His father gave him an indication about studying that was you must go to public schools. He met his father’s expectation, studied in Taichung Municipal Taichung Industrial High School and then went to the first wish school, Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taipei University of Technology, which fully conforms to his personality of "must be perfect".

He recalls that there was full of class and the textbooks were all original versions while studying in National Taipei University of Technology and he also went to practice in the factory after class. He lays a solid and professional foundation because of the hard work school life.

After finished military service, President Lin had an idea of enterprising. He started to learn the knowledge of setting up a factory and operation skills. The first job was being an automatic control room system operator of an industrial gas factory and it was in shifts system. He has made 3 notes during a year while he was working in that factory. Later, he went to a company which produced polymers. Although the company scale is small, it gave him a great opportunity to learn lots of things. Due to the boss only focused on research and development, he had to handle the company operations includes raw materials researching, technology patents applying, even found dispatch and so on.

“Learning by doing” which developed a strong foundation for the future. In 1988, his classmate and he decided to establish their own business. They rent a 1000 m2 factory to produce PU Resin, Polyol and others products initially.

After the company was going gradually, CPMC’s president Lin Chi Tsan realized that environmental protection topic would be considered in the world. He decided to research and develop Eco-friendly products due to green materials would be popular in the future soon. In order to push the changes, CPMC invests high-tech testing and production facilities, also hires more researchers from 10 to 23 and more than half of them are master and PhD degrees. The researching fees are also increased to 5% of the annual revenue.

President Lin goes all-out effort while working, but enjoy his life in the spare time. Various carvings and ShouShan stone collections are displayed in CPMC’s offices and corridors. In order to regulate his physical health, he plays Tai Chi every day, not only can reduce stress but also increase thinking.

“With be a Pioneer Supplier of Eco-friendly Materials” which President Lin was prided himself said, his greatest sense of accomplishment is not how much the company earned, but how many Eco-friendly products are developed to male efforts for our society and our mother earth.

CPMC Focus On Customer Services, Rooting All Over The World

CPMC was founded in Taichung in 1988, producing polyurethane, leading the Taiwan chemical raw material industries and committing to develop new type environmental materials. The applications are wide and cover the basic raw material for all kinds of Daily commodities. CPMC’s professional team is continuing to accumulate R&D capabilities by developing products joint with customers in order to meet the customer demand by providing a comprehensive solution.

For the long term stable development and sustainable operation, CPMC has not only found the headquarter and manufacturing base in Taiwan but also established the factory in China and set up business branch offices overseas to serve all over the world customers.

Not alike traditional manufacturing, CPMC more concerned is the customer services, such as providing rapid services for every industrial field and different customer demands.

CPMC holds the vision “Pioneer Supplier of Eco-friendly Materials” and the mission “Provide high valued materials and quality to meet the demands of worldwide customers”, keep developing eco-friendly materials and expanding the range of production application.

CPMC invests in developing high-tech biomedical technology products and adding new production line for high value Eco polymer applicable productions. Producing medical products, environmental synthetic leather, solvent-free food packaging materials, textiles and furniture lamination materials by using polymers. Improving technology skill and innovation would drive relative industries renovation and transformation, and further improving the capabilities of developing new products, to lead Eco revolution in the overall supply chain.  

CPMC starts the Eco-concept from upstream to integrate the industrial resources of whole streams, activating the supply chain efficiently, to show the power of leading industrial trends, to bring the economic development and to create employment opportunities.
 

Company Profile

● Founded in: 1988
● Capital: 300 million
● Major products: Polyol, SIPEG, Polyurethane adhesive for flexible packaging lamination
● Advantages:
   ⇒ Expert of polymers manufacturing. Focus on it for more than 30 years and has a solid technical foundation.
   ⇒ Improving the value of products by integrating traditional polymer materials into high value application areas.
   ⇒ Introducing high value Eco-friendly materials to daily necessities to adapt the recent market trends.