Under the current epidemic, how is the titanium dioxide market operating? What dilemmas are you facing? Any good suggestions? How should the future market move? The author interviewed the heads and professionals of some production and distribution companies in the titanium dioxide industry, and generally reflected that the titanium dioxide market is basically stable at present, just because the transportation of some materials for epidemic prevention and control is not very smooth, and the coordination is very difficult; coupled with the supply of some materials Since the company has not started work or officially started work, it has become more difficult to ensure the supply of raw materials and spare parts.

However, the industry is generally optimistic that the titanium dioxide market will be affected in the first half of this year, but the outlook is still good.

The epidemic of new crown pneumonia during the Spring Festival holiday has forced the "cold period" of the titanium dioxide trading market to be extended. Although some manufacturers have increased their inventory, the overall spot supply is still insufficient, coupled with the epidemic situation, logistics and freight restrictions, and market trading atmosphere Need to be improved.

The biggest difficulty at the production and supply side is in logistics and transportation. In addition to the obstruction of foreign transport by the holders, there are also obstacles to the supply of raw materials by the producers, mainly including the unwillingness to run in epidemic areas, high freight prices, high speed restrictions and fewer drivers. . At present, most dedicated line logistics cannot be allocated, especially in Hubei Province. Long-term outage preparations are required. The major cities in Jiangsu and Zhejiang are strictly controlled. There are strict requirements on the ownership of the carrier vehicles and drivers, so the vehicle transportation needs to be resumed. .

Yan Titan industry analyst Yang Xun believes that the market outlook is still positive. The first reason is that due to the product characteristics of titanium dioxide, it does not degenerate and can be stored for a long time. The stock of stocks of manufacturers, distributors and downstream users will not affect the use. The second is that the consumption of titanium dioxide is global. Titanium dioxide has obvious cost-effective advantages, export volume hits record highs in successive years, and the overseas market share will become higher and higher in the next few years. Third, although the current production and transportation conditions are not ideal, the terminal demand after the epidemic will definitely be an explosive one. Recovery, and with the impact of the epidemic situation, or the establishment of regional infectious disease epidemic hospitals, the demand from the most terminal needs to be activated; Fourth, the demand for titanium dioxide is not lost, but lagging behind, the routine of the terminal market Chemical production will definitely work overtime after the epidemic situation, which will drive the demand for titanium dioxide. Fifth, Longqi has been producing at full capacity during the Spring Festival. There are still many domestic and foreign orders, so there is no pressure on inventory. Sixth, downstream coatings and other industries Although the construction has been affected by the epidemic situation, the demand for titanium dioxide in the industry as a whole will not necessarily be poor; Poor after this round will accelerate the industry's baptism baptism.

Yang Xun said that the current difficulties are mainly concentrated in logistics, inventory, and cash flow. Logistics controls the turnover of goods, inventory determines production, and cash flow determines the survival of an enterprise. It is believed that through this epidemic, strong enterprises will be stronger. The crisis is the opportunity after the danger. I believe that the future of China's titanium dioxide will become stronger and stronger!

Bi Sheng, former director of the National Chemical Productivity Promotion Center's titanium dioxide branch center, secretary-general of the titanium dioxide industry technology innovation strategic alliance, and director of the national titanium dioxide industry expert advisory committee, said: "This epidemic is an important blow to various industries. The tertiary industry is almost devastating. For the titanium dioxide industry, it is now also winter. Due to road transportation restrictions, raw materials cannot be imported, products cannot be delivered, inventory increases, and capital turnover is difficult. This is the current general situation. Of course, the downstream market The same is true. I estimate that the situation will change completely, at least after May. "

So whether it is the titanium dioxide industry or other manufacturing industries, there is not much hope in the first quarter. The second quarter should improve, and it will return to normal in the second half of the year. As for the titanium dioxide industry as a whole, there may be a second year-on-year decline after 2008 (financial crisis), which means that output will decline. Bi Sheng said that the current problem, I think, is the entire economic environment, and the upstream and downstream industries cannot properly connect, including the production and transportation of raw materials and the operating rate of downstream users. Environmental issues at this time have become secondary. However, in the long run, the second half of the year should be on track, which is mainly the result of the implementation of various policies and measures.

Zhang Yi, the deputy general manager of Ningbo Xinfu Titanium Dioxide Co., Ltd., told the author that the supply and demand relationship of titanium dioxide has not been affected; the epidemic situation has caused the downstream to fail to start or the operating rate is insufficient, so many downstream users ’stocking consumption rate was lower than before. ; Once full downstream construction starts, demand will rise for a short period of time, driving prices up; but not necessarily skyrocketing, it should soon stabilize. At present, the existing price increase should be caused by transportation costs, or it may be a game in the short term, but it will not be long.

Zhang Yidu believes that the impact of the epidemic situation should be apparent in the next one or two months, mainly due to transportation. First, the in-factory inventory of products will increase sharply, and it is expected that some factories will limit production; second, raw and auxiliary materials at the beginning of the enterprise. Reserves are exhausted, and continuous supply will be greatly affected; then it is unpredictable-whether some factories with strong dependence on foreign populations will fall into the "quarantine zone".

Zhang Yidu analyzed that, aside from the epidemic situation, the "small cycle" of titanium dioxide has basically bottomed out. The next one or two years should be stable and rising. The epidemic situation may lag the inflection point, but it will not affect the big trend.

Affected by the epidemic after the holiday, the Spring Festival maintenance companies delayed construction. Some companies also cut production and stopped production in response to government and raw material problems. According to Tudu statistics, the monthly production capacity will be at least 60,000 tons, and the titanium dioxide output will continue to decline in February. Due to traffic control, it is difficult for enterprises to send goods and products, and enterprises have a good early period for signing orders. Titanium raw materials are tight and continue to rise. In addition, the order situation is better, and corporate prices have risen after the holiday. The prices of leading domestic enterprises have also increased by 500 yuan to 800 yuan / ton; the international Venator announced that the Asia Pacific region will increase by 120 dollars / ton from March 1.

Li Dong, chairman and general manager of Jinan Yuxing Chemical Co., Ltd., said in an interview with reporters that the titanium dioxide market was stable in January, affected by the Spring Festival holidays and logistics outages, and the market order situation was weak. Near the end of the year, some titanium dioxide enterprises have undergone routine maintenance. Some enterprises have not started enough, and the company's spot has become tight. The supply of raw materials has been tight, and the price has continued to rise. The actual price of titanium dioxide has risen steadily.

Affected by the epidemic after the holiday, the original plan to resume construction after the holiday was delayed, and some companies responded to government policies to reduce the load. Affected by logistics, product transportation is greatly hindered. Titanium dioxide enterprises' inventory has increased compared with before the holiday, and raw material transportation is also a problem, especially the transportation of auxiliary materials. In the later period, some companies may affect production due to raw material problems. The downstream enterprises were affected by the epidemic situation, and the construction was delayed, and the demand for titanium dioxide was also affected.

After the holiday, the prices of some titanium dioxide companies have risen, mainly due to the continuous upward cost of raw materials and tight inventory. At present, the epidemic situation is serious, enterprises have postponed construction, and the market is on the sidelines.

Ni Xiaoguang, chairman of Jiangxi Fanhua Chemical Technology Co., Ltd., said that due to the sudden outbreak of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, various measures have been taken throughout the country, and downstream companies have postponed resumption of work.

At present, the main difficulty is that the inventory of titanium dioxide has increased rapidly. Most titanium dioxide factories maintain production during the Spring Festival. At present, there are limited downstream rework enterprises, road transportation is strictly restricted, and short-term inventory will continue to increase. The second is the increase in costs, the doubling of short-term transportation prices, the increase in financial costs caused by inventory, and the rise in prices of raw materials such as titanium ore. The third is that capital shortage companies have been tested due to slow inventory and increased shipments.

In the later stage of the market, large-scale foreign titanium dioxide enterprises have successively increased their prices, which is favorable for the export of titanium dioxide enterprises in China. Coastal enterprises should seize opportunities to export more products. As domestic downstream enterprises will resume work one after another, they should actively contact to meet the needs of downstream enterprises and strive to maintain stable operation for about two months. The improvement of the quality of social life continues to bring opportunities to titanium dioxide enterprises, and I believe that the market outlook is improving.

The general manager of Jiangsu Jinpu Titanium Peng Anzhi told the author that due to the epidemic, due to the control of raw material transportation, the delay in the start-up of raw materials companies and downstream companies, most titanium dioxide companies currently face difficulties such as shortage of raw materials, high product inventory, insufficient cash flow, etc. There are also enterprises that have stopped production or have not resumed operations. We are also operating under load reduction. The domestic titanium dioxide market in the first half of this year is not optimistic. Foreign trade exports currently have little effect.

Regarding the operation of the titanium dioxide market, Zhou Mingyong, the general manager of Panzhihua Oriental Titanium Industry Co., Ltd. understands that the current market price of titanium dioxide has risen slightly before the epidemic, mainly due to the tight global supply of titanium raw materials, and the continued rise in domestic purchase prices has driven titanium dioxide. Rising; demand is in the off-season, the market as a whole shows a stable situation, there is no market price.

Impact on the market: Zhou Mingyong believes that the current new crown pneumonia epidemic has a large impact on the supply and demand sides of titanium dioxide, which mainly reflects the difficulty of logistics organization and the difficulty of starting the company. First, the supply side is mainly reflected in the logistics and transportation of raw material supply. Difficulties, tight logistics and transportation of finished products, and difficulty in receiving and distributing goods in other warehouses. Second, most companies on the demand side have not yet started construction, and companies that have already started also suffer from inadequate operating rates and labor shortages.

Regarding the later market, Zhou Mingyong expressed full confidence. He said that from the perspective of national macroeconomic and global economic trends, the fundamentals are good; the epidemic may end in April according to some experts' expectations, but there are still uncertainties. Therefore, there is uncertainty in the domestic supply and demand relationship in the short term, and there may be some fluctuations in the market price of titanium dioxide in the short term. However, from the SARS experience in 2003 and the country's continued strengthening of the economy, the titanium dioxide market is still optimistic in the second half of the year.