Growth in China with tailored coatings solutions

We recently opened an office in Shanghai to increase the level of service and knowledge to our specialty chemicals customers in China. This investment in a new sales, technical and customer support center for the Chinese market is seen a major step forward for Perstorp in our development of business and customer relationships in China.


Now the company is engaged in a bid to be the preferred partner of coatings formulators in China by delivering a tailored portfolio of products for waterborne coatings. The initial applications where Perstorp’s support is expected to make an impact are in effective and novel solutions for making polyurethane dispersions and technology for converting solvent borne alkyds into alkyds emulsions. The launch of the customized waterborne coatings solutions coincides with this year’s CHINACOAT exhibition, the most important annual event for the Chinese coatings industry.


“We have been able to create a natural center for all of our business in China,” says John Ekström, Perstorp Vice President of Sales and Business Control, “and we foresee enormous potential for our specialty chemicals in the Chinese market.” 


We have been operating successfully in China market since 1988 through sole agent Sam Wing. Recent developments there have seen global companies increasingly sourcing production in the country for many highly advanced products, prompting the need for a sales office specifically for high quality specialty chemicals. A presence in Shanghai is meant to give customers direct access to the specialty expertise from our worldwide Technical Service and R&D Centers. This kind of support is vital in the development of new applications and products.


“There are many advantages to being on site in China. One aspect is that it allows us to test the market’s need for our existing and new products while another is the fact that China’s business culture is more relationship oriented than in other parts of the world. We simply need to have a physical presence in order to establish local ownership with our customers,” explains Ekström.